[kwelch10]

First symptoms started in September 2013, right after I started a new pre-workout supplement. Upon ingesting it, muscle twitching, pulsating headache(not migraine like), extreme fatigue, shortness of breathe, brain fog, jaw pain, muscle fatigue came with it. It took nearly 4 months, 4 long grueling months, to recover from all of these symptoms, as I was tested for all possible neurological diseases(EMG nerve conduction in late December). All came back negative and all my symptoms resolved(resolved in late December) except for the muscle twitching.
Okay, so for the past 5 months (now May already) I have been suffering from stomach and other nervous system problems all stemming from the instant that I smoked marijuana. I smoked approximately 10 times before, started at age 18 and now 20 years old.It wasn't laced for sure, since I was smoking with other friends. I smoked the stuff in December, mainly to stop the muscle twitching. Once I smoked the stuff, and I have to mention that I did swallow two big gulps of it, I began to experience extreme nausea, constant burping, a gurgling stomach, and the urge to go number 2 really really bad. Not to mention an intense burning pain throughout my body and a sense of confusion. I am not a pot head, as I have smoked 10 times since I was 18, and not that new to it either, 20 years old only. Anyways the next day I woke up, I was still overcome with complete nausea and also felt a lump in my throat sensation along with the gurgling. Now I tried going to the bathroom but I couldn't- at all. I also felt extremely soreness in all my muscles, to the point where it was hard even to sit up straight because my back hurt. Really weird because I am an avid weightlifter and never felt this sore. The burning sensations, tingling in my hands, are also still there. Fast forward to today and my symptoms include tingling in my hands, the burning sensations remain, a gurgling stomach, undigested - feathery looking stool in the morning, constipation only during the day with mucus, constant burping, buzzing in my hands, prickly and tingling in my arms and legs. I had every test under the sun- all normal even MRI's of brain and spine. I told my gastro and different neuro about the marijuana, but they were puzzled and didn't even consider the idea that it could be the cause, they just said it was bad and not to do it again. I saw a neuromuscular doctor and he suggested a metabolic myopathy, which I thought was insane because I have no muscle fatigue or simply how the symptoms started. I just need a little sense of direction, and relief from this horrible burning and tingling. Also to make a statement and say that marijuana really isn't for everyone, so don't even try it in the first place!
P.S. gastro did an endoscopy and saw barrett's, also insane because I am physically fit, am black/hispanic, only 20 years old, and no symptoms prior to January!!

[mrsD]

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

Your post is quite confusing.

Can you tell us what that supplement was? The name of it and
the ingredients in it?

People with upset GI tracts... may improve with a probiotic, or Kefir daily. Kefir is very good at stabilizing GI status, which can get messed up with antibiotics, etc.

Watch what you eat, and eat whole foods which are bland , avoid too much sugar or bread/carbs, avoid spicey food, MSG, or processed fast foods for a while. Floating stools indicate poor fat digestion or too much fat intake.

Can you put on this thread a list of supplements you do take?
Bodybuilding people tend to take all sorts of things, in high doses, and some of them may not be safe. When you swallow a tablet or capsule you should use plenty of water. If you do not the capsule may lodge in the upper stomach near the esophagus and dissolve there, where the cells are less protected...this can be very irritating and set off reflexes of pain. (hence the Barrett's esophagus).

[kwelch10]

Originally Posted by mrsD

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

Your post is quite confusing.

Can you tell us what that supplement was? The name of it and
the ingredients in it?

People with upset GI tracts... may improve with a probiotic, or Kefir daily. Kefir is very good at stabilizing GI status, which can get messed up with antibiotics, etc.

Watch what you eat, and eat whole foods which are bland , avoid too much sugar or bread/carbs, avoid spicey food, MSG, or processed fast foods for a while. Floating stools indicate poor fat digestion or too much fat intake.

Can you put on this thread a list of supplements you do take?
Bodybuilding people tend to take all sorts of things, in high doses, and some of them may not be safe. When you swallow a tablet or capsule you should use plenty of water. If you do not the capsule may lodge in the upper stomach near the esophagus and dissolve there, where the cells are less protected...this can be very irritating and set off reflexes of pain. (hence the Barrett's esophagus).

Thank you so much for responding! And sorry for such a confusing post, it's just that my life changed pretty much in an instant, and just when it started to get better it just got a whole lot worse. The name of the supplement I took was called m5 extreme by cellucor. My doctor supposedly looked it up on the internet but found nothing bad in it. I did further research and found that it used to contain a substance called dmaa, which was known to cause cerebral hemorrhages in rare cases so they took the stuff out of the product (didn't know this at the time I took it). I took the recommended dosage, maybe a little less because I was just trying it out. It is a powder that you mix with water. I also used to take assualt, another pre-workout and powder, by musclepharm which I had been taking for three months before the first incident with no problem and decided to switch it up for some reason. I just find it extremely weird that I would have such a strange lengthy reaction when other people took it and had none at all. I don't take any kind of workout supplements now of course, just a multi-vitamin by alive, krill oil mixed with omega 3, and vitamin D- 3,000 mg daily.

And about the GI issues, I do take a probiotic and switched to a gluten-free diet and no MSG, sugars, or anything spicey for 2 months(February-March) straight to no avail. I am just wondering if the marijuana I had smoked messed up my nervous system even more, this time permanently, because my stomach has not been the same since and my whole body feels like it's burning and tingling randomly everyday since. Again, very weird since nobody had the effect that I had. And another question, do you think I have some type of neuropathy? I question this because, other than the tingling/buzzing, the burning/prickling I feel never started at my hands or feet. It just happened sporadically all over my body after the second incident(the marijuana). I feel so hopeless and angry, I'm only 20 and I would find it very hard if I would have to go the rest of my life feeling this way because of two extremely dumb, immature decisions.

[mrsD]

Is this what you used?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ce...me-2-in-1.html

And how much time elapsed before you felt ill?

[kwelch10]

Originally Posted by mrsD

Is this what you used?

And how much time elapsed before you felt ill?

Yes mrsD, it is the exact supplement that I used. I also forgot to mention that I used the supplement before the first incident(day before), and the only symptom I had was a severely twitching pec muscle. It probably would have been smart if I would have stopped there. Well, the second time I took it only 20 min elapsed in my workout when the dizziness, twitching muscles all over, brain fog, confusion, heart palpitations,shortness of breathe, extreme fatigue, pulsating head ache, and jaw pain set in. Those symptoms seemed to have resolved except for the full- body muscle twitches, and minimal jaw pain. Just to state, I felt 110% the instant before all the symptoms started to happen.

[mrsD]

I'll share with you what I see... but this is not a diagnosis ...

Caffeine Anhydrous (150 Mg), N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Mucuna Pruriens, Rauwolscine HCL, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 (As Methylcobalamin), Pridoxine Phosphate

Alot of caffeine

tyrosine-- can stimulate the nervous system..but it takes some time.

Macuna is an extract that contains dopamine--- our PD forum uses it for Parkinson's. Dopamine will stimulate the heart, and raise blood pressure.

Rauwolscine is controversial...and affects serotonin receptors among other things.
http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/supplemen...ive-guide.html

So right there are some complex potential effects on your nervous system by upsetting neurotransmitters.

2) Arginine and citrulline dilate blood vessels. They increase NO in the vascular lining. Taking high dose arginine, will sometimes stimulate the herpes virus (both simplex and Zoster) to replicate.
But you only had this one once before... two consumptions may not be enough to be a viral stimulant. Arginine will dilate blood vessels, and contribute to low blood pressure in some people.

Betaine is acidic. It is typically used to increase stomach acid.

Creatine is dangerous if you are not hydrated enough. It can cause twitching or cramping of muscles.

Most of the bodybuilding powders have magnesium oxide in them, and that is a laxative. Some people get diarrhea an hour or more after taking magnesium oxide.

A cramp in the GI tract will set off a reflex in some people where the blood pressure suddenly falls, and they can feel frantic or even faint. This is called the vasovagal reflex.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_response
If you compress the nerves in the neck, strain or get a cramp in the GI tract...this can happen. It can be alarming to some people and be mistaken for a panic attack.

If you are still using a creatine product, I'd stop that now.
Secondly, for the twitching... take a quality magnesium supplement or soak in lukewarm epsom salts for a few days. SlowMag is a good affordable one at WalMart, take one of those twice a day.
Also you can eat some almonds... 3 oz have 270mg of mag in them. Twitching muscles can be from low magnesium intake. The magnesium in the powders is the wrong kind, usually, as oxide is not absorbed. Twitching can happen with low blood sugar also. If it happens more when you are really hungry that would be a sign.
Avoid sugar, and carbs and eat lean protein, fruits and veggies and low sugar should resolve.

The pains you are getting, may be paresthesias, and those can come when anxiety is high. People do not breathe normally and the acid/base quality of the blood changes, and that upsets sensory nerves. So panic and anxiety should be avoided...there are relaxation sites on Google all over, to help people learn to breathe better and avoid these symptoms. Try to relax, eat conservatively, with only moderate fat, low to moderate carbs low sugar. Try not to dwell on alarming things, and rest up.
Many of the bodybuilding products are very iffy IMO... and can really cause alot of grief in some people.

[kwelch10]

Originally Posted by mrsD

I'll share with you what I see... but this is not a diagnosis ...

The pains you are getting, may be paresthesias, and those can come when anxiety is high. People do not breathe normally and the acid/base quality of the blood changes, and that upsets sensory nerves. So panic and anxiety should be avoided...there are relaxation sites on Google all over, to help people learn to breathe better and avoid these symptoms. Try to relax, eat conservatively, with only moderate fat, low to moderate carbs low sugar. Try not to dwell on alarming things, and rest up.
Many of the bodybuilding products are very iffy IMO... and can really cause alot of grief in some people.

I appreciate your your response and research you have given me. I haven't been, and never will again, take any supplementation of that sort again. On the magnesium, (during the two months I have mentioned earlier) I supplemented with 400 mg of that daily (even though blood level read that was normal). I have pretty much always been eating healthy, just recently been eating healthier and never had any blood sugar problems (blood tests normal too). And about the prickly/tingly/burning/numbing feelings(worst symptoms I have) I get, this developed in a matter of one night(in December when I was feeling way better), and that was after I smoked the marijuana. I would say that it is anxiety, but I'm not really an anxious person, that is until the actual prickly/tingly/burning/numbing feelings started (along with the gurgling stomach and weird stool). I am just wondering if this could be some form of neuropathy, since it has not gone away yet. I have to say though it does go away once I do any kind of exercise but comes back about an hour or so after I stop. Also, I had my wisdom teeth pulled out in the end of June of 2012, and my jaw pain and pulsating headache started two months later (September) and wondering if this could be connected (maybe hit the trigeminal nerve- a little far-fetched maybe) . I know that you may not have all the answers, and you can't actually diagnose me, but you are giving me very useful information.

[Magirose]

hi, I have a rare and complicated disorder which produces neuro symptoms but sadly doesn't show up in a blood test....which is very frustrating. I'm not saying you have this because there are specific symptoms which you don't mention. But there are other sort of related disorders which flag themselves up as possible. I don't think it's anything to do with the marijuana use or even the supplements (though I have a certain sensitivity to certain supplements eg ecinachea (sp) makes me so ill!!!) When we become ill I think we get preoccupied with trying to find a reason for it. Which is normal. We think that there should be a specific reason why we feel so bad. But the truth is our system can malfunction at any time. Often more likely as the result of an everyday type of infection or something like that. It can kick start an autoimmune response and that's very difficult then to diagnose because symptoms are so generalised and difficult to pin down. You can go from one doc to another who simply don't have a clue what's going on because they don't have the specialised knowledge needed to pinpoint what actually is going on. I would like some more info on your symptoms and to suggest what you need to be doing. I'm in the uk though so I am aware the process can be different in different countries. We have a really good free healthcare system which is wonderful and just as well considering I've had to see so many docs in the last 7 or 8 years.

[kwelch10]

Originally Posted by Magirose

hi, I have a rare and complicated disorder which produces neuro symptoms but sadly doesn't show up in a blood test....which is very frustrating. I'm not saying you have this because there are specific symptoms which you don't mention. But there are other sort of related disorders which flag themselves up as possible. I don't think it's anything to do with the marijuana use or even the supplements (though I have a certain sensitivity to certain supplements eg ecinachea (sp) makes me so ill!!!) When we become ill I think we get preoccupied with trying to find a reason for it. Which is normal. We think that there should be a specific reason why we feel so bad. But the truth is our system can malfunction at any time. Often more likely as the result of an everyday type of infection or something like that. It can kick start an autoimmune response and that's very difficult then to diagnose because symptoms are so generalised and difficult to pin down. You can go from one doc to another who simply don't have a clue what's going on because they don't have the specialised knowledge needed to pinpoint what actually is going on. I would like some more info on your symptoms and to suggest what you need to be doing. I'm in the uk though so I am aware the process can be different in different countries. We have a really good free healthcare system which is wonderful and just as well considering I've had to see so many docs in the last 7 or 8 years.

Thanks for replying. I appreciate the gesture very much, this is a very confusing time for me since all this simply came out of nowhere- twice at that. It's been especially hard since I am getting ready to go back to college for the summer and I am trying to convince myself that I am find so I don't have to spend anymore money on doctors. My first set of symptoms started in SEP 2012, after I took a work-out supplement, in which all my symptoms accumulated in a span of 30 min. I was getting heart palpitations, muscle twitching all over(hasn't stopped since), pulsating headaches near the temples that made me dizzy and threw off my gait, nausea, extreme fatigue (would get tired just walking up stairs, and would sleep when not eating or in class basiccally), shortness of breath, jaw discomfort, and also extreme muscle fatigue that would spur on the headaches if I did anything strenuous. Nausea resolved in a week, shortness of breath resolved in two months, and everything else, except the muscle twitching and jaw discomfort resolved by DEC. Now when I stupidlyy smoked the marijuana, instantly I became nauseated, tingly/prickly/burning all over, stomach gurgling, lump in throat, and extreme soreness (all my body ached). The nausea went away when I took a prescription anti-acid, soreness went away after I started lifting weights (up to that point haven't lifted since Sept). Right now, my symptoms include stomach gurgling/throat, change in stool appearance, muscle twitching, tingling/prickling/burning to a lesser extent(used to wake me up at night, goes away when exercising), severe acid reflux, tingling on my tongue, and my limbs fall asleep very easily if I elevate them or put pressure on them. My symptoms "seem" to be getting better though, being that my first set of symptoms pretty much went away.If you somehow get to the end of this very long message, I would like to ask you what was your diagnosis.

[ginnie]

Welcome to Neuro Talk. I don't think MJ is the cause of your condition. Very rarely does this effect people or give them gastric problems. I am 62 and have never heard of that happening. That being said, nervousness, and high anxiety can and does cause Barretts esophagus. I have this condition as well. I have been taking a proton Pump inhibitor called Dexilant. There are others that will to help out with the stomach and esophagus. You don't want the stomach acid coming up into your esophagus, as it burns the esophagus. Reduce stress in any way that you can. I am trying to do that as well.
I will find out with my next endoscopy if this medication has helped my symptoms heal. I have not had any suppliments hurt my stomach either. My doctors are awhere of what I have been taking.

I hope that calm enters your life, and that you can try to meditate to relax a bit. I read alot too, which helps my anxiety. I will be here to listen anytime. I wish you all the best. ginnie