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Suggest Treatment For Twitching Sensation Throughout The Body
Question: How concerning are these symptoms?
I am experiencing random short twitches all over my body throughout the day and I have intermittent tingling on my back left shoulder. In particular, their is also localized twitching on my right flank area, this is more pronounced than other twitching and tends to last for 5 to 10 seconds, this just started fairly recent, about three to four days ago. I also experience my arms falling asleep easily, usually when I first wake up in the morning. The tingling on my shoulder was my first symptom which started a month ago, the rest came about a week ago. I also experienced muscle aches about two weeks ago bit I had been working a lot of hours on my feet and after I took time off work it seemed to go away. I will admit that I have been under a lot of stress lately and my anxiety has been high. About three weeks ago, my blood pressure was high and I was experiencing a thtobbing sensation in my extremities. Because of my intense work schedule, I have been eating poorly but for the past week I have been drinking lots of water and taking vitamins, D, Mg, Ca, B12 and B6, hoping that this would help with my symptoms but I am still experiencing the flank twitches and tingling. I also started taking Xanax and Zoloft to help with stress started three days ago. My family doctor does not think I need to be worried and believes that this Is stress induced but these symptoms are giving me more anxiety as I fear ALS or MS could be the cause, although I do not have any other symptoms. I have an appointment set with a neurologist soon. any thoughts would be helpful and will hopefully put my mind at ease.
I am experiencing random short twitches all over my body throughout the day and I have intermittent tingling on my back left shoulder. In particular, their is also localized twitching on my right flank area, this is more pronounced than other twitching and tends to last for 5 to 10 seconds, this just started fairly recent, about three to four days ago. I also experience my arms falling asleep easily, usually when I first wake up in the morning. The tingling on my shoulder was my first symptom which started a month ago, the rest came about a week ago. I also experienced muscle aches about two weeks ago bit I had been working a lot of hours on my feet and after I took time off work it seemed to go away. I will admit that I have been under a lot of stress lately and my anxiety has been high. About three weeks ago, my blood pressure was high and I was experiencing a thtobbing sensation in my extremities. Because of my intense work schedule, I have been eating poorly but for the past week I have been drinking lots of water and taking vitamins, D, Mg, Ca, B12 and B6, hoping that this would help with my symptoms but I am still experiencing the flank twitches and tingling. I also started taking Xanax and Zoloft to help with stress started three days ago. My family doctor does not think I need to be worried and believes that this Is stress induced but these symptoms are giving me more anxiety as I fear ALS or MS could be the cause, although I do not have any other symptoms. I have an appointment set with a neurologist soon. any thoughts would be helpful and will hopefully put my mind at ease.
Brief Answer:
No reason for concern
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Judging from your description I would say that worrying conditions like ALS or MS are not likely.
ALS is a condition which usually manifests after the age of 40, so your age alone is enough to feel reassured. Furthermore symptoms like tingling are not a part of it at all. They are sensory symptoms. ALS on the other hand is called also motor neuron disease because it affects nerve cells involved in motor functions sparing sensory ones.
As for MS that does manifest at your age and it can have sensory symptoms. However they are not the most common ones. The most common manifestations of MS are episodes which include loss of vision, double vision, weakness of the limbs on one side, balance and coordination issues. Sensory symptoms even when present do not typically present the way you describe in both flanks or shoulders, that distribution doesn't correspond to a specific area of the brain doesn't correlate with nervous system anatomy. So while the neurologists consult should put your mind at rest you shouldn't feel much worried about MS.
What is the most likely cause.... I would say stress and anxiety as well, they are often found in conditions like benign fasciculation syndrome which include your symptoms. However some blood tests like blood count, liver and kidney function, electrolyte panel including calcium and magnesium, thyroid function are needed to exclude possible metabolic issues. If the neurological physical exam will reveal some abnormality other tests may be done, but I wouldn't recommend anything else till then.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
No reason for concern
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Judging from your description I would say that worrying conditions like ALS or MS are not likely.
ALS is a condition which usually manifests after the age of 40, so your age alone is enough to feel reassured. Furthermore symptoms like tingling are not a part of it at all. They are sensory symptoms. ALS on the other hand is called also motor neuron disease because it affects nerve cells involved in motor functions sparing sensory ones.
As for MS that does manifest at your age and it can have sensory symptoms. However they are not the most common ones. The most common manifestations of MS are episodes which include loss of vision, double vision, weakness of the limbs on one side, balance and coordination issues. Sensory symptoms even when present do not typically present the way you describe in both flanks or shoulders, that distribution doesn't correspond to a specific area of the brain doesn't correlate with nervous system anatomy. So while the neurologists consult should put your mind at rest you shouldn't feel much worried about MS.
What is the most likely cause.... I would say stress and anxiety as well, they are often found in conditions like benign fasciculation syndrome which include your symptoms. However some blood tests like blood count, liver and kidney function, electrolyte panel including calcium and magnesium, thyroid function are needed to exclude possible metabolic issues. If the neurological physical exam will reveal some abnormality other tests may be done, but I wouldn't recommend anything else till then.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you Doctor, how common is Benign Fasciculation Syndrome? I am hearing that muscle twitching/spasms are usually a benign symptom, is this true? How often is twitching/ spams the single indication or precursor of a serious condition such as ALS or MS?
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Benign fasciculation syndrome is a very common syndrome. There are no exact numbers since many patients are not recognized or are treated simply for anxiety which makes it difficult to appoint its prevalence. But it is very common and as you say symptoms like twitching and spasms when alone are usually benign.
As for when it is an indication of ALS, it is very rare for it to be the only manifestation. Usually the first manifestation of ALS is weakness, twitching is actually installed on top of the weak muscle. So weakness comes first, not twitching, actually most patients haven't even noticed the twitching until you specifically ask, it is not their main complaint.
When it comes to MS, they are not typical manifestations at all really, they are symptoms mostly related to peripheral nervous system involvement, while in MS it is the central nervous system which isn't involved, so not an issue.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Benign fasciculation syndrome is a very common syndrome. There are no exact numbers since many patients are not recognized or are treated simply for anxiety which makes it difficult to appoint its prevalence. But it is very common and as you say symptoms like twitching and spasms when alone are usually benign.
As for when it is an indication of ALS, it is very rare for it to be the only manifestation. Usually the first manifestation of ALS is weakness, twitching is actually installed on top of the weak muscle. So weakness comes first, not twitching, actually most patients haven't even noticed the twitching until you specifically ask, it is not their main complaint.
When it comes to MS, they are not typical manifestations at all really, they are symptoms mostly related to peripheral nervous system involvement, while in MS it is the central nervous system which isn't involved, so not an issue.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you, Doctor. This puts my mind at ease. I bieve I may have had a kidney stone a couple of weeks ago on the same side where I am getting the twitches. I know that urology is not your specialty but is there any chance kidney stone may be related to localized twitching?
Brief Answer:
Unlikely
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your appreciative words, good to know you feel more reassured.
While kidneys are not my specialty I would say that twitches are not a common manifestation. I have seen painful muscle spasms when there is obstruction of urinary flow, but not muscle twitches, so I wouldn't say it to be likely, particularly with the other symptoms of tingling in areas not related to the kidney.
I hope to have been of help.
Unlikely
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your appreciative words, good to know you feel more reassured.
While kidneys are not my specialty I would say that twitches are not a common manifestation. I have seen painful muscle spasms when there is obstruction of urinary flow, but not muscle twitches, so I wouldn't say it to be likely, particularly with the other symptoms of tingling in areas not related to the kidney.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Doctor,
I accidently missed my dose of Zoloft yesterday. at the end of the day I felt as though my twitching on my side was less than usual so I decided to skip my usual dose of xanax. I woke up in the middle of the night and I had a srange "buzzing" sensation all throughout my body. when I would stand up, it would go away. I would then go back to bed but slowly the buzzing sensation would eventually return. This was accompanied by some random twitches here and there but no intense twitching on my side. I wonder is it possible that my symptoms are indications of a sleep disorder? side effects from prescription? pinched nerve in back? What about mold exposure? I don't know that I've been exposed but my wife and daughter have been complaining about dizzy spells lately.
Thanks for all of your help. it has really helped.
I accidently missed my dose of Zoloft yesterday. at the end of the day I felt as though my twitching on my side was less than usual so I decided to skip my usual dose of xanax. I woke up in the middle of the night and I had a srange "buzzing" sensation all throughout my body. when I would stand up, it would go away. I would then go back to bed but slowly the buzzing sensation would eventually return. This was accompanied by some random twitches here and there but no intense twitching on my side. I wonder is it possible that my symptoms are indications of a sleep disorder? side effects from prescription? pinched nerve in back? What about mold exposure? I don't know that I've been exposed but my wife and daughter have been complaining about dizzy spells lately.
Thanks for all of your help. it has really helped.
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Hello again.
In my opinion the episode you describe is typical for anxiety. You didn't take an antianxiety medication like Xanax (and Zoloft) and you felt worse, that kind of supports the anxiety hypothesis.
I am not sure what type of sleep disorder you are referring to, the most common sleep disorder which is insomnia has as one of its main causes precisely anxiety. Other sleep disorders like sleep apnea, narcolepsy etc. are not related to such symptoms.
The side effects from prescription doesn't stand as a theory as you actually missed your prescription.
The pinched nerve is to be excluded, apart from it usually manifesting with pain as a main symptom, your symptoms do not correspond to the territory of any single nerve.
As about mold exposure, there are many mold types out there which can manifest with a variety of symptoms, so I can't exclude it with certainty, but I can say that such sensations are not a common manifestation, most typical ones are airway issues.
So my opinion doesn't change, if anything that episode you describe reinforces it.
I hope to have been of help.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Hello again.
In my opinion the episode you describe is typical for anxiety. You didn't take an antianxiety medication like Xanax (and Zoloft) and you felt worse, that kind of supports the anxiety hypothesis.
I am not sure what type of sleep disorder you are referring to, the most common sleep disorder which is insomnia has as one of its main causes precisely anxiety. Other sleep disorders like sleep apnea, narcolepsy etc. are not related to such symptoms.
The side effects from prescription doesn't stand as a theory as you actually missed your prescription.
The pinched nerve is to be excluded, apart from it usually manifesting with pain as a main symptom, your symptoms do not correspond to the territory of any single nerve.
As about mold exposure, there are many mold types out there which can manifest with a variety of symptoms, so I can't exclude it with certainty, but I can say that such sensations are not a common manifestation, most typical ones are airway issues.
So my opinion doesn't change, if anything that episode you describe reinforces it.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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