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.