Twitching When Relaxed - Confused

[ySplendidCrafts9]

Can someone please tell me how Dr's can just say the twicthing is anxiety (which would be great) when I get the most when I am relaxed(kids are in bed) and lying down? I just dont understand! when I 1st wake up in the morning it is the worst feet, calves, arms are just nuts!

 

[MarioMasher]

Anxiety doesn't cause twitches, it feeds twitches. So once you get to worrying about it, it most certainly is responsible for why it keeps going all day.

 

[twinTwosome]

There are a bunch of theories floating around about what causes BFS and an excess of anxiety over time is as good as any. I'm not sure what causes it, but I do know that when I was at my most anxious, things were at their worst. When you are busy all day, not only do you not notice twitches as much, but you are using your muscles and maybe not twitching a lot. Relaxed muscles are more likely to twitch, especially if they were exerted all day.

 

[BarbiePetals]

I think the doctors blame anxiety cause they don't know what else to blame it on. I am the same way. I twich most in the morning and when relaxing.

 

[Outlook1958]

Well, IF anxiety somehow amplifies twitches, it doesn't mean that you would start twitching in a stressful situation and stop twitching when you're relaxed. Permanent anxiety and stress slowly cause certain (reversible) damage to the nervous system. Let's take something more common as an example: Permanent anxiety will make you feel tired more often. Of course you don't feel tired when you have a panic attack because you read something about **S, but if that happens to often you will feel tired more early than usually in the evening etc.There is one other aspect that indirectly supports the claim that anxiety causes twitches: Actually, it doesn't CAUSE them, but you feel them more intensively when you're anxious and overvigilant about these twitches. I might say that my twitches have reduced in the past two months, but I don't think that that's really the case - I just don't care that much about them any more, and consequently I don't notice most of them.

 

[Krackersones]

Are there any studies or scientific/medical articles supporting that stress and anxiety cause damage (even if it is reversible) to the nervous system as opposed to a temporary effect on it?

 

[Krackersones]

I see how the word "damage" is not very specific. I guess I would like to see evidence or a scientifically based theory that an episode of whatever duration of stress/anxiety could cause an effect on the nerves such that even when the stress/anxiety is removed the previous impact continues to cause symptoms years later in the form of twitching. I would love to blame my symptoms on anxiety as this is something I feel I have a shot at controlling and many of the ways of controlling it are quite pleasant and self indulgent like taking time off, vacationing, getting massages, etc. I've done all three but they don't reduce my symptoms.Krackersones

 

[Outlook1958]

Yes I agree with that... If symptom A is caused by event X and still persists for years without X reoccuring, I'd certainly speak of damage. However, I still think that it is possible to reduce the sensitivity towards twitching by just not caring about it. You'll still keep on twitching, but you won't notice every twitch and therefore gain the impression that the twitches have reduced - at least that's my case right now. So, even if twitching isn't directly caused by anxiety, there is still a link between anxiety and the PERCEPTION of twitching.

 

[darkrider]

My Doc thinks its anxiety in me aswell. Although kudoa to him, i am a very anxious person, but i feel my anxiety sort of fuels the twitching, makes it worse, but not the sole cause of it!

 

[chriscurfman]

I have many similar questions about the relationship between stress and BFS. When I'm nervous I notice many hands will shake a little. Rather than thinking stress caused my BFS, I have considered the twitches has raised my level of stress. It's not strange that you notice the fasciculations at night; I seem to get them at night and from what I can gather from the forum, many others do as well. In the down time you think about ALS, MS, and what would happen if you got sick. My family doctor acted like I was nuts, but he humored me with a MRI, which was negative. When you are busy you don't seem to notice the twtiching. I had convinced myself I had something for a very long time. Two trips to the neuro and I was still skeptical. My most disturbing symptom was a little tremor in the hands, one sometimes both hands and finger twitches. Both caused an uncomfortable feeling, and I noticed while holing a light item it would shimmer. At first I noticed the fork dance just barely, the more I watch it the more it seemed to dance around. As a nurse I was self-conscious that my hands would shake during a procedure. Out at dinner I did not want others to think i was ill, even though no one noticed it but me, not even my wife who I tried to show every time it happened.The trips to the neuro were enlightening. One thing for sure he did not seem to care about my finger or hand symptoms. I did not understand at first, and i thought he was just a goof. After reading "BFS in a nutshell" It was a littler more clear. He has seen als, ms, and parkinsons many times. I imagine he could see problems from the way a person walked in the office. I passed the neuro exam; touched the nose and several other little excercises. I could sqeeze his hand hard enought to cause him discomfort. He smiled and said, " I think you are going to live.Even now that I'm not consumed with the feeling of dread, I still become unsettled by the twitches. An alcoholic drink seems to help with stress, but it fires up the twithces and you have to deal with that. I am taking 100mg of co-Q10 in the morning and 250mg of mag. at night. It may be a placebo but it seems to be helping. There're doing some clinical trials with coQ10, so there may be something to it.Don't be surprised that they refuse to call it BFS. Some doctors don't think it real, some barely know anything about it. I have similar issues with my feet, mostly the left foot after running. You're not alone. Talk to your Doctor about anxiety medications..ativan or valium. Neurontin is being used for many things now the way flagyl was the miracle antibiotic a few years ago. Anyone who has used flagyl can tell you about the profound anti-inflamatory properties. Anyway, some are saying neurontin will calm down the fasics and restless leg syndrome.