Hello everyone. Hoping maybe someone has had a similar experience to me and may be able to help. I'll be trying to see a doctor this winter, but for now I'm doing my own research. Here's the deal:

I'm 20, female, vegan for 9 months (I'm on B-12 supplements and also eat a fairly varied diet.) Symptom onset 10 1/2 months ago, so it is NOT related to diet/nutrition. So please don't tell me to get more protein/iron/B-12 because I get it. I was on 10 mg/daily of Lexapro (SSRI) from January-September 2006. I was also on Librax, Aciphex, and Zelnorm, all for stomach conditions, around the same time, but stopped them within 9 months. I haven't heard any lasting side effects from the stomach meds, but I have heard of SSRIs causing long-term neurological symptoms.

But basically in January, after sitting slouched in a chair playing a video game for 3-4 hours, I had gone to bed and while I was laying on my side my lower back jerked, pulling my bottom away from my body. Just once. I figured it was just from sitting for a while and it didn't happen again that night. The next night it happened 2-3 times, not really rhythmically, but within a minute of each other. This progressed, every night, for 4-5 months, until I would jerk 1-2 dozen times a night. In June I started to work 2 jobs, one on my feet (retail) with no heavy lifting or any particular strain, and an office job where I sat at a desk. I only mention this because I was more tired than usual and I began getting twitches the same way in my neck and the same one in my lower back but during the day now. Usually only when sitting, but if I was really tired it would happen while I was standing. Ever since, I've been twitching throughout the day, though it changes in frequency. If I am really focused on things I don't twitch as much. When I am really tired it is worse.

So I can usually feel when the twitch is coming, once it starts. That is, if I twitch once, I can be aware of a growing discomfort (almost like a light static electricity sort of...) and hold back the twitch for a little bit, but usually the twitch that gets out in the end is stronger. I find that if I am talking or moving it suppresses the twitching, and as soon as I stop moving it gets worse. Now, it's not super frequent to the point of being really obvious. In fact, no one has mentioned it at all, and my parents haven't noticed, although I am away at school. I was home all summer with this and they didn't say anything...

I have taken some video that captures what it looks like, just look up the username deadlysauce on YouTube and see my 2 videos.

I have no family history of Tourettes, Parkinsons, or Huntingtons. There IS, apparently, a family history of dementia (possibly undiagnosed Alzheimers) but that's 3 generations back...my grandparents are all pretty much okay in terms of neurological health. My maternal Aunt (by blood) has Multiple Sclerosis, and my mom has a tentative diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. Otherwise, no health issues even remotely related to the brain or nerves.

So I am thinking this is spinal myoclonus, possibly caused by straining my lower back that one day, as it is the only event that can be connected directly to the onset of the twitching. But like I said I will try to see a doctor and hopefully get a referral to a neuro or something.


Thanks in advance for any and all help!! Please check out my videos if you want to see the twitching. YouTube/deadlysauce

--Sarah