I am so frustrated I have no idea what else to do. Currently I am suffering with generalized body wide muscle twitching. They initially started in December of this year after I had a twitch in my right shoulder. I decided to google the symptoms and ended up in the worst panic of my life. I thought at first it could be MS and I then learned of ALS and my twitches exploded all over. I went to a neurologist in March who did not want to do the EMG and she said it was something called benign fasciculation syndrome. It took some time but the twitches became less frequent but never went away. In July I had a full physical and my GP stated it was nothing and could be attributed to stress or somatization of symptoms. I began an accelerated nursing program and now I can't concentrate because I am scared to death again because the twitching has come back.
My biggest problem is the unbelievable amount of discrepancy there is related to the subject. You can look on any site and it states that "muscle twitching" is a sign of MND. There are people who have been diagnosed who say they started out with twitching as their first symptoms. There are people in their 20s saying they have been diagnosed with the illness. Then there are hoards of people who state twitching is related to anxiety and stress. That it is benign if no other symptoms are present. I just do not know what to think.
I am 27 and have never been diagnosed with GAD or anything but I have had a very stressful childhood. Maybe I do need to see a psychiatrist?
If anyone has these issues please let me know. I would love to discuss them I hate this so much
I have had the same issues for about a year now. I am a healthy 29 year old, with no underlying health issues. I did see a neurologist, & he had indicated that I too am suffering from benign fasculations. I have been under a ton of stress this past year, so I'm fairly certain this is why I have the twitching... Have you checked your Vit D & B12 levels, just to be on the safe side?
Hey Brittany, thank you for the response. It is good to see others can relate. How did your twitching begin? Did you get an EMG done? When I went the neurologist she stated that getting one was unnecessary. When I went for the physical in July before school my PCP stated that certain imbalances can cause this to happen. I got all my blood work back and there was an "insufficiency" of Vit D. I wasn't deficient so to speak, but I was not getting enough. I did buy Vit D supplements but the twitches did not go away. I guess some days are better than others but it is weird how they are present even when you do not necessarily feel very anxious.
Hello, again.š My twitching began, after a brief health scare. I had some dental work done, & my dentist used nitrous oxide. I had seve headaches, burning sensations in my arms and legs, and visual disturbances. After the initial symptoms disappeared, the twitches are still present. (They have decreased significantly, however.) I would assume this is all stress related on your part, however, vitamin lack of D could cause twitching... Hope you feel better soon! You are certainly not alone. š
Have things gotten better since? I've been having a similar issue for about a week and a half now. Generalized twitching that just appeared out of nowhere. I had some issues with pins and needles in my hands and legs before, but after doing an MRI that came out negative my fear of having MS subsided. Since I've started twitching though, i've been worried about ALS. Every site seems to be saying that twitching is a sign of this disease. But it seems that for the most part it tends to be focal starting in a specific part of the body and then migrating to other parts located on the same side of the body (Right hand then right arm for example). It seems also that for the most part by the time twitching appears, muscle weakness is also experienced. There are some cases where the twitching came before the muscle weakness but apparently that is a rare occurence. I've been so anxious about this that I started thinking I might be having the bulbar form of the disease, but then again it is either one or the other form that one experiences not all the forms simultaneously. Anyways, I've went to my family doctor just to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, he wasn't very helpful and simply reiterated that twitching could be a sign of MS or ALS.....like thanks dude I already know that thanks to DR. GOOGLE. He referred me to a neurologist, but the waiting list is 8 months long....yep lucky me! I will try seeing a doctor from the health clinic at my University and hopefully this will lead to a better assessment. In the meantime, I'm basically slowly losing my mind. i've never been so anxious in my whole life. I try to remind myself however that ALS is rather rare and also that body- wide twitching is more indicative of anxiety then this disease.
Hopefully this help. Good luck and please keep me posted on your progress.
Sorry I wonder if you will even read this since it has been so long. Long story short, I still twitch but the twitching has largely subsided. I may get a pop here and there but there are days when I don't even think about it and I have zero twitches. Honestly the single best thing that I ever did was stop looking up these symptoms. I saw 3 doctors and they all said it is nothing to worry about. I believe 100% it is all mental and anxiety related. Also, if you drink caffeine I would recommend either stopping or drinking it rarely. When I don't drink coffee I almost never twitch.
I am still here after 12 months of generalized twitching. I still go hard in the paint almost everyday at the gym and I have developed no weakness whatsoever. The internet has been a blessing and a curse. Honestly we have no idea what the real circumstances of these people were or if they are telling the truth. Also in times of severe stress events can get mixed up. We can't verify anything so get off the internet! Also our minds are such powerful things these symptoms can manifest themselves if we think about them enough.
My neuro who is an ALS specialist said benign fasiculation syndrome is totally real and anxiety related. I guarantee the moment you stop thinking you have a disease your body will follow suit. Twitching really is diagnostic of nothing. It is not a precursor to these terrible diseases, it is a symptom of them. And honestly there are like 2 documented cases ever in history of twitching preceding the disease. I very much doubt twitching will ever go away but it doesn't bother me anymore hang in there bud.
Michael. I am checking on how you are doing. If you are still twitching. I wanted to tell you pins and needles in hands and feet onset coukd have been guillan Barre in a milder form no believe this is what happened to me but I became very ill when my twitching began after a vaccine.
Hey Michael, as a Anxiety sufferer I have gotten all sorts of symptom, and the muscle twitches aren't the exception, face twitches, arm twitches, eye twitches even my butt twitches (sorry for veing so graphic) it's just crazy!!!. They started 5 years ago, Ive got lots of panic attacks during that time and when the twitches started happening they freaked me out lol and then went to doctor google and it told me it could be a serious neurologic disorder like you mentioned ms, als, tetania, but I told my doctor and he said that it was due to my anxiety. I ultimately have learnt to live with them but they sometimes scare me when they're too strong or when I'm in the bus and there's someone next to me and bang my arm starts to twitch and that person maybe could feel it, it's sooo awkward. Sometimes they happen when I flex my muscles or when I sneeze my whole stomach would be twitching like crazy.
It doesn't necessarily mean something bad, most of the time like you said it's benign and can be due to low vitamin d levels, lack of magnesium, calcium or vitamin b- all of these have to do with the nervous system function. Why don't you talk to your doctor so they can check it up If you haven't yet??
thank you so much for this reply! I have random muscle jerks and twitches and I kept thinking I have als or a brain tumor and I worry a ton about everything and this has just made me a ball of worry. I would google my symptoms and just get sick from worry. thank you so much for easing my conscious
Nope, I am still here and doing great. I still twitch but they really flare up when I am stressed. Besides that it has been 15 months without a single other symptom. Honestly stress is 100% the cause just seriously stay off the internet when it comes to googling symptoms
Thank you so much for this. Yes when I sneeze my stomach also twitches! Hah. So I still twitch from time to time especially when I think about it or when I am stressed but for the most part they went away. I think I have been getting a relapse cause I keep thinking about them recently for some reason. But it has been over 15 months for me so besides those rare instances where I think about them they are mostly not there. I am happy that you are doing well!
Also green seriously once you stop worrying they will go away. Don't look at the internet please it will make things so much worse. You can't tell what is true and what is exaggerated or even if someone is being a troll and saying stuff to make people feel worse. Trust your doctors and believe you will be fine and it will all go away!
Hi Micheal, I have found this so helpful. I have had twitches for about 5 months of course i looked 'twitches' up in google and ALS came up. Which absolutely terrified me. I was having panic attacks, couldnt sleep or eat. I wasent showing any other symptoms.
I went ro the GP and told him about my general body twitches. He sent me for bloods which came back as my Vit D being through the floor, iron and folic acid were also low too.
I find if i cut out caffeine and alcohol my twitches are alot better. The anxiety is awful though wondering if i am going to start to get muscle weakness and start get other symptoms. Looking online is by far the worst idea but its like an impulse now.
Hi I had to share my experience and let you know there is hope as my experience sounded similar to yours . I must say I began twitching July 2017 itās now May 2018 and I can say my twitching has stopped . Altho when time of stress they will certainly re appear . What has helped me the most was acupuncture and herbs that were subscribed it took time but Iām free from twitching and yes I was diagnosed anxiety GAD. I had all the test MRI , EMG, CT scan blood work all negative thank goodness . But my twitching was out of control especially my calves . It literally just got better this Month so it took about 10 months .
So rest assured anxiety can cause twitching , tingling, and if all your other test were negative then you to just have anxiety and it will go away especially with the guidance of a good accupunture Dr .
Good health to all twitchers and know thereās hope .
Thank you so much posting! You confirming nothing was wrong with you all tests were negative and it can totally be due to anxiety makes me feel so much better. God bless you
I hope i can offer some information that will reduce some of your anxiety.
I suffered, around 8 years ago from generalized muscle fascinations. Limbs, face, shoulder, virtually no part of the body was spared. This certainly caused a certain amount of worry and I subsequently saw a neurologist in London who is top of his field from what I can tell. He conducted both a reflex test and strength test and told me that I have something called benign faciculation syndrome. I asked him several times, if he was confident, in the absence of more specific neurological tests, that this was my diagnosis. He told me, in no uncertain terms that in virtually every documented case of ALS, twitching in the absence of clinical muscle weakness is benign. In fact, twitching that isnāt benign, is a sign of muscle death and occurs AFTER muscle weakness. There is also a profound difference between perceived muscle weakness, because you are focusing on your muscles and clinical muscle weakness. Clinical muscle weakness is a progressive decline in muscle power that isnāt ever regained, not even from day to day apparently. After this reassurance, the faciculations on the whole subsided over time.
Very recently the fasiculations have returned but this time they are a little more intense. Previously they felt more like a bubbling under the skin but now they are more noticeable and percivable in the larger muscle groups.
I returned to the neurologist and again everything is appently fine - no weakness and no abnormal reflex tests. Further, he mentioned that true faciculations are quite often noticeable on the chest and upper arms and present as a strange persistent ripple under the skin rather than wierd random twitches over the body. He also mentioned that virtually everyone has twitching in the calves- and this is completely normal and can generally be discounted.
Anyway, I hope that this will help to alliviate any stres you any be feeling if these are some of the symptoms you are experiencing.
Your comments were helpful indeed. Iām in bed scrolling the internet convincing myself I have ALS.i canāt slwep due to anxiety worrying over my body wide twitching. Iām not due to see a neurologist until September and I think I might go mad in the mean time. Whatās a girl to do?!
I feel your pain ! As your story sounds like mine altho mine started out of the blue at age 55
I guarantee itās anxiety and nothing more then that .
Iāve have had emg arms and legs I have had cat scan, mri , and all test normal my last visit with neurologist he suggests a physchritrst well I never saw a phshyc doctor but I did see a accupunturist and wth the help of herbs my anixiety and twitching has really calmed down
Funny thing I didnāt even know I had anxiety lol .. my problem started almost 1 year ago out of the blue and I was convinced I had the dreaded disease . And I searched and searched for answers it wasnāt until my lady dr recommended the accupunturist and Altho the twitching does appear from time to time and it was mainly in my lower legs but at its worst last year it was everywhere .. Iām a married 33 years work out daily have a great job and love life. I just had to except the twitch and move on and when I did this and accupunture and herbs that I canāt mention on line my twitching is much better and I prayed so with Gods help all things are possible . And I wish this for you š
Thank you Kelli I think Iāve had about 1hr sleep. The doc wonāt give me sedation as she says Iāll get addicted. So in the mean time I have to quietly go mad.
I do think at least to some part my problems may be psychological but equally the twitches r definitely there. I spend ever waking minute thinking about whatās wrong with me.