Twitching may be a reaction to SSRI drugs. If you take antidepressants or Cymbalta you may be have side effects called extrapyramidal signs from them.

You may get twitching from any stimulant, decongestants for nasal congestion, or even high caffeine intake. Stimulants for ADHD or recreational cocaine will cause twitching. Your own adrenalin levels may be elevated by fear, or being high strung and these can cause twitching.

Poor potassium levels and poor magnesium levels may cause twitching. Rapid changes in calcium levels also may affect the muscles. Elevated thyroid activity and disorders of the parathyroid glands will affect the muscles as well.

Low blood sugar spells. These are common in pre-diabetics. You may test out in a 2 hr glucose tolerance test as normal, but a 4 hr one will show the low spells.

There are DNA tests for MND:
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/09Septem...e-disease.aspx

I have corrected the broken 2nd link, and posted the title of the article too... below. Sorry...

Thank you, I definitely have twitching due to nerve/muscle denvervation, confirmed by EMG. The other BFS twitches are probably due to whatever, but this in my arm, where neuritis was diagnosed, are different. No magnesium or other vitamin deficiency, no hormonal problems...the meds I am on, I have been on for awhile and they are not SSRI. I don't drink coffee, etc.

So this is why I want to know - if neuropathy itself (without those other factors) can cause twitching and how common? Like, do most cases of neuropathy cause twitching? What are the characteristics, like constant, all over, hot-spots, etc. I've read articles that yes, twitching is a symptom of PN, but I want to know from those who actually have PN, what do you say?

Also, MrsD - that second link you posted does not work for me.:confused:

Try this:

http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/74/suppl_2/ii3.full

Here is the title if this one does not work:
notice statins are listed in this article as "demyelinating"... this illustrates that some medical papers are now making this public, so patients may get
a more honest response from doctors.

Yes
 

I have axonal sensorimotor neuropathy diagnosed by EMG in my left foot/lower leg. (I have both long-fiber & small fiber involvement.) I have sensory involvement on my right foot/lower leg. I have twitching that comes and goes in my left foot, especially the inner arch. Better in the morning and increases throughout the day with activity. I also have benign fasciculations that are random throughout my body. These are variable & I find if I am well-hydrated and taking magnesium they aren't as frequent.

My neuropathy is idiopathic & frustrating because I have many things that could be causing symptoms. I have spinal issues both cervical and lumbar, I have a Chiari I malformation (7 mm) and I have autoimmune history on my mother's side. I had a low-positive ANA/CRP, also have some antibodies to receptors that affect autonomic nerves. And...I have Herpes Simplex type 1 since childhood, also test positive for Epstein Barr virus. Last thing I can think of, I took 6 months of INH after a turberculin skin test was positive back in my early 20's. Pretty sure I've taken Cipro before for UTI's I used to get quite frequently. My point is, I have lots of things that may contribute, but no identified cause, so I am left as many of you--symptom management. My neurologist is kind enough to see me a couple of times a year for follow-up.

Interesting about the plexius neuritis; as I have been dealing with a frozen shoulder since Nov. It's much better now, but I had a manipulation under anesthesia and loads of PT. Much better mobility, but still painful. No answers as to why I have this, it is not an injury, rather I woke up with it & it froze within about 2 weeks time. Cause is idiopathic. I am beginning to HATE that word. :rolleyes:

I've been taking the Mag64 for about five days now, and I hope I'm not jinxing it by saying I've seen a SIGNIFICANT decrease in the twitching.

Thanks very much for this recommendation.

This sounds just like me. The year I developed BFS (July 2013), I had a UTI every month for 6 months prior to that, taking Cipro and other meds. When I took Cipro, my twitching turned into what I can describe as mini seizures all over my body, everything was popping and jerking, much beyond twitching. Once Cipro was out of my body, things died down to "normal" twitching. I also have low positive ANAs, I have 2 herniated discs in my cervical neck. I have Herpes 1.....

Was the Epstein Barr virus a simple blood test? Who did that test, a neuro or your primary care doctor?

By the way, two neuros declared the neuro who diagnosed me with plexus neuritis as WRONG. They don't think I have it, but agree I could have something inflammatory going on. But they are not trying to find out what.:mad:

[QUOTE=
By the way, two neuros declared the neuro who diagnosed me with plexus neuritis as WRONG. They don't think I have it, but agree I could have something inflammatory going on. But they are not trying to find out what.:mad:[/QUOTE]

After dealing with various doctors over about 9 months now, I think much of this comes down to resources. The doctors are so busy. Where I am, it takes about 4 weeks to get an appointment with a general neurologist, who it seems is really only there to screen you to determine what sub-specialist you need to see. Then it takes 4 months to see the sub-specialist, who will do tests that primarily see if you have significant motor deficiencies. If you have a pure sensory neuropathy, they may not find any obvious physical symptoms.

So, if you have something like SFN, there are so many possible causes (it seems like hundreds), and so many tests that may have to be run to rule out each one. Then, if they find the cause, there's a good chance they won't be able to do anything about it anyway (other than pain treatment). So, it seems like they just don't want to spend the time and money, when there's so many other patients waiting to be treated.

I don't want to sound too negative on the doctors, I think they do the best they can. But just like everyone else in the working world, they have to prioritize things. And in the world of neurological problems, sensory neuropathies aren't that high on the list.

In my case, the neuromuscular specialist said he couldn't find any significant physical signs of PN. So, to "reassure" me, he said that whatever I had might be "uncomfortable and inconvenient" but he didn't think it was anything that would be fatal or disabling. (For some reason, I didn't feel all that much better after hearing that.)

This is a very good summary of the attitude of most neurologists. In my case it is sensory motor, painful and disabling but not life threatening, so I was released by both neurologists and told to be glad it wasn't ALS.

@susanne, I think this is general attitude of most overworked, "welfare" doctors, they are less investigative than private doctors, or insurance based docs, because they are paid so much more to do thier job, and they dont even do it as much as other docs.

Well, I think part of your medical mystery is now more clear.
Cipro is very damaging to nerves. If it occurs at the spinal cord level, it can cause transverse myelitis, and other nerve damage.
It also damages tendons, which may deteriorate over time after the drug is stopped, and cause long term damage or even ruptures. This tendon process is not well understood yet, but may occur months to years after use of the drug.(all fluoroquinolones can cause these two effects).

This link has some personal stories and information that goes into more detail:
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2013/...ng-neuropathy/

Dr. Jay Cohen MD has some information about quinolone toxicity, here:
http://www.medicationsense.com/pages...oquinolone.php

While this damage is thought to be permanent, Dr. J. Cohen has suggested using magnesium to treat these reactions. But since the damage appears to be DNA damage, many believe that there is no treatment.

I have to disagree with you, neuroproblem. While your grammar is confusing here, it appears you are saying "welfare" doctors make more money?

In general doctors who take "welfare" patients tend to make much less money than private pay doctors. This is why many good doctors are no longer accepting medicaid patients (and even medicare now).
Many HMO's do take medicaid or medicaid sponsored State insurance plans. These have many rules internally for testing, and medication formularies to curtail costs or deemed unnecessary treatments. So in effect, people who have one of these plans will be less tested and not using the most expensive drugs for treatments. Usually the formularies are determined by the clinic or state depending on reimbursement figures and costs.

I apologize if I misunderstand your post. This being a written format, grammar is important for understanding your postings.

These were highly paid private doctors, one the head of the EMG department at a large hospital, the other an important neurologist at Johns Hopkins. At the time my insurance had very few restrictions on tests, treatments and medications, and I was offered further genetic testing and a spinal tap but assured there would be no change in the treatment or diagnosis so I elected to let it drop as there seemed no point in further testing, and neither doctor felt that an ongoing relationship would be necessary. Once they know they can't help you they lose interest. I think it is more related to feeling it is a waste of their time and skills than money. My local neuro even said she would be taking money "under false pretenses" if she continued seeing me.

I think every patient as the right to fair treatment, whatever their condition is, from a cut that gets infected to a paralyzed arm to MND. I can't believe that 3 neuros, of which one is a professor, cannot tell me why my arm is damaged. Or that they can't agree. By the way, two of the neuros (one is the professor) were private neuros, meaning, I paid them for all of their time and all of their tests, so resources can't be an issue there. I did that because I felt like the 3rd neuro (the one that goes through my insurance company) was rushing me and didn't take enough time.

It's really frustrating when you can't get a definitive diagnosis. :mad:
But, it seems neurological disorders in general are very difficult to diagnose. Often, there are no lab tests, MRI scans, or surgeries that can tell the doctors exactly why your seemingly intact nerves are not functioning properly. Even the symptoms (such as pain) are difficult to interpret since they can't be physically measured and rely on the patients description. So, all the doctors are left with is making "educated guesses" based on your history and symptoms.

Hopefully there will be breakthroughs in this area soon. Unfortunately, it will probably be too late for most of us to benefit. But, at least our children might have access to better diagnostics and treatments in the future.

When I first had strange neuro problems 30 years ago that were defying diagnosis, my neurologist at the time apologized to me. His near-exact words were, "I'm sorry I can't give you a definitive answer on this. Neurology is where modern medicine was about 200 years ago. We have a long way to go."

Apparently another 170 years, and we'll stand a chance. :eek:

I don't know how common the twitching is for neuropathy or what it even means. I have everything on your list except for the weakness while twitching. My whole body especially my arms are weakened from what ever happened/is happening to me, but the twitching is random and migrates everywhere.
My neurologist hasn't said anything about it. He asks me if it is still happening when I see him and he just puts in in his computer. I think he is just waiting to see what happens with me.

@Twitchwitch
 

I was in the military when an outbreak of mono happened on base. They screened everyone & I was positive for Epstein Bar. I didn't have mono as a kid, but obviously I was a carrier. I think EB is also responsible for my positive screen for Lyme. Western blot is neg.

Thank you for your service!

EBV is very common . You can be exposed, and have no symptoms.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23868878

"The prevalence in 2009-2010 by age group was as follows: 6-8 years, 50%; 9-11 years, 55%; 12-14 years, 59%; 15-17 years, 69%; and 18-19 years, 89%."

The stat I've most commonly read on adults is that 95% will show antibodies for it.

ebv,herpes simplex 1 and chickenpox is very common, almost everyone is exposed to it by adulthood.
@mrsd it was the opposite of what your saying. i meant welfare are less likely to help you.
My neurological symptoms are being put off has mentally caused, which people often confuse both of them.
peripheral neuropathy, unlike autonomic have so many causes, that you cant really pinpoint an actual disease.

I have it everywhere, even my eyes, like where they wanna pop out, and I have no weakness. And waiting to see a nueroligist for 8 months now.

Twitching around the eyes may be due to low Omega-3 status (not eating Omega-3 essential fatty acids) and low magnesium intake. Add flax and fish to your diet or take some supplements for this.

This site gives food choices to improve magnesium levels to calm things down:
http://www.slowmag.com/

SlowMag is also good to supplement with if you choose.

I take megnsuim,b12, multivitamin it's like in the eye. Or behind the eye or somthing.

Is your magnesium a good kind? (Oxide is useless as it is not absorbed). Many people use the oxide thinking it works, and it does not. Even many doctors don't know this.

Omega-3's are used by the body to repair cell membranes. They are often helpful for anti-inflammatory control and repair of nerves.

Are you taking methylB12 on an empty stomach? It is not well absorbed with food present.

I'm not sure what kinda b12, I take it late in the afternoon. Should I try omega stuff to?

I heard that stuff can hide problems as well. When I went to the eye dr about the burning eyes. And she said before o take omega 3 to consult a dr.

Omega-3's shouldn't be taken with blood thinners. That would be the main reason to consult your regular doctor.

But they are FOOD you know... not a vitamin or supplement.
If you eat enough fish and flax seed, you don't need to take it as a supplement. But many people don't, so then there are pill forms.

Eye doctors are giving them now for various eye inflammations.
That is a relatively new treatment, but there is a study on PubMed by the Basel drug company using it for eye twitching.

3 a day of regular fish oil is not a high dose. And it may be really helpful for you. You can use Krill oil instead.. we use one double strength MegaRed now instead of fish oil. I also eat more salmon than my husband does. Magnesium helps fish oil to get metabolized properly by the body.

Thankfully I've loved sardines since I was a little boy. Sardines are packed with Omega 3. I also really like mackerel which is high in Omega 3 as well. I eat about two cans of high quality sardines a week and mackerel once a week. Love them with hot sauce!

Thanks for that. I know the eye dr seen. She said some times it could masks problems . I'm gonna give it a shot and see

That hot sauce could be aggravating your PN symptoms.
Some people react to the nightshade veggies (peppers are part of that family.) I'd avoid it for a month and see if things get better without it.

The fish are good... but the hot sauce may not be agreeing with you now.

The magnesium i take is oxide and the dr said nothing. Think I should change it??

There are studies showing magnesium OXIDE remains in the bowel, and never gets into the blood stream. It is now used in laxative products because of this information. (Phillips tablets)

SlowMag was designed to replace it and was detailed to doctors, but I guess the message never got thru.

Yes you should replace it. Oxide will do nothing for twitching or other magnesium tasks.

SlowMag or any chelated product will do. (citrate, gluconate, carbonate, malate, taurate).
You can also apply a wonderful lotion version...Morton Epsom lotion --a little goes a long way. Or soak frequently in a tub with epsom salts. I think the lotion is the better solution topically.

This is my magnesium thread.... with all you will ever want to know about the subject:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread1138.html

Where can I get the stuff from?

SlowMag is online at Amazon (as is its generic Mag 64)
SlowMag is also at Walmart.
It may be more expensive at other places.

Morton lotion is at Walmart, Walgreen's and online at Amazon.

Epsom salts are sold in most pharmacies in the first aid section.

The other chelates are online at most vitamin places like iherb.com, Puritan's, Swanson's, Vitacost.
Some places are less expensive than others.

Is magnesium glycinate okay?

Yes, the glycinate is fine. Many people use it successfully.

It is only the common OXIDE which seems to persist in many mineral supplements, that you need to avoid.

Would u classify jerking as a
Twitch to ?

How much magnesium?
 

I am not sure jerking is a form of twitching. There are myoclonic jerks that are their own thing. Twitching would be more the muscles within the limb.

I can't get the SloMag and other things that you get in the US. I am wondering how much magnesium should one take? I have what is considered a good magnesium supplement here, that has other things in it, but how much should I take per day? And how long do I need to take it before I should see any improvement?