Fibro, and twitching or jerking

I have Fibro and find that alot of my days i am so tired . it is hard to keep up a job, house and etc. At times the pain is so intense it takes a lot of meds to get any rest. I also suffer  a jerking or twitching when i try to relax, and at times in my sleep. Any ideas?

[snootynan]

I also have the jerking.  Have no clue where it comes from.

[Curls]

It's called "restless leg syndrome."  It's common even amoung non-cfs people.  There's a new med out for it.  It can help, but I've also heard of the drug becoming ineffective and a rebound effect.  My doc didn't think I should try it because my symptom wasn't bad enough, for the possible side effect or impact of the drug, since it isn't waking me up while I sleep.  

[snootynan]

No, it's not RLS.  I have that and it's nothing like that.  With the jerking the whole body will jerk.  It doesn't wake you up.  It does wake my husband up however.  I don't jerk every night according to him.  One doctor says that it's my body relaxing.  Don't know how true that is or she was just guessing.

[Curls]

RLS can make your body jerk and wake you up.  That's one of it's more serious possible symptoms.  Is what you are talking about a one time jerk or multiple times all night?  The one time as your falling asleep, there's a name, but it's normal,  and happens with the relaxing.  (It can be a pretty dramatic jerk - tends to make me sink more into sleep.)  I saw a whole medical explaination of it once on a TV show, but don't remember the chemical sequence.  If it's not that and a problem to your sleep or indicates a problem, a sleep study could identify it?  And if treatable might help with the tireness.  I wasn't trying to be insulting to your knowledge - you can see why I thought of RLS...

I get the impression though that ccmoniz was really just trying to say how frustrated she is with being sick.  I can understand.  I'm doing better at this time, but remember how frustrating it was.  ...and still is sometimes.

[snootynan]

I have sleep apnea as well.  I believe that's what it is from.  When I used the CPAP it lessened according to my husband.  I will look up RLS and see about the jerking.  The having to to move your legs is just so iratating.  I remember when it would just be so bad that I'd pile blankets at the foot of my bed, put my feet under them just so my legs would not move.

[fms sufferer]

Hi < Just to let u no i have suffered from the same thing, for many years, even to the stage of jerking so badly in my sleep i  put my back out !! just lately i have been taking extra iron and vitamin b tablets, and i have notice an amazing improvment, still happen but a lot more managable, and the tiredness is a lot better, i also have started palatis and watch my diet. hope this helps.

[icrochetafghans]

I DO understand about your twitching. It started for me when I was started on antidepressants. It is a known side effect of them. It started out as small twitching in my toes, and eventually grew into uncontrolled twitching from my feet to my head. They are usually unnoticed by anyone, but sometimes they are visable. It is most often in my toes, feet, ankles and hands. They do also occur anywhere else, like my neck, stomach arms and legs.

I too have RLS, and it is very different. It is like ants crawling in my legs, and I have to move them to make it go away. That is COMPLETELY under control however because I had done soeme research on what has helped other people. They recommended increased levels of B complex vitamins. So I took a vit with high B complex. It still wasn't quite right, so I did more research and found that a combination of B complex and iron is the key. I now take a vit with high B complex and 100% iron. That did the trick. The RLS is under control. If I miss even one day of the vit though, it comes back.

Back to the twitching. I also take Lyrica for my fibromyalgia. Lyrica is also an anti-convulsant. It helps a little. I'm not slapping myself in the face any more, but the spasms are not gone. In fact, they are the reason I found this sight. I was looking for connections of fibro and spasms.

If you find anything that stops them completely, let me know.

[Curls]

Thanks.  That's great info.  Gotta say, I'm glad I don't have the twitching you'all are describing :).  I do have RLS.  I wish I could take iron and try the solution.  I'll pass it onto my aunt though.  She was really helped by the new drug and then it wore off.  I react to iron, calcium, cod liver oil with increased cfs across the board of symptoms over the course of two weeks of taking them.    

[Curls]

The comment to ircrochectafghans was supposed to be to you too.  Don't know what happened.

[Tomorrow447]

Myoclonic Jerks!!!

[LindaS]

I have the same problem when I am relaxing.  Dr. told me RLS.  There is a medication but it may cause fatigue.  We decided no additional meds.

[scrappydoo400]

Lyrica and Muscle Spasms.

I took lyrica.. 3x25mg/day for about a week and I was twitching like crazy after that.  I had to stop.  It was just driving me crazy.  Muscle twitches, and especially at night.  I would literally almost jump out of bed.  I knocked over a couple glasses of water with big hand twitches while watching tv.  It was quite violent.  I bruised my hand even lightly accidentally from hitting a wall when I twitched one time.  I do not have epilepsy or other issues like that.  I do have tremors which are more than the average person, but still, within the upper limits of it being OK.  Thats the background.  It was scary, but annoying. It was easy to figure out what was causing it as it was the only thing I started taking.  

I hear that its a relatively rare side effect, but FYI in case anyone else was looking.