quillan

i have been experiencing myoclonic spasms during transition from wake to sleep for more than two years. the spasms are generally very localized to the center of my chest, though at times the electric "surges" spread to the shoulders and arms. for a year i have been taking various benzos to ameliorate the spasms and get me to sleep. lately however, the chest pain has become significantly more severe and at times wakes me up during the night. also, the frequency is much greater than in the past - they now occur every few minutes or so until i finally fall asleep. the spasms are more severe on days after i've ingested alcohol. about a year ago i had an ekg and stress test, both of which turned up negative, but i cannot shake the anxiety that there is some cardiac issue. my psychiatrist does not seem overly concerned (thinks it's a paradoxical reaction to alcohol combined with a disorder of the vagal nerve), but i am planning to have a sleep study done as soon as i can schedule one, which may be awhile. in the meantime, i'm wondering if anyone else has experienced a similarly localized myoclonus - i've done extensive searching of message boards, etc., and can't find anything quite like what i'm experiencing. any insight would be greatly appreciated.