Electric Shock sensations

Does anyone ever have electric shock sensations?  It feels as though someone is zapping me with electricity in the back of my head.  The feeling starts at the base of my skull and travels down the back of my neck.  The sensation only lasts a few seconds, but sometimes it does it over and over for several minutes.  I have had these before, but it was very few and it very infrequent, but they have returned and now are happening every day.  

I have googled this and all I can find is withdrawal from antidepressants, or something related to MS.  I have never taken antidepressants, and I haven't been on anything else recently either.

[Akcowboy]

  I get the same thing I believe this is called L'hermittes sigh and is very annoying when I get them but will not hurt you.

  Cowboy

[Wobbly]

could this electric shock feeling be in your feet, near your toes...I get the almost everyday..it starts as tingling..they get stronger and feel like electric shocks..only for a few seconds and they are gone?

[Amyloo]

I get a very freaky brain shock/zap.  I get about a 1 second warning as it is coming and have to hold my head until it passes.  (About 3 to 4 seconds)  It is horrid.  It starts on my left side above left eye.  No pain, no neck or spine involvement.  It moves through my head like a freight train.  And then it's over.

[tragdysangel]

I know what you mean it feels like someone has stripped an electrical cord and while its pluged (plugged) in they touch you with it right? I have got the same thing happen to me for years and there has not been the 1st doctor tell me what it was.Good LUCK.

[mschvusangel]

That is EXACTLY what it feels like.  I was just afraid to word it that way....lol  Most of the time it doesn't hurt, it just feel really strange.  When mine does it repeatedly that's when it starts to bother me.

[Heather3418]

Welcome to the "tingle" group.  I totally can relate to the tingling or buzzing feelings you have.  As you may know, I have been dx with MS for over a decade and this tingling has been my constant companion since the very beginning.  I now think of it as more of a nuisance, where I used to be very fearful of it.  I guess with time, it's something that I learned to accept as part of my life with MS.  I sometimes describe it as being plugged into a light socket.  Sound familiar?

Again, welcome to the "tingling group."  There are alot of "members."

(((HUGS))))

Heather

[mschvusangel]

I haven't been diagnosed with anything yet.  I have been to 3 or 4 different Neuros  over the past 6-7 years and they all have tried to diagnose me with migraines.  In the very beginning I did have major bad headaches, until one day it progressed to the facial numbness where my husband thought I had had a stroke.  The headaches continued along with the numbness for about 2 years, and then the headaches just stopped and now all I have is the numbness.  Along with all the other things that are starting to happen.  I feel pretty certain it is not just  migraines causing all of this.

Things are just so hard right now.  I am in school, I have a family of my own, and I also take care of my mentally ill father, so I am pretty stressed most of the time.  Problem is that's what everybody wants to blame it on!!  The symptoms were there before all of the stress was.  The symptoms have been with me for quite a while, I just didn't start to notice all of it until recently, and now my family thinks I'm going nuts....lol

[Paboo]

Hi Mschvusangel,     I have the shock sensations you are describing, and I have Fibromyalgia.  They are super annoying. My shocks come with eye movement!  If I can hold my eyes straight, and not move them at all, I am okay!  But, you know, that it not easy to do while driving, walking, talking, etc!  So, I am constantly being shocked.  It has become worse in the last year.  I have been dx for 6+ years.  You are so young, and I hate so bad all of the things you are going through.  If there is anyway at all that you can reduce your stress level, DO IT NOW!!!!  Do not allow anyone to tell you that you are going crazy, because you are not.  THIS STUFF IS REAL.  Just continue on until you are diagnosed.  Prays will be sent on your behalf.

[pennst8r]

Those shocks are what I believe landed me in the ER the other day. I don't get them often, but they are in my leg, head or occasionally in my arm. My friend is an RN. She put the shooting pain w/ my looking awful, slurring, and brain fog (room was HOT) and thought I was having a heart attack or stroke, so she called 911. Can't blame her I guess. I've told her about what happens when I get hot, but she's never actually seen it. Apparently it's scary, lol!

Take care of yourself

Penn

[mschvusangel]

I just wanted to ask those of you who have the shock sensations if there is anything that seems to aggravate it?  I guess thats what I'm asking anyway...lol  
When I start having the sensation it seems to happen a lot for several days to weeks and then it just kind of tapers off for a while, but during the times that it is happening my head seems to be very tender (I am not tender headed at all).  I can brush my hair and it cause the shocks, or sometimes just touching a certain place on the top of my head.

Does this happen to anyone?

[doublevision1]

I have Lhermitt'es, so consistent with this, I get the shock/buzzing sensation when I bend my neck forward.  However it only seems to be brought on following some kind of activity (climbing stairs, treadmill, etc).  If I am just sitting around, I can bend my neck forward with no buzzing involved.

I get other 'zaps' on different parts of my body, often the arch of my foot, the base of my thumb, wrist, etc.  Usually these zaps happen out of the blue, but I have noticed that I often get it in my right foot, immedately after stepping out of the shower.  I don't take hot showers so I don't think it's temperature related.  It feels like it has more to do with stretching the arch of my foot.  Weird.

db1

[dave9836]

Many of your symptoms sound like those of ms. My back has been undergoing these "electric shocks" continuously for almost 8 years. It feels like the nerves are being over excited. It tickles, burns, throbs, feels like pins & needles all simultaneously and not I seem to be feeling a weakness in my legs. My condition remains undianosed although a neurologist once diagnosed mild ms only to retract it 2 years later. American medicine doesn't have the incentive to deal with the hard cases anymore, thanks to Medicare.  The doc said I was "dying of a broken heart". Psychosomatic syndrome: the "great dumping ground".  It does teach patience.

[howgoit]

I HAVE THIS FEELING IN MY NECK LIKE CRUNCHING FRICTION WHEN I BEND MY NECK FORWARD.THEN I LISTEN TO IT WITH MY EARS IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING IS RUBBING THE SPINAL CORD AND WHEN IT DOES THAT IT FEELS WEIRD LIKE ITS SHOCKING ME.I ALSO STARTED HAVING TINGLING IN FACE ARMS HANDS AND LEGS AND FEET AND NUMBNESS. I GO FOR A CERVICAL MRI ON FRIDAY AND A LUMBAR SPINE AS I HAVE SOME NERVES BEING PINCHED THEY SAY BUT THEY WANT A BETTER LOOK WITH THE SPINE CLINIC DOCTOR. I ALSO GO TO THE NUEROLOGIST FOR A SENSORY NERVE TEST IN OCTOBER WHICH IS A WAYS A WAY. THERE IS ONLY ONE GUY DOING THE TEST AT kAISER.ANY I HOPE I CAN GET SOME ANSWERS. Marj

[zapstruck]

My "zapping sensation" happens mostly when I go to a specific place - the grocery store!  It's not painful, but uncomfortable and lasts a split second.  

[Nerve_Wrecked]

Electric Shock sensations have been the one consistent symptom I have had for almost 3 years now. It's actually where all my symptoms started.

Mine started in my left calf, and now happen wherever, whenever. No where is safe, even had them in the privates, fingers, and through the head coming out the eye.

Christine
(un-dx)

[Nerve_Wrecked]

My shocks take on a sporatic pattern, they kind of go "zap, zap, pause, zap, pause, zap, zap, zap, zap, pause"...and electric shock is exactly how I have described it from the first time it happened. I find I usually can't move the body part it's happening in while it's zapping. Like if it's in my finger, I am unable to move my finger while it's actually zapping.

My first neurologist told me he thought it was muscle spasms. I don't know. I know Neurontin helped, when I could take it. I also find there are periods where it's more intense, and periods where it only happens once or twice a day.

[Quixotic1]

Reading on the forum I am struck by how common these zaps and zings are.  Start a thread with a complaint of one and instantly there are more people commiserating.  Yet, neurologist don't seem to know about them.  Are we not telling our doctors?  Does it seem too weird that we don't mention it?

NW - Maybe yours are sending you some kind of Morse Code message?

Quix

[monotreme]

Craig told the NYU neuro about his electric shocks he gets going down his arms.  His neuro agreed that they do happen in MS.  he thinks it is part of the disease.

Elaine

[Lulu54]

This is the symptom I describe as having Pop Rocks (remember the snapping candy?) exploding in my neck...

Laura

[Nerve_Wrecked]

LMAO Quix,

I'm thinking you may be right there. It's my diagnosis...lol

I'm thinking maybe I should learn Morse....lol

Christine

[Sunnytoday]

Elaine, so if I tell them of this symtom at NYU they won't think i'm crazy like my Dr. DWI did? Laughing.....
This is a part of my life, and I just figured I could tell my dr. and when he gave me that "look" i realized that perhaps it wasn't as usual as I thought.
Another reason to make me glad I'm going to NYU.
~Sunnytoday~

[Fluffysmom]

Hey, I just added a new "tingle" today.  It's on the front of my left leg, mid-thigh, and started out like the cell phone on vibrate.  The dang thing has been ringing all day, though now its spreading out a little more.

I'll definitely mention this to my MS specialist, for what it's worth.

Kathy

[cat9000]

I'm so glad to have found this forum! I am so scared right now. I've had these sensations for about 3 years. They went away for a while, but have now come back stronger.  When they first started I went to the doctor who sent me to a neurologist. After MRIs and EEGs, the neurologist had no explanation. He looked at me like I was making it up.  I get random shocks through my body.  Sometimes they are just in my chest, sometimes down my led or arm. I noticed they happen most frequently when I work out or walk.  Moving my neck does seem to play some part, but also I tend to move my neck the most when I'm walking or working out. The shocks don't necessarily hurt, but they are a bit uncomfortable and scary. I spent so much money the first time to be told nothing, that I'm not eager to go hunt down a diagnosis again. And I'm also scared that it's something life-threatening. I've wondered lately if I should have seen the cardiologist rather than the neurologist.  Any chance these are heart related? I feel a bit like it's my heart shocking me. Please help!  

[hpynana]

I understand what you mean about being scared.  I have addisons disease, but I don't think it is related.  I started having them about 2 years ago, and they will come on really strong for a few months, then just go away.  My doc sent me to get a MRI and couldn't see anything.  My shocks always involve my head, and I get light headed or maybe even feel high(?) during them.  They can also happen any time, any where on my body/  It is so cool to be able to blog with someone about this, because I have had those 'you are crazy' looks myself.  My daughter had one episode when she was in Jr. High, but it has never returned.

[jewelrymom]

Mine starts in my neck and shoots into my head, sometimes down my back.  Today it started when I was sleeping and rolled to my stomach.  Turned my head far to the right and bzzzzzzzt.  Mainly on the left side (opposite of turn), but also on the right.  It feels like a bzzzt plus almost a muscle cramp?  Now it has lodged into aching pain in my ear and in the weakest part of my back.  Sometimes I cannot tell if I am in pain because I am nervous and waiting for it again, or if the pain causes it.  I just want it to stop!!  This is the first one I have had in a couple of weeks.

[doni54]

Hi, and welcome to the forum, you've found a great place with lots and lots of wonderful people.

My shocks are somewhat like yours, and go down my back at times.  If I reach too far to pick something up it will happen too.  Hurts like heck!!

What other symptoms are you having?  Tell us about yourself, we always love hearing everyone's stories, and what is happening with them.  Have you had any tests yet or are you already dxed?

I ask a lot of questions, huh?  Just want to get to know you so that we can all answer any questions you might have.

Have a great day!!
doni

[Sleepless_in_Seattle]

I have begun searching for some kind of answer regarding this strange and out of the blue sensation. It is like I am being struck with a cattle prod where the electrical volt just rips through me in a lightening bolt like pattern, which in turn stops me in my tracks until the attack has past & I feel as though nothing just happened. IT’S CRAZY! Generally this occurs along my right rib cage, in fact I should say almost always. It only last a fraction of a second and it’s gone for several months if not longer. So I am unsure if I should be concerned.

I was in a horrible car accident when I was a teenager and have always thought that was the cause of this strange feeling because I don’t remember it happening prior to the accident. I also exhibit numbness in my fingers and toes especially if I am cold. After the accident I did go through therapy to treat the numbness and it seemed to help for the time being, but it has always come and gone since. The numbness is not just a tingling feeling; my fingers and toes turn completely white and almost feel dead until I run them under hot water or an extended period of time passes and they finally decide to return feeling. “It’s not in all of my fingers or toes at once, generally just one or two at a time.”
(Sorry if I am rambling I just feel very anxious and confused)

I am now beginning to wonder if there is something else going on, I have read some of your struggles you have faced with similar symptoms and so far nothing really seems to match exact but I would appreciate any insight. Below I have listed several things that seem to match my symptoms somewhat but I have been unable to determine if any of them can occur out of the blue, without warning, and attack only one shock at a time. I appreciate any advice you have; I am looking for somewhere to start with the doctors rather then flying blind.

Gallstones? Gallbladder issues? MS? Fibromyalgia? L'Hermittes Sign?

God Bless you in your journey and keep you safe!
Thank you 

[Lulu54]

Dear sleepless, I just wrote you a message but you may not know where to find it - it is under the "mymedhelp" icon at the top of the page.  Please start your questions as a new post so everyone will see it and jump in with answers.  This is a great group, but sometimes they don't want to scroll this far down a page to read new posts on an old thread.
I'll be watching for it, Lulu

[Krismatick1]

Thank God I found this post!  I have been experiencing the ZAPS for over two years.  I have a lesion on my Right Pons that is atypical of MS, therefore I've never been diagnosed with anything.  My Neurologist prescribes Provigil, which is  primarily prescribed for narcolepsy, but also treats the crushing fatigue of Multiple Sclerosis.  I also take Cymbalta, which stop the zapping.  However, Cymbalta has a lot of side effects (for me) and I'm ready to stop taking it.  I do have Electric Shock sensations that are brough on by eye movement and travel down the back of my neck and into my hands.  Like most of you here...it last a split second, but it takes me back and freaks me out when I'm driving!  Like a game of Red Light/Green Light.  The worst part?  I have been artificially "awake" for two years, my symptoms are worsening, and I have not been diagnosed with anything!  When someone asks how I'm feeling...I say "I'm doing well, how about you?"

[Lucie1998]

I am 35 and have recently been diagnosed with MS.

History:

2005 February - double vision
2008 December - went numb from the waste to my right toes
2009 February "optic neuritis" prob 80-90% vision loss at the moment
2009 February started the getting zapped sensations in my waste on my right side     last night and still happening but was fine all day and still getting dizzy spells.

Notice how it all happens in the winter months, for me anyways,  I live in Ontario where we get a lot of cold winters and lots of snow. I thinks it's time to get my Vitamin D levels checked. It feels like my body is out of control.

[keddy1221]

I too get the buzzing sensation.  Feels like a cat is purring in my hands and feet, and it gets worse when I exercise.  I wake up with my feet buzzing, and I go to bed w/them buzzing. It doesn't hurt at all, but it's just so strange!  I too am undiagnosed.

Kelly

[rily]

I know what everyone is talking about I feel those same electric sensations mainly in my neck and between my shoulders not very painful just feels strange.dont knowq what the cause is but its been going on for years!  I hope someday I will know what this is and why it is happening,and what to do to stop it!     RILY

[MsManila]

These terrible shocking sensations wake me in the middle of the night several times, starting sort of above my stomach/ribs tingling then almost immediately piercing, blasting down my arms and through my neck and head, lasting maybe a minute.  It is very painful and scary. Has occurred for about a year now. Getting hot seems to make happen.  MRI revealed one small lesion, I do have migraines and eye pain on the left side.  No dx yet, neurologist has mentioned MS, treating migraines now, follow up in 2 months, otherwise very healthy and busy.  Good luck to everyone, this is truly an awful thing!  

[keykei]

OMG,

I couldn't even make it though my first MRI,,,,I thought I was crazy, I ended up in the ER yesterday for this doc gave me Ativan and Neurontin to cope until I get a dx.

The next day I was able to have the MRI  but it was on a T1.5

I'm worried its going to be neg, I sneeked a peak and it looked fine but I have all the other MS symptons. I'd take the tingly numbness any day compared to this!

[Mellymell]

I had these for years but they only happened every once in a while.  Now I am getting them all the time, one on top of each other.  I feel it in my lips, cheek, and tongue, all the way down to my feet.  I get dizzy when I have them and I have to grab onto something.  

The right side of my body is weaker and I feel sensations different on that side.  I had an MRI 2 yrs ago and there was nothing found.  So they doc diagnosed me with anxiety.  Anyway, I went to counseling and she said that anxiety symptoms done only happen on one side of your body.

So now since they are worse, I might go back to trying to get a diagnosis.  I cant live with these everyday.  

[Ufrustrated2]

Yes, I too get them and have for many years now. For me, 98% of the time, the point of origin is from my spine around the T-sec. Like when you get zapped by an electrical current.

Happened twice when i was sitting in the chair during the VEP last Thr.  

An odd sensation since I'm not touching an exposed wire or poking about in a toaster. ;-)

[Heather8]

I'm convinced that MS has something to do with dirty electricity. I've also felt weird only explained as a electrical current.
It may sound crazy but it does effect appliances.. cars. I've always noticed lights going off. Appliances stop working. When I get in a car the check engine light will come on and when I get off after a couple minutes the light will go off. It's a fact.
I'm sure other people have noticed this and I'm not the only one this happens too.

[Heather8]

I looked up Multiple sclerosis and electricity and found lots of stuff about it.

[AshleyPage]

I have always been supersensative to electricity, and I also have these shocks either out of nowhere or mostly upon movement. When the volume of one of our tvs is muted and I'm turned around with my hands over my eyes (seeing no light), I can tell when my bf is changin the channel. We tested it. I was right everytime. It's like I could hear it and feel it in my head. He did not have the same experience and failed our test.
I have electric shock sensations as well as shooting pains from my arm to my finger or neck and back. I'm not sure if they're related, as I do have a bad back do to a large chest, but the shocks are undeniably strange.

[misterblack]

I have had this sensation many times previously. Mostly occurring when begining to 'relax' or trying to fall asleep. My first memorable experience was while enjoying a cold soft drink on a hot summer day. Mostly occurring in a state of 'come down' - 1-5 days after ingesting abnormal amounts of alcohol, nicotine, drugs and seriously interrupting sleep pattern. (I believe there is a link here with the withdrawals from anti-depressant drugs)
It is quite frightening, especially when it happens frequently. On one perticular day I had small shocks almost constantly. I would estimate at least 200 over the day. I also had flu at this period. Unpleasant.
Over months i learned to control them slightly, to 'soften the blow' even, as i felt a shock coming on.
They occur very rarely nowadays (2 years on) with generally the same lifestyle. Thankfully =)

[silentlucidity37]

I was in vegas aug of last year and out of the blue i felt ( zap) on the left side of my head. Strangest thing i ever felt, first time i ever felt anything like that before, but i have noticed street lights going out as i pass by, always wondered if there was a connection with me and the lights, not every light just like one or two here and there, and it happens anywhere i go. sometimes it had been the tv going off or comming on and i thought it was haunted, once it was a light bulb and i dont know its just strange to me i would have never said anything about all this had i not found this blog, happy to know i am not alone just dont understand it all.

[Ufrustrated2]

yep, count me in as i have these from time to time. some of them reminds me of the feeling you get when you stuck a knife in the toaster as a kid or touched a house current open wire by mistake. starts in the center of my spine or there abouts.

tell my neuro about it? you are joking, right? but you folks don't see gov doctors, so there is probably a difference in what they listen too unless you are one of their lab rats for research. LOL

[Charley123]

I've had the electrical zaps happen for 4 years.  They are not always present but are annoying to be sure.  I can feel something building up in my head and then whamO.  It feels like electricity jumping from one side of my head to the other.  I've asked many docs and even my new neuro didn't really address it.  
There are all kinds of explanations for it on the internet, but I've never heard a doc speak of them.  Not that I know that many doctors.  There's got to be an answer somewhere...yes?  If anyone has any more info on this please post!

[lala47]

I to get these electric shocks in my L leg.  They are very quick, and cause my leg to jump or jolt.  They are very annoying.  They come for a while and then go for a while.  I also have sharp pains shoot through my head sometimes.

lala
LL

[essdipity]

I strongly suggest starting a new thread on this. Many members skim through the old posts, and might not notice and then respond with very helpful suggestions.

For new members: It's *always* a good idea to start with a new post. Please give us a little introductory info and then ask your question(s). It's okay if the subject has been covered here before---there's no area that's new, but there are many new people.

ess

[sandie490]

Hi muschuvusangel, and everyone else!

I can't believe how many are being bothered by this! Okay, I am undxed, I only recently boarded the limbo train.  I a have had this electric shock sensations for at least 2 years.  It seemed to happen when I walk, go up or down steps, get up from a chair etc.  It sometimes feels very shocking, in my hands feet toes and down my neck to middle of back, down sometimes to my arms.  Sometimes it a very strange sensation, almost like an electrical current that runs through different parts of my body.  Very strange rippling electric-like currents.  They feel horrible.
My neuro said that it's called Lhermitte's sign.  He never diagnosed me with ms, but told me that this symptom is very common with ms.
I have another appointment with another neuro late August. I also have hyperacusis, a very very high sensitivity to noise. This causes these same sensations, and also pain through out my body.  Different noises send me through the roof.  My ENT dr said it's hyperacusis which could be from nerve ending damage or sensory lesions and ms would explain this and the Lhermitte's sign symptoms.   When it rains it pours huh!  
Oh before I forget!  I also get a really sharp electrical type shock and sensation, flash through my head when I start to fall asleep.  Wakes me up everytime i try to fall asleep. Happens about 4-6 times before it stops.  It's like a flash behind the eyes, but you can tell it's related to the other sensations.
I have to sleep in a recliner, and have been for past 3 yrs, because the bed causes alot of pain in middle of night after everything relaxes, anyway my hubby thinks it might  be because my head probably falls forward when I start to fall asleep.  Anyway I always say it could always be worse!
That's my  profile mood "Sunny with a chance of rain!"   Have a good night everybody!  Alot of Good People Here!
Sandie

[Louby70]

I too have been experiencing alot of electric shocks mainly around my neck & down my spine, At times it seems to make my itching attack worse around my face/neck. There are times they can be quite sharp more like a bee sting/zap feeling & have took my breath away,  but other times it just feels like mild zings going through my body.

I really do not know what is causing this as they can happen when I relax or walking around.

I am in limboland & have mentioned this to my doctor, she just looked at me, did not say anything.

[sandie490]

Yeah, I have come upon dr's who just look at you also.  My first neuro did that to me, and said I never heard of that before.  This neuro obviously is no longer my neuro, because, on top of everything else, HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO READ FILMS MRI FILMS!
Anyway, if you find a good neuro, they will tell you that it's either Lhermitte's Sign, or that it means there may nerve damage, or lesions, so they would want to look further into it.  Mri's, maybe emg, lp.  But according to my second neuro, he said" Lherimette's Sign, and" that's very common with  ms, but I'm not sure you have it" I don't know what's wrong with you"  He is no longer my neuro either.  I am not wasting time with these bozo's anymore.  I am not going to be an enabler.  If they shouldn't have a  degree in their field for failing to keep up with the latest in their field, I am not going to help them make a living. There's nothing worse, than, telling a dr about a symptom, a serious symptom the dr should be knowledgeable about, tells you, ...".I don't know what you're talking about".....or ....... they just look at you, and change the subject, or don't say anything at all, to even acknowledge you've said anything important.
Hang in there, I am, and certainly, there are a lot of fellow limbolanders, and dxed people, here who understand you, know what you are going through, and will never ignore you.  Hope we all get our answers soon.  I'm moving soon, so I need to wait til I get to PA before I see another neuro, but this time I am seeing one who specializes in ms.    

[earthangel13]

i also have a very painful electrical shock feeling in my left leg.  (it is in the front of the bottom of my leg) it sometimes doesn't happen for a while and then it will start to happen all the time again.  it feels like someone is holding a stripped electric cord to my wet leg.  I had bacterial meningitis over a year ago and this is when it started.  just yesterday i got the results to a nerve conduction test they did on my leg and it showed terrrrible neuropathy.  they said that this is damage to the nerves in my spine which is usually caused from severe infection or diabeties.  i know one thing for sure and that is that if i am walking when this happens it takes me right off my feet, thats how bad the shock is.  i am going to try the treatment for neuropathy and hopefully it works.  i am glad to hear that i am not crazy because yes all the docs. did look at me like i was crazy and said "never heard of that before" and that is sooooo annoying.  i'll let you know what happens, if i get any relief.   good luck to all and my thoughts and pains are with you! lol    earthangel

[techiemom7]

I am surprised to hear that others have a similar problem to me. I never considered MS as a possibility but it is worth exploring.

I found this page googling electric shocks in the head. When I am very tired/sleep deprived and about to fall asleep, I get a sudden electric shock feeling in the back of the head where it attaches to the neck. I hear a buzzing sound, like a bug zapper.

I have been diagnosed with migraines and thought the neuro was a quack. I had an MRI back in 2006 and it came out normal. I also have very tight neck muscles.

[apoulson]

Supposedly, I have fibromyalgia (2 out of 3 primary Drs. disagree with this diagnosis) and I have similar sensation.  Usually it comes along with a slight feeling of vertigo then it goes down the back of my head and down my arm.  These symptoms have come and gone over the past couple of years.  It seems that stress makes it worse.  I have to be very careful to make sure I get just the right combination of rest, exercise, diet, and medication or everything gets out of whack.

[jibjen]

Hi,

I'vebeen actually hanging out in the  nurological limbo forum - no dx. but I get these shocks/tingling sensations too, they shoot down my left side in arm and leg..sometimes, and only recently will I get a twinge in a sopt on my right side but it predominandly on left and seems to be more frequent now..I had felt like i was feeling better with my numbness and tingling but now it is mre consistant..I am also experiencing more weakness in muscles in arm and leg.  

Hope you feel better.
JibJen

[ataylor222]

Hi, I have been having these shocks down through my arms and then getting very light headed. I have not been to a doctor yet...  I am on an anti-anxiety medication and have low blood pressure. Does anyone have any suggestions???? I also have a one year old and not currently on any insurance plan.  I would appreciate any info you might have.

[frang57]

You should talk to the doctor who prescribed the anti-anxiety meds. especially with the light headedness. Was he aware of the low BP when he prescribed the drug? That will at least eliminate one aspect. I have been dealing with these "shocks" for over a decade now and am in the middle of a bout now. There are some things that help me one of which is to stretch my back by arching my back up and down on all fours. Whether or not my symptoms are related to MS I do not know but I started using the stretches years ago on the advice of physical therapist who told me that periods of relative inactivity can cause the spinal cord to rest in it's sheath and become "sticky" which leads to inflammation. This inflammation then causes what can be loosely described as a "short circuit" to occur and send a jolt through your body. Moving the spine by as much as possible by arching back and forth (a little rocking motion helps) helps even things out in there, pushing spinal fluid around and into spots where it may have been occluded before. After a few weeks of this the inflammation abates and you don't get the shocks any more. this is not a diagnosis, just my personal experience. Over the past several weeks my "shock" symptoms have increased but also with a distinct increase in muscle pain and cramping in the shoulders. Perhaps you might want to look at the holistic scenario. You are on anti anxiety meds so clearly you are having difficulty dealing with stress. A one year old child needs a lot of holding. Holding involves the upper body mechanics. You are probably scrunching your shoulders forward and upward a lot and they're tight. Do you have pain in your upper back and shoulders? Right now I do. I have been using a product called Biofreeze to deal with that. The effects are immediate and long lasting. The muscles relax and the shocks down the arms are lessened. The sensation behind the eyes stays the same though. See a doctor. These days it is even possible to find someone who will assess you for little cost if you don't have insurance but talk to them about your situation BEFORE you show up for an appointment.

[TTOOMM]

Just a quick note to say hi!
Hi Miranda Yes I did have exactly what you descibe it occured mostly when I tensed my neck and raised my head to look up. To me it was not necessarily painful, it did catch me off guard the first few times then I found out I could recreate it by tensing my neck as I said  This was one of the symptoms that led to my diagnosis of MS, this along with clumbsyness and loss of balance led to several MRIs with contrast of the spine and brain where they found several lessions for a difinative diagnosis. Knowing what I know now I had  symptoms for years prior including siezures, and vision problems that would come and go which they originally blamed on my diabetes. I suggest you find a neurologist that specialises in MS and look into it soon. I only say this because caught soon the medications that now exist can slow and or delay this disease from progressing so fast. Though every MS case is different depending where  and which nerves have the lessions. Good luck and don't go it alone many people live there whole life without too many problems.
God Bless
Tom

[calmone]

i have been having electric shock sensations for about 5 years. My docs have no explanation and have tried to attibute it to anxiety, but I disagree. I can have a really bad streak of experiencing them in waves for hours or I can just have one or two then not have them for months. They usually start in the middle of my chest or under my left breast with a little pressure or pain then an explosion of electric shock that usually radiates across the left part of my chest down my left shoulder and arm. It is scary and frustrating.Anyone have similar symptoms???

[AnnM67]

I too have recently started experiencing what feels like "electricity" running through my body. My episodes are only at night when I am asleep.  When it first happened, I felt this rippling volt that ran down my left arm and it woke me.  I thought I was having a heart attack.  This was over a year ago.  Last night I woke to this electricity all through my body, and it scared me.  It started from my calf and worked its way up. I could feel it moving.  Once I sat up it, it went away.  My symptoms started in 2007, when I went from being completely healthy, to going to work and all of a sudden I had to go to the ER for numbness down my entire leftside of my body.  When the Dr. looked at me, he immediately said I had Bell's Palsy and diagnosed me with Lyme Disease, but the ELISA test came back negative.  From there, I started having inside trembling and migraine headaches.  My face would go numb ,my lips would tingle, and my some of my speech would be slurred.  My PCP ran numerous test (CBC, ELISA, Metal testing, and thyroid) and everything came back negative.  He referred me to a Neurologist and she immediately sent me for an MRI w/wo contrast and that came back fine (2007). No lesions were found.  She even gave me an EEG and  EMG and the EMG showed that I had a herniated disc (2009).  Since my pain was only on my left-side and certain portions of my body ache to the touch, she diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and gave be Gabapentin (an anti-seizure medication).  Needless to say, it helped for a while, but the headaches returned with a vengeance.  I began having headaches from dusk to dawn, non-stop.  All my PCP wanted to do was give me more drugs and not work with me to get to the root cause of what was/is causing my symptoms.  I hate the idea that when Doctors can't determine the cause of what is going on, they put everyone in the fibromyalgia category.  I am now working with a Holistic Doctor and he immediately weaned me off the Gabapentin and put me on a regiment of probiotics, vitamins, and beta glucans.  My symptoms have lessened some, but last night reminded me that whatever is going on in my body, is still there.  Oh yeah, I am  also seeing a Chiro (3x a weeks) and that has helped some with the headaches, but I still have the tingling in the lips, numbness, slurred speech, and heavens forbid if I get agitated or excited, the cycle starts all over again, but worst.  Its nice to find a forum where people can openly discuss what they are dealing with and not be made to feel as if their symptoms are only in their heads .

[Preston5891]

I am a blood doner and have been faithfully donating blood every 8 weeks for several years....Last week, I went in for my usual blood donation and when the technician stuck the needle in the crook of my arm, she missed the vein and I assume struck a nerve....MAN!!....An electric shock ran down my arm to my hand and I jumped a foot....Anyway the electric shocks have continued periodically for several days....I am hoping that this is a temporary thing.....Is sort of scary!

[Quixotic1]

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, sometimes a phlebotomist will strike a nerve and it acts just how you felt it.  That nerve should heal with time.   But, I agree, it is uncomfortable for a while afterward.

I invite you to join us on the main page and tell us your story.

Just go to the bottom of this page and click on Post a Question and tell us about yourself, if you feel comfortable doing it.

Quix

[myjay42505]

I have also experienced these strange electric shocks in my head. It is a very scary thing to experience, it also follows with vertigo. I went to see my docotor and he prescribed to me Meclizine, which is for naseau, dizziness, a medicine almost for travel sickness. I don't think this medicine will work. What concerns me is the shocks. My doctor said it sounds like I have BPPV -- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. But this does not explain my electric shocks. My doctor doesn't think I need an MRI, but scheduled some blood tests. I feel like this is getting worse as the days goes on. I don't know else to do. My doctor wants me to follow up in two weeks.....I don't want to wait that long!

[MattandJensMOM]

I have had similar electric shock symptons for several years.  It seems to hit me hard in the bottom of either big toe.  I also have a numb place on the bottom of each big toe.  

My husband died a year ago with melanoma cancer.  During a 2 1/2 month period he was hospitalized three times.  During one of those times I noticed my feet barely moving--I could not feel it.  By the time he passed away, my legs were literally almost jumping up and down.  I couldn't hold anything on my lap.  After his death, the tremors settled down, but have never gone away.  I seem to have tremors in my legs, trunk, and now especially my right arm/hand.  I also have a lot of muscle stiffness.  

Has anyone else experienced these symptons?

I am not dxed, but my PCP thinks it is MS.  I have had one MRI by him and some blood work--checked out OK.  I see a neurologist in May.

Jeanie

[JenEpicFarms]

Hey! - another Alabama gal (yay :o)  I get zaps all the time, but they are migratory. They range anywhere from a light zzzzzzt feeling to a turbo-charged version that's like a TENs unit created by the staff at San Quentin).

Golly, there sure are a lot of us on this particular thread aren't there? I seem to be at the end of a REALLY long list (so I guess it would be a bit superfluous at this point to say you're not alone ;o)

- Jen

[jane1013]

For years, I have had the electic shock that starts at the base of my skull and runs up my head. The first time it happened I felt my head for blood.  I thought it ripped my head open, very scary.  It makes me weak afterwards. I was told then that it is the occipital nerve being squeezed by the musles at the base of the neck. It does happen a lot when I am tense or stressed. Also, I find that my eyes are very sensitve to sunlight.  I am 55 and now my neck aches all of the time and I get the shocks more often--however they are not as intense as they used to be.  I have read about this for a number of years and tried the chiro route. It actually made me feel worse. Recently, I have been reading about nerve blocks and cortizone injections.  I think I am going to visit a spinalw doctor.  I had horrible carpal tunnels years ago and had the surgery on both writsts.  My quality of life improvement was absolutely amazing.  I hope I can get this same results with my neck.  I will let you know..............  

[yakarat]

My mother always described a zapping feeling in her head.  It turned out that she had a brain tumor.  Now I have a friend who is describing the same symptom.  I don't want to scare her, it sounds like there are many possibilities for what could be the cause.

[Csativa]

You say that you get this sensation in your legs that causes them to jump.  I have a similar problem.  I get this strange "electrical-like" sensation in my legs night or day and it causes my legs to jump and twitch.  I've often thought it to be resstless leg syndrome but I wonder.  Neuro says it may be a spasam related to the MS.

It's interessting how similar many of our experiences are when we start communicating about them.

[Csativa]

Welcome to the Zaparama forum.  I get the sensation when I bend my neck forward, testicle gets zapped every few seconds for weeks (or more on end) and a strange zapping sensation in my head.  

[robinandjc]

The electrical shocks is what started the journey that lead to the discovery of my MS. As annoying as they were and still are I am so thankful for them or I would never have reached out to my PCM for help as quickly as I did. Everyone said it was buldging disc pushing on nerves. My Neuro was actually performing an EMG when she looked at me and said, "This isnt a disc problem, you have MS." Then of course the brain MRI came next and so on and so on.

Now everytime I bend my neck down I get zapped. It isnt painful but it sure isnt enjoyable either. When I walk across a parking lot and come to a stand still the shocks go from my neck all the way down my legs. I made a joke and said I bet if you hook a lamp on me I could make light.

~Robin

[Ufrustrated2]

yes i get them. there are certain movements of my neck that produce them and pain. typically not when i put my chin to chest though.

i've had VA neuro(s), write i was neg for L'hermittes when they never did much of a neck examine, and not write down the jolts with other movements of my head/neck.

[RefuseToSlowDown]

I experienced electrical shock sensations in my right foot and traveling halfway up the front of my leg today...first time for these sensations and they were while driving.  I still have not found a dr to hear me out though...

[CatTayinGA]

I have these sensations, too, along with numbness, tingling and eye twitching.  I just spent an hour an a half in an MRI yesterday.  My Dr. (Neurologist) thinks it might be MS.  

I urge anyone with these symptoms to see a Neurologist ASAP.  They will send you to get an MRI.

I will come back on the forum once I know what's going on to share it with you all.

I hope for all of us this is just some annoying but non-threatening condition.  

[RedFlame]

The electrical shocks is what I started this journey with.  I think you will find alot of people here with similar experiences.  I am one of the 'non-diagnosed' people here.

[Rubyrocket]

Yep! I'm in the club, (((it))) goes all the way down to my toes.  Mine is worse with activity and mostly a non-issue when I'm doing nothing.  If I get crazy and go walk through a large store or go for a short walk, I get banding in my lower abdomen and upper thighs when I look down.

[serenity402]

hi i get them mostly in my hands and fingers and in my legs as well, they come without warning and last most of the day, and yes it feels lie a low grade electrical shock going through my body, more like those machines you use when you want to loose weight or the shocky things physios sometimes use when they want to treat you for a sports injury. weird hey, i can totally sympathise with you, as they have no warning for me
from Shirley

[Mforddog]

I also get shock sensations in my arms, hands, legs, and feet. which mainly happen when I breath deep or cough. I also get it through my body. Or, if im startled in any kind of way, which leads to my body feeling exhausted. I've had these symtoms (symptoms) for about ten years or so. I have seen many Drs. and nuerologist over the years. Have had MRIs on my c-spine and brain, with no results. Now I get dizzy spells and other things which make daily tasks and functions a challenge. i'm 36 years old, thanks for listening, and any suggestions would be wonderful.

[patlindy]

I get them in the left side of my head just above my temple. Excruciating but lasts only a second or two. It is followed by a  sore numbness in my cheek and for some reason my left hand gets tingly. What on Earth is going on?

[zleepy]

I been having this electric shock sensations for 3 weeks now, 1st week it lasted seconds, 2nd week minutes, 3rd week intensing shock 30mins to 2 hours to completely relax. Grrrrrr. I'm taking 400mg Gabapentin 3x a day and once a day 400mg Magnesium Oxide. So, far no progress of it fading away.

[bethbell2010]

I AM 23 YEARS OLD. I HAVE TWO BOYS. JUST GAVE BIRTH 3 MONTHS AGO. ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO I WAS HIT IN THE HEAD RIGHT ABOVE MY RIGHT EYE REALLY HARD. I DIDNT GO TO THE HOSPITAL OR ANYTHING WHEN IT HAPPENED. I ALSO HAVE BAD ANXIETY ATTACKS. NOW I GET PAINS IN MY HEAD. THESE ELECTRIC SHOCK FEELINGS IN MY LEFT SHOULDER AND NOW IT SEEMS I GET THEM IN MY BACK BOTH ARMS AND SOMETIMES FINGERS AND LEGS. I HAVE THESE PINS AND NEEDLES FEELINGS AS WELL. WHEN I GET THESE SHOCK FEELINGS I END UP HAVING A BAD ANXIETY ATTACK AS WELL. I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL A COUPLE DAYS AGO. BECAUSE I WAS FEELING WEIRD AND SCARED. THEY SAID MY BLOOD SUGAR WAS DOWN TO 57. NORMAL BLOOD SUGAR IS 100. SO THEY GAVE ME SOME ORANGE JUICE WITH SUGAR. I GUESS IT BROUGHT IT UP. SO ANYWAY I HAD AN MRI DONE ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO. IT SAID THAT I HAVE AN ABNORMALITY IN A SPOT IN MY BRAIN THAT THE DOCTOR DESCRIBED AS "NOT AN AREA OF THE BRAIN THAT IS USED AS MUCH AS THE OTHER AREAS OF THE BRAIN"...WHATEVER THAT MEANS..SO HE WANTS TO SEE THE MRI HISSELF BECAUSE ALL HE READ WAS THE RESULTS THAT WERE SENT TO HIM. SO TODAY IM GOING TO TAKE THEM TO HIM. AND SEPTEMBER 21ST IS MY NEXT NEURO APPNT WITH HIM. HOPEFULLY HE CAN TELL ME WHATS GOING ON. IT COULD BE HYPOGLYCEMIA. WHICH HAS MANY SIDE EFFECTS AND SYMPTOMS. BALANCE ISSUES AND TREMBLE AND SHOCKS ALL ARE INCLUDED. SO I AM SO NERVOUS. I HOPE THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS AND FIX IT. MY QUESTION IS HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD AN MRI AND BEEN TOLD ANYTHING SIMILIAR

[calebrod]

man ive had em in my head and chest since i was at least 12 so about a decade .. sometimes in my feet and when i twist my neck fast it comes for a split second .. its crazy idk i've also fainted a few times when i felt dizzy thats all thats ever happened to me

[ritadean]

I have had these "vibrating" shocks from the base of my neck all the way down my spine for about 2 weeks now...I was in a motorcycle accident back in July and was completely paralyzed for about 45 seconds (which felt like forever).  I was given an MRI and X rays the night of the accident and had a follow up and was cleared by a Dr of all injuries.  Now I'm having these "MS" symptoms which include the vibrating, dizziness and some mild memory loss.  I guess...I'm just wondering if the Dr's were wrong and if the accident had something to do with this and I have a spinal cord injury or if I have MS?  I'm scared!  I will be going to a Nuerologist soon.

[xntqb]

What you guys are describing more or less has been happening to me for over 20 years!  I spent thousands of dollars trying to find a doctor that knew what the heck was going on.  Basically, at the onset of sleep, during the "twilight" period of consciousness and sleep, I have what feels like an electrical short circuit originating just below the bottom of my sternum (chest) and radiating across and down both arms.  This feels massive but only lasts a fraction of a second.  It has mutated over the years to a stronger full blown sensation but I have been able to control it with "Klonopin" (1mg) per day.  It's been proven to block these kind of attacks.  This isn't an over night quick fix.  It initially took 3 years of closely monitoring the frequency of the attack to realize that the drug was reducing the attacks.  Now I use Klonopin as a maintanence drug and the attacks have subsided and only seem to occur when i forget to take my one a day dose.  I feel like this drug saved my life as it was driving me literally crazy and I feared death was just around the  corner.  Good luck with your trials dealing with these issues but I felt compelled to share this with you all....

Regards,
Glen
Texas

[Kathey210]

Just started having these weird shock sesations about 3 months ago.  The first time was from the back of tonuge to the tip.  Felt like I bit an electrical wire.  Next time was the other side of my tongue and it felt and tasted like I
had bitten my tongue.  Now last night I got a stock sesation in my lower abdomin (abdomen) that shot me striaght out of bed.  Very scary to deal with, scary to try to explain to someone that hasn't experieneced  and embrassing.  I think my husband thinks I'm crazy or over stressed.  What is the best direction to go?  

Bailkat
Washington

[blondemensan]

It has been awhile since your post-have you found any relief? My symptoms are very similar to yours.

[littlecashew]

Hello: I found a website that specifically talks about these electric shocks that are very painful. I've been having these shooting electric shocks in my knee are. They take my breath away and are incredibly painful. I'm still doing more investigating, but here is the link below. The condition is called spondylosis.


http://orthopedics.about.com/od/spondylosis/a/spondy.htm

[ccorina]

Wow!  this is a common symptom obviously!

I describe mine as one of those old black and white robots from the B grade science-fiction movies.  I feel like one of those short circuited!  Especially after a big outing, or stress-ful event.  I just start getting zapped everywhere.

Corina

[Willowwoman777]

You can tell I am a country girl when I say the "buzzing" I get feels as if I grabbed an electric fence. It happens on and off throughout the day...sometimes my arms, sometimes my leg, sometimes across my abdomen. I don't have the neck thing down the spine thingy, but occasionally I feel like someone is sticking a needle from the base of my skull just down my neck. I carry my cellphone with me in my pocket and sometimes I will think it's ringing because I have it set to vibrate. I check it and find out it's just the electric fence turning on:)

[ceryslh]

Hi all it's great to read up about everyone, and realise your not the only one.
Mine all started at the age of 11 i strained my neck playing netball, and it all went down hill from there. I suffered with neck pain which persistently got worse and never went away. I ende up learning to live with it after loosing faith in doctors. After 5yrs or so the pain travelled to my left shoulder which got far worse alomg with crunching and grinding etc. Now it has travelled to my right shoulder and is gradually moving down my spine. I never have a day without pain but have good bad and really awful days. When the pain is bad along comes the little electrical impulses. Its like hundreds of electric shocks going off all inside my neck and shoulders. A bit like a tens machine going off inside my body! If I lie down it pushes on my neck into my skull and causes head pain at the base of the skull which slowly travels up. Also when sitting in certain posistions I set off a very sharp painful repeating shock along my collar bone which is scary. My doctor says Im sensitive to pain and made me look stupid! Anyone out there have a similar case. Im 29 now so it has gone on a long time without any answersxx

[heretoday20]

So, I have no dx, however I have been experiencing these electric shock things that seem to happen more when I move my eyes. The shock goes to my tongue and into my fingers sometimes to my legs. I had this about four years ago and it went away. Today, I'm battling some kind of nasty infections; swollen lymph nodes and tonsils with no fever. When this started the shockings returned. Four years ago i wasn't battling any infection, but still had to shock. I go to the doctors tomorrow to find out what is causing my tonsils and lymph node in my neck, but scared to ask about ms.

[heretoday20]

So, I have no dx, however I have been experiencing these electric shock things that seem to happen more when I move my eyes. The shock goes to my tongue and into my fingers sometimes to my legs. I had this about four years ago and it went away. Today, I'm battling some kind of nasty infections; swollen lymph nodes and tonsils with no fever. When this started the shockings returned. Four years ago i wasn't battling any infection, but still had to shock. I go to the doctors tomorrow to find out what is causing my tonsils and lymph node in my neck, but scared to ask about ms.

[painterdude1]

When I tilt my head forward, like to look at my toes, I have an electric-like current that shoots down my spine and out to my hands, which makes them momentarily numb. It doesn't hurt, but there can be a bit of discomfort. It's more unnerving than anything.

I fell and hit my head awhile back and I think this is obviously part of the problem.......although I really didn't notice it until recently. I'm guessing a pinched nerve.

[colleen744]

i have problem with heart palpitation since oct 2010. start i felt weird body with tremor, shaking no reason and started eletric shock between brain and heart everyday since middel of janurary 2011. i talked with two doctors  but they dont understand about eletric shock nerve. what i do.. i am worry alot everyday about that... i use medicine for metorlopolo since oct 2010. please help me...

[VirginiaW]

Hello Colleen: I will address my post to you since you are the most recent person to comment. It is so good to know that there are lots of people who have similar shock-like experiences. Mine is behind my right knee. I currently am seeing a neurologist who has me on a medicine. He's the only person who has offered me medical help. Try to see a neurologist, Colleen.

[dancingfeet463]

MY FRIEND GETS SHOCK  WAVES IN HER LEGS
NOW TODAY SHE'S GETTING THEM IN HER ARMS AS WELL

SHE WORK OUT A LOT AND SOMETIMES SHE OVER DO IT,
I WAS WONDERING COULD THIS BE THE CAUSE OF THE SHOCK WAVES.

I WAS GETTING THEM EVERY SINCE I WAS NINE YEARS OLD UNTIL ADULT HOOD

SOMETIMES IN MY LEGS, THE WORSE ONES WAS WHEN  I TURN MY HEAD TO THE RIGHT  I GETS  A SHOCK WAVE IN MY NECK AND IT TRAVELS  ALL OVER MY HEAD  AND IT WAS EXTRA STRONG IN THE TOP OF THE HEAD

I SHUT MY EYES HOLDING MY HEAD  BECAUSE IT WAS UNBAREABLE  I  LOOK  AT IT AS A SIGHN THAT I'M STILL ALIVE AOL

[cainer]

WOW!! We -r- all shocked!  well humm   im getting it in my arm -my whole arm- now i thought,ms,, but go in for lol- think its c-spine mri- might be in the neck, causeing the electric shocks, and muscle in arm is very painful like its comming off the bone. if i aggrevate it any-so the tingleing is bad - but the pain got me to check it out i go thursday, but prob wont no till monday for results.- yeh i was ready to cut it off!1

[1moore]

I get them when I look down, staring at my neck and down my back sometimes clear to my feet, worse after I workout or during a flare that affects my feet.

[jen673]

I had a cspine MRI because i was having these shock like zaps run down my right side starting at my neck and running down my leg and arm every time I bend my head forward.  It's called L'hermittes syndrome.  My MRI showed 3 lesions on the spinal cord suggestive of a demyelinating disease the report said.  I see a neuro on the 14th.  I have numbness and tingling in my right hand also.  And my reflexes are off on the left side of my body.  Am very  anxious for my appt.

[shockedva]

Bear with me, this is kind of long, but I feel I need to really create a timeline in the hopes of getting suggestions/help!
Since March 3, I have been experiencing extreme pain in my left outside ankle, right on the bone. The pain feels like I'm being electrocuted, lasts only a few seconds but can repeat short intervals for up to 20 hours. EXTREMELY painful and debilitating! Brings me to my knees, literally screaming and anything and everything that I may be holding or on my lap if I am seated goes flying. I am on Percocet and, as of April 6th, Oxycontin for the pain, which I only take when the 'shocks' are really bad. These pain meds, at times, do NOT even touch the pain! Incredible to me that these medications don’t help at all sometimes.  I am not accustomed to taking any medication, let alone pain med and I can’t stand the way it makes me feel. I am also on Neurontin, 300 mgs./day, since the 18th of March, which is doing nothing to slow down the shocks or help with the pain either.
The shocks occur at all times of the day, whether I am sitting, standing, walking, running, laying down - doesn't seem to matter. There does not seem to be anything that 'triggers' the shocks, nor is there any type of precursor or inclination that they are going to 'start' up. I have had a total of 5 pain-free days since March 3rd.

I have had nerve/muscular tests Friday the 18th of March, which showed nothing. Bloodwork showed negative for autoimmune diseases. X-rays of my ankle taken on the 3rd of March showed nothing. My GP scheduled me for an MRI Tues. the 29th, which has been declined by my insurance, Anthem BC/BS PPO. My GP has referred me to my Orthopedic to hopefully get the MRI ordered and approved. I saw my orthopedic on Tuesday April 5th, advised him of all that has been going on, provided him with all notes and test studies, etc. from my GP and the Neurologist as well as my letter of declination for the MRI from my insurance company. My Orthopedic had, like the previous doctors, no clue what this could be and had, like the previous doctors, never heard of this. He now wants me to jump through the hoops of the insurance company to get this MRI so we can rule out anything and move onto the next ‘test’ or ‘study’. This means 4 wks of physical therapy 2x/wk, wearing an ankle brace and taking anti-inflammatories. I honestly don’t know if I can last that long with this pain.
I have heard of some autoimmune diseases being dx’d through muscle biopsy and/or spinal tap when not able to be dx’d through bloodwork. Would this be the next step after the MRI?
I am at a complete loss. I am a healthy 41 year old personal trainer, very active and fit. I do not smoke or drink, I eat a well-balanced diet. This pain is unbearable, like someone is literally taking a live wire and touching it onto my ankle. I have found close to nil of cases such as mine through online resources and have posted on different medical boards, no closer to an answer than when I began.

[cainer]

  hi   you are decribing  what i go through- but mine is in arm,  its bad  he told me it was a ms symptom- i was hopeing i pulled something or a pinched nerve- but no did emg-itt showed?? he never really said -i didnt ask-dont guess i wanted to hear but he said it was ms- i had a c-spine mri- it was All i could do was to lay there-the pain was unbearable- so they gave me a another pillow-i wont be having another mri- ill have to be assleep!! now my leg is drawing up on me- urgg!!

[Shelly927]

I am so sorry to hear about this, no one else can find a good doctor either!
Has anyone else experienced this?
I don't know what to do next!
I went to a rhematoligist, over a year ago, with joint pain, muscle weakness, and electrical shock sensations in my wrists, and was told she didn't see any swelling so I must have Fibromyalgia. It didn't make any since to me so I asked my GP about seeing a neuralogist, he thought it was a good idea, I drove an hour to my appointment, I live in a very rural area, I waited over a month for and they had canceled me and weren't going to see me because they were a diagnostic facility and don't treat Fibromyalgia. I couldn't even get in to see a doctor.  I've told them and my gp that this doesn't sound like FM, especially since the weakness had gotten so bad that I walk with a cane at home now, and have to use a cane/ wheelchair outside of the house, I have a bunch of other classic neuroligical symptoms as well, but it seems doctors won't look past a misdiagnosis of Fibromyalgia, any advise?

[LWarwick]

Do you meditate?  Electric shock sensations in the back of the head and down the spine can be related to meditation techniques which release energy called kundalini which runs up the spine and can be tingling, warm, feeling of waves or electricity.  It's common with meditative practices and it's part of indian spirituality/philosophy and has to do with chakras, etc.  If you google kundalini and electric shock sensations in spine you may get some information.  You may also get the sensations without meditation if you've had any particularly intense experiences in your life, sometimes the energy gets released when we go through traumatic experiences, like intense greif or loss from something.  If you've never taken antidepressants and you've been cleared that you dont have MS or a neurological disorder, this could be an explanation.  It's more common than you would think.  Good luck.

[Findest2001]

I have been getting these shocks for over a month now. I've been to the ER for it due to it's scariness.  The symptom never goes below my waist, however. It started as quick zaps that went from back of my neck to my hands, made me tense the muscles along that path for a moment, then go away.  My psych thinks it's a side effect of the SSRI i'm on. My doctor thinks it's anxiety, or possibly oxycodone withdrawal.

I was dx with Degenerative disc disease (moderate to severe) at the age of 31 (last year). I have 7 completely destroyed discs and 3 or 4 herniated discs. Some theories I personally have, because it seems to me the doctors have no idea and aren't willing to admit it, are herniated discs pressing on nerves, possibly MS, or some severe neurological occurance.  

I know these feeling are subjective, but mine seem worse than most people's here. Mine started out very much the same, but over the last few weeks they have gone from a few times a day to nonstop all day with a pulsating buzzing sound in my head accompanying the shocks.  The shocks make me lose control of whatever muscles are in the same area, and even make me convulse similar to a seizure, although I am fully awake and aware of my surroundings.  

Well, just last night I woke up with the sensation everywhere and was paralyzed, literally. I couldn't move OR speak and I've never been more scared. I tried to scream to my girlfriend to call 911 but as I said, i couldn't speak.  After about 30 seconds it completely went away, and I debated for an hr about going to the ER again.  I have ruled out the ER because they are only concerned with life-or-death stuff, and noone seems to think this may be that severe.

Anyways, not sure why I'm posting here, but I need help, have a neuro appt but it's not for 2 months :(

I'm unemployed and trying to get a job, but I can't get a job when I am convulsing and seizing every 10-15 min.  I also can't afford to wait 2 months for the neuro because i need money to survive. I'm really at rock bottom right now and need help.

John

[newkid960]

  I have had several motorcycle accidents and years ago I would wake up and not be able to move my left arm or sometimes it would be the right but mostly the left. Scared the crap out of me. About 2004 the Doctors put a stent in my heart and while they were doing the surgery I lifted straight up off the table by about 6 inches. I tried to warn the Doctors and it was like the nurses didn't beleive me. I cannot to this day lie on my back for any length of time. I will get these shocks that will shack the bed or worse. The Doctors literally had to start over to install the stent. It doesn't matter if I am on my back or not when I get these shocks. I sleep today on my right side so I don't accidently hit my girlfreind while I am sleeping.

[Forgetfullkaykay]

mine are more like a cold chill - that makes you shiver for a breif molmnet,  they are scattered throughout my body,

they happen dozens of times a day, but some days none, not associated with cold or any other trigger that I can say.

is it the same - or similar?  this is not painful for me.

[MissLauraI]

Forgetfullkaykay-
That is what I have been experiencing. It feels like waves of goosebumps throughout my body. It starts in one location--like my thigh or back- and then seems to move throughout my body in wave like feelings. It stops and then starts again. It can go on for hours. Often I feel cold when this happens. I also have just random zaps and buzzings at other times. Weird huh?

[Runner102]

I started having this problem late last year while I was training for the Miami Marathon.  As you can imagine it was freaking me out.  When I went to my gp we ran some initial test which didn’t indicate that it was MS.  My gp asked if I drank and I said yes.  She suggested that it might be alcoholic neuropathy.  We both brushed it off.  All of the blood tests came back fine.  

I went to a neurologist and took the muscle tests - the one where they put pins in you and measure your muscle activity.  They also gave me some electric shocks to see how it would travel via the muscle.  Everything came back fine.

I just performed a search on line today and found Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS).  I think I might have that.  Next month when I see my neurologist again I’m going to suggest it.  Maybe this can help someone.  

God Bless

[franksouthafrica395]

L'Hermitte's sign describes electrical buzzing sensations in the limbs and body brought on by movement of the neck. These sensations are known as paraesthesia and include tingling, buzzing, electrical shocks, partial numbness and sharp pains. L'Hermitte's is most often triggered by lowering the head so that the chin touches the chest. The sensations usually only last for a second or two. It has been called the "barber shop" symptom because it is often evoked when the hairdresser asks you to lower your head when he or she shaves the back of your neck.
L'Hermitte's is associated with a number of conditions including arthritis, cervical spondylosis, disc compression, pernicious anaemia, tumours and multiple sclerosis. In many cases, the cause cannot be found.
Because the cervical spinal cord is a frequent target for multiple sclerosis it is a very common symptom of MS. Aproximately two thirds of people with multiple sclerosis experience L'Hermitte's symptom at some point during the course of their disease.
In MS, L'Hermitte's is an indicator of lesions in the cervical spine (the part of spine in the neck). Movement of the neck causes the damaged nerves (the demyelinated neurons) to be stretched and send erroneous signals. The symptoms can occur anywhere below the neck and many people with MS find that it moves around their body from one day to the next.

[franksouthafrica395]

Multiple Sclerosis
Sclerosis: from the Greek word, skl ros, meaning to harden

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disabling disease of the central nervous system (CNS).

MS usually appears between the ages of 20 and 40. Public service announcements have long called MS “The Great Crippler of Young Adults.” MS is now considered to be an autoimmune disease because of the heightened action of white blood cells that can attack the myelin of the central nervous system.

The myelin is a fatty sheath that surrounds, insulates, and protects the nerve fibers. Myelin damage causes nerve signals to be slowed, shorted, or blocked, creating some of the classic symptoms of MS

To read more on Multiple Sclerosis - Symptoms go to http://www.lifecheck.co.za/index2.php/?page_id=193 on the web.

[sllowe]

Oh my how this old discussion has seen it's post through the years.

I hope the info helps you all.  A doctor should be able to say whether or not you are experiencing l'hermittes upon flexing the neck. L'hermittes is not only caused by damage from MS. For those seeing a neuro, definitely bring up what you describe. Lhermittes should not be painful and should be relieved by not looking down, etc.

Welcomes to all our new posters who found us through this discussion! Frank, welcome, in ref. to the lhermittes sign info, be careful to cite information you gain from outside sources.

See you all around!
-Shell

[Shallie89]

A couple days ago I started experiencing shocking sensations in my body. I can never tell where they start from because it starts off really mildly so much so that I hardly notice but it gets stronger towards my hands and toes. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

[jack73243290]

I too experience these shock sensations throughout my body. It is really irritating and only start coming on at night. I get them everyday and have had them for about 6 months now. After trying many things to try and make them stop, I have found that the ONLY thing that works for me is marijuana. I have never liked marijuana or enjoyed smoking it. I dont smoke to get high, but use enough enough calm my nerves. And it works. I used to be a scout in the army (2 yrs iraq, currently taking zoloft and am 27 yrs old) and now programmer. If you seriously hate these sensations of electrical pulses letting you know where your entire body is, then really consider marijuana....

[jack73243290]

I too experience these shock sensations throughout my body. It is really irritating and only start coming on at night. I get them everyday and have had them for about 6 months now. After trying many things to try and make them stop, I have found that the ONLY thing that works for me is marijuana. I have never liked marijuana or enjoyed smoking it. I dont smoke to get high, but use enough enough calm my nerves. And it works. I used to be a scout in the army (2 yrs iraq, currently taking zoloft and am 27 yrs old) and now programmer. If you seriously hate these sensations of electrical pulses letting you know where your entire body is, then really consider marijuana....

[metalbender]

Marijuana is very controversial...Recently I had a friend recommend me to try this to eliviate my muscle tightness and muscle spasms...I mean spasticity...I tried it and found it to do nothing for any of my ms symptoms....I believe it to effect your state of mind not effecting pain whatsoever...I live in a state that legalizes marijuana for certain medical conditions and ms is at the top of the list....(Only cancer and HIV are ahead of ms..It has to be terminal or chronic disease)...Since marijuana is a euphoric drug and not a pain killer, (even though some pot heads thinks it is a pain killer) I can't find this to have any merit whatsoever.....My experience:  Pot did not help any of my ms symptoms....

Michael

[lzydy]

I am so glad i found this forum. I had my thyroid removed 4 months ago and ever since then I have been having these zaps. I have tried telling my endocrinologist, reg dr, person doing ultrasound and everyone just looks at me like i am from another planet and I get the I have no clue what you are talking about. I get them sometimes just once or twice then done for a few days and others every min for hours. When they come repeatedly like that it makes it hard to swallow but I feel like the drs all think I am making it up. I have an ent apt at Un of Penn coming up--for something else I will bring this up to her and now that I know that there are others like me I am going to hope she has something she can tell me about it

[djslick]

I just had the same thing happen, do you know what it is?

[RLS95033]

Interesting read; seems a lot of you have to deal with a similar condition to mine.  For years (since I ws a kid)  I tought I had an unusual symptom.  I am now 50+  
I can sense when appliances are cycled; when the air conditioner compressor switches on - I feel it in an uncomfortable way.  Several times during the week, just before I fall asleep I get a get a blast elelctrical shock thoughout my body.  It originates in my head, but goes right through the torso.  Eventhough with my eyes are shut, I see intense white light.  I literally jump up from bed.  That ruins sleep for the next couple of hours as I wonder if this is the end.  I don't want to sound depressing; many of you are dealing with some pretty rough situations.  I just am trying to figure out what is behind all of this.  I generally have a good outlook.  I do have daily (chronic) headaches - I thought that this was just part of my miswiring.

[RedFlame]

Hi jack,  

I wanted to comment about the medical marijuana.  THC is in fact extremely effective in reducing spasticity!!  It is so effective, that a drug called Sativex has been created using the most powerful combinations of THC and then magnifying the result (alleviation of spasticity and/or spasms).  Sativex is particularly effective with people that are in a progressive stage of MS, whether it is primary or secondary.  It is being used in many countries but not yet in the U.S.  It is in trials here in the U.S.

I have progressive MS and  found it incredibly effective.  Unfortunately, you take the chance of losing a doctor, either through their personal belief or the policy of their workplace.  

I am on a deadly amount of medication, but was able to cut my Baclofen in half.  Since then, I stopped using it out of fear.  I do have a license.

There are quite a few here that use medical marijuana and are able to use it minimally and exclude the drugs from the pharmacy.  Don't let anyone bully you here.  You do what works for you!!  

As a member of our armed forces, you deserve to be treated with respect.

Red

[RedFlame]

I forgot to mention that as you know there are hundreds of strains of MM with different effects.  I found one strain that really helped.  If you would like the name please PM me.

Red

[RedFlame]

Michael,  here we go again!

If you didn't have a license at the time you 'tried' 'pot', then you could have been arrested and prosecuted.  What you did was illegal.  

Specific strains reduce or eliminate spasticity.  It is helping millions of people, but you need to have someone help you find the right strain.  And, MS is a chronic illness.

Opiates, the pain pills people take for their 'pain' doesn't really take the pain away, it changes how you perceive the pain.  

It didn't help you-----so just keep moving forward.  Don't place your own belief system on other people.  If it helps someone else, let it go for crying out loud!!!!

[lucky1964]

I also have been having an electric shock feeling in my left leg and hand but it is quite painful and can make me double over with pain. This can happen when standing, sitting or lying in bed. I have had a stroke so this worries me..maybe something was missed even with all the tests that were done. Anyone else have this electric shock feeling as well as a history of stroke?

[cutie4747]

Question: I had the electric shock which ran down my back and legs, but the same sensation would zap in my jaw and face as well as a momentary-zapping vertigo (as if my inner ear had hit a funny bone).  The facial numbness would often accompany the zapping vertigo when I walked up the stairs, shifted balance, or getting in/out of car. I also have to add that this seems to come with a flare.
Does this sound familliar to anyone?
I thought L'hermittes only affected neck down - so what gives? :)
thanks in advance,
Kelley

[Ochmanwtf]

It happens when I'm trying to go to Sleep! feel really Strong Current  going through my spine and sometimes my head! But I was thinking I was getting shock by the old wiring in the House!

[Soops]

Hi everyone
I am so excited to find all of you.  I have been getting electric shock sensations since 1995. I honestly cannot believe I have finally found others experiencing this.  My family and friends just think I am nuts
This may be lengthy since I am new to all of you- apologies!

My symptoms seemed to start with a severe eating disorder (bulimia) when I was about 25 and I thought maybe that caused muscle swelling around the spinal cord or electrolyte imbalance.
My doctor didn't even listen to me so I lived with it. I assume because I was young and had a eating disorder he figured I just wanted attention

However, over the past 16 years, it would come and go without any real pattern. I do not have an eating disorder any longer(almost 10 years) but it still happens. It would start on the mild side and then build up to a point where every movement caused the sensations throughout all my nerve paths and be so uncomfortable.  THey would be mild shocks that eventually become strong, finger in the socket shocks

My symptoms are the shock sensations starting in my neck and going in every direction.  My tongue and eyeballs vibrate and feel zappy and the sensation goes down through my fingers and toes.  I have read about L'hermittes sign, but I do not get it when I bend my head forward.
They start when I turn my head right or left, or when it is really bad, a simple eyeball movement or if I start to talk to quickly or laugh will cause it

Recently, it came back in june when it was very hot and humid, so I thought maybe it is the climate that swells the muscles (?) but I just got back from vacation in dry Colorado and have had it the entire week.

I visited a neuro for this and for carpal tunnel.  THe carpal tunnel test was positive (not a surprise) but the cervical spine MRI showed nothing.  HE thought it might be a nutritional problem with electrolyte problems.

My chiro feels it is a B vitamin deficiency and told me to increase my B6 and B12 vitamins when it flares up.  Well I did this week and it did not help.

So do I go back to the neuro and get further tests?  He felt that if it was something "bad" then I probably would not be around now or in as good of health.  I have lived with it for so long that I figured it is another "quirk" of mine.
Has anyone else heard about B6,B12 deficiencies? any advice?

[vidalouise]

I've had that before myself. Everytime I bent my head down, chin to chest, I would get zapped from the base of my skull all the way down my spine.

I was already diagnosed and knew what it was, so I wasn't too concerned since it wasn't particularly painful. Actually fairly entertaining when bored enough and stuck in a waiting room for too long :-\

Anyways here is a good page on LHermites... http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/LHermittessign.html

Bright Blessings,
April

[lorreann]

I'm here on my computer because I started having these electrical shocks in bed and had to get up. They start in my back but my whole body starts to feel electrically zapped and I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin. I have Fibromyalgia but have recently been going through tests for MRI. I have periods of balance problems and weak legs, pain and mental confusion. Somewhat like Fibromyalgia but the balance, falling, and leg problems come an go. I have a few white spots on my MRI, and an abnormal EEG, but my Neurologist still won't commit to a diagnosis. I've lived with Fibro for15 years so I think doctors just assume all symptoms are from the Fibromyalgia. Either way, these electrical currents are very uncomfortable!!!!

[CJB101]

I have also had shock feelings under left rib cage over the last 15 years.  It comes and goes.  I always thought it was because I had gained a few pounds and my spleen or pancreas was getting squished.  Recently the buzzing or shock seems to go off and on for 3 or 4 seconds and continues that pattern for quite some time...I am learning to ignore it, but wonder if it could be a pinched nerve or something along that line.

[Avatar219]

This sounds like vitamin D3 deficiency. You might be ignorant of the fact that much like plants, we also need sun light. The sun is the only thing found in naturaly that can produce as much vitamin D as our body needs to be healthy. Modern society hardly go out into the sun anymore and many of our so called experts have even made us afraid of the sun which is down right stupid. Lack of vitamin D can cause a whole range of diseases and symptoms, there are numerous books on this subject. The only reason your docs have not been able to find anything wrong is because this is a nutritional issue. Start by taking vitamin D3 2000 UI with a meal every day and try to get 30 min of full sun exposure (no sun protection creams) and see how it goes.

[smctighe]

I was diagnosed with MS last year and for the past several years I have been feeling shocks in different parts of my body.  These shocks are paralizing for a few seconds.  I've almost fallen down the stairs because they've happened in the middle of a step. I've almost crashed my car because they've happened in my arm, leg or foot while I'm driving.  It is very scary and I don't know when or where they are going to occur.  Lately this week for the past several days they have been the worst and are in my arm.  They are actually painful.  If you picture "electro shock therapy" in a hospital that is my face when they've been occuring this week.  I can't move my arm and it is quite painful.  Luckily only last a few seconds and then for the next minute or so I feel strange just like my nerves are numbed and recovering.  Very scary considering it effects areas that can cause dangerous outcomes.  

[janelle377]

Hi, I'm so happy im not the only one with these sensations. I'm a little frightened by the possibility of MS but its ok.i'm ok,lol. I've read most of the posts and i share only a few of the experiences.I have the same shocks in the base of my head but on the left side. My hair texture is different there aswell...very brittle...I get the shocks when I look up too quickly or just out of the blue. I've been having them for about 2 rys now.
Also recently ive been working out and styling my own hair for the past six months. I get the shocking tingling feeling through my left arm that runs straight to my finger tips when im doing either one...or when my arm is up or active for about an hr or so. Eventually it does go numb for a second and then its fine...I get them every time i run with my 2lb weights or if do curls...but only in my left arm.Those hurt...I have to shake them off so they go away. I also feel I'm experiencing weakness in my muscles too...help!...i don't have good insurance so i haven't seen a dr about  it, yet...

[laurahaynie264]

I didn't read every post, so I don't know if anyone has talked about this yet, but I have been experiencing these shocks throughout my entire body for years. I have noticed it mostly while drifting off to sleep, but sometimes I am just sitting there or standing there when it happens. I have a theory about what is happening. I believe that it is our bodies sympathetic nervous system releasing hormones due to some kind of external (or perhaps internal) stimuli. I found a website that talked about the feeling of an electric shock being a symptom of menopause, due to the fluxuation of hormones. I am 27 years old and not menopausal obviously, but while reading up about the sympathetic nervous system I have discovered that there is a great deal of hormone release when it is activated. For those of you who notice the shocks mostly while drifting off to sleep or waking up... when you wake up your sympathetic nervous system is activated automnatically. While drifting off to sleep I think that we experience something... hear a sound, maybe we don't even know we heard it, but it scared us in our vulnerable, half awake state, and triggered our sympathetic nervous system to activate and release hormones and electrical signals all at once, very quickly. I don't know if this is the explanation for everyone, but for those of you who don't have any disease or condition that could be causing it, try to pay attention to what is happening around you when you feel it. How do you feel? Any stress, fear? Try to find out if there is anything that could be activating your sympathetic nervous system, also known as fight or flight. To the woman who could feel it when her husband changed the channel, AshleyPage: I think you are super sensitive to electricity and it could be that you can feel some of the ordinary electrical impulses that are happening in our bodies at all times. you don't need a strong impulse... just any impulse perhaps. I also wonder if you have ever affected electronics... caused interference or even had something turn on or off while you were near? I am very intrigued by your story as I have been experimenting with manipulating electricity. If you are interested, I would very much like to hear more about your situation... any new developments since your post. My email is ***@****, and while I hope posting that is not a big mistake, I would very much like it if you would contact me and tell me more about yourself and the things that have happened to you. If you have been looking for someone who will listen and not call you crazy, you have found her! Perhaps we can help eachother! For the rest of you, while these things do seem scary, I urge you all not to jump to the conclusion that something is wrong. Our bodies our electrical entities, and I would be a bit surprised if we didn't notice or feel it from time to time.

[laurahaynie264]

I didn't show my email in the post, but I think you can get it from my profile, if you want to talk.

[cainer]

you- im sorry, but you have got to be kiddin- thats hog wash!!  but -if thats how you feel you have the right to post it-
but no  if -u- ever had this intense shocks- you would no different.

[notozapper281]

Hi all,

I experieced the zapper on a (private part) I was in bed and asleep, it woke me up, the only way I can describe it, was like someone was pressing a mobile phone to my vagina with it on vibrate, I woke up with a start wondering what was happening and then it went, I thought I may have been dreaming and dismissed it as a dream.  I have been very depressed lately and have been the doctors who has given me Setraline 50mg.
Does anyone think its connected to depression?
I only noticed thisby doing research on the net, that there are so many people getting this electric shock, I also have been having buzzing in my ears.  Is this gonna get worse, I never mentioned anything to my doctor, but have another appointment in 3 weeks.

[Rendie]

I am so glad to know that I am not alone! Just before Memorial Day I passed out and wound up with a concussion and stitches.I also had very bad dizziness and throwing up and I lost weight as a result. I was out of work for a month.
I have had 2 CT scans and had an MRI 2 weeks ago.  I went to Neurologist two days ago (to find out why I am passing out) and mentioned to him that I have been feeling as if a huge vibrating cell phone has been placed inside me and it radiates from my torso up and out through my arms and hands. He told me that it was a result of my injury (post concussion syndrome) and should go away with time. I hope so because it is so annoying and I felt like i was going insane! I have been paying more attention and realized that it happens if I bend my head(chin toward chest) and sometimes for no reason at all. Once or twice a buzzing in my ear accompanied this feeling.  I have been worrying about a slipped disk or pinched nerve. I feel better now to know that I am not alone and it seems to be pretty benign, just really annoying.

[luby322]

hi everyone, i usually feel an electric shock running down my spine, or so it feels like it. i feel like i have a car battery with jumper cables that are attached to my lower back. it's very a very frightening feeling... i've dealt with anxiety problems and panic attacks for several years now and anytime i go to the doctor or the er they diagnose it as "anxiety manifesting itself in another form". i don't know what to believe but hoping they're right i guess. i wish i knew how to control it... i'm not mentally tough enough to get through the shocks though i've been able to mostly overcome the major anxiety attacks. the only time i ever suffer from these body shocks is when i'm laying in bed, i'll wake up and feel these horrible shocks roll through me like waves at times, wondering if its my bed? ha i know it sounds odd but maybe its just bad posture or bad bed springs. regardless it's nice to read about others having somewhat similar issues and just knowing im not alone. it just ***** to be going through this since i'm 26 now and in good shape, not overweight and thinking that this is the best i'm ever going to feel again. any suggestions? i could write a book about this crap lol.

[kstweet]

I have experienced these electrical shocks for decades. I have never mentioned them to my doctor. Though I have never been prodded with an electric "cow prod," I imagine that my sensation is similar. I has been happening everyday now for several weeks, but it will eventually go away and not return for months. I do have a chronic disease that is inflammatory in nature so I wonder if these electrical shocks are auto immune related as would be suggested by MS.

[maxthecat9196]

Wow!  I am so glad to have read all of your posts.  I have had these sensations in my head, and I had no idea what they were.  I knew the buzzing and shocks in my extremities were due to my ms, but I never new what the Lhermitte's sign felt like, so I didn't report it.  I get them fairly frequently- also only when I am overstressed physically or otherwise.

[roytoric]

I've been having this sensation for years.  I was diagnosed with MS about 15  years ago, and this has by far been my most difficult symptom.  I've asked many doctors about this over the years; I have been prescribed baclofen, gabapentin, even clonazepam and norco.  Nothing ever worked (well, the Norco took the edge off it, and made it a little more bearable).  I have been with my current neurologist for 2 years, and he's been wonderful.  We just started experimenting with Mirapex (Miraplex ER). Although this drug is typically used for Parkinson's, it has been unbelievably effective.  I almost  fear to say it, but I haven't had a shock in two weeks.  You might want to ask your doctor.  Peace.

[ohemgeitslaurene]

is there a name for this? bc i have it

[Talltune]

Our symptoms are very similar...
Like you I have am very fit, been a runner and cyclist for many years and for what it's worth, the only time I do not get these shocks is while I'm exercising.  My zap hits me on my lower right shin about 6 inches up from my foot.  It's pretty much the same spot everytime and it really feels like it's right on my shin.  It's excruciating and it probably only lasts for 15 seconds but it zaps me and eases and zaps and eases and keeps repeating.  It makes me double over in pain and want to throw up and pass out.  Horrible.  It happens while driving (which is terrifying), sleeping.  I haven't noticed it happen while standing yet.  

This started about 6 weeks ago... at 1st once a week and now it's every day. I have an appointment with a neuro next week.  

What's odd is that it was a little over a year ago that I had these electric shocks in my face (the forehead area).  That last about 2 months.  I was told it was probably an immune system reaction to an allergy.  A guess because they couldn't make sense of it.  Anyway, that went away and I really forgot about it till just recently.  Now I'm wondering if it's connected at all and probably hoping this goes away too.

I do have degenerative disc disease which was diagnosed about 3 months ago from an MRI.  Degeneration between L4 & L5 and L5 and my sacrum.  No nerve impingement at that time though.  

In any event, it's horribly painful, debilitating and terrifying.  It makes me afraid to drive anywhere because when this hits me, it doubles me over.

[ShauniePoos]

i am 12 and i have had this since i was 7 its really weird and no one gets what im talking about! im glad i have found this forum because my "electric shock" goes from my nech to my left and right big toe also it goes from my neck right down my right arm its really weird and i hope someone figures what it is that we have all got :/

[acretens]

I am so glad i have found this forum, I have been reading from the beginning for almost two days now, and I am almost in tears because I know what you are all going through and I am so happy I'm also not alone!
I have had whatever this is for years! It first happened for me back in middle school ( i am 27 now) and I woke up paralyzed and afraid to move and had no idea what was going on, it was a school morning, and when i finally got out of bed, BANG! I literally felt as if a bolt of lightning came out of the sky and hit me in the neck, the pain literally sent me to the ground, it was terrifying. it only lasts for a couple of seconds but is very sore afterwards, and i am very scared to move my neck afterwards. The pain shoots upwards along the muscle that runs behind my ear and gives me a slight earache it also makes me cry and i don't want anyone to touch me either. like someone else said, they literally gasp out loud when it happens and everyone looks at them like they're crazy!
it isn't as strong as it used to be, they don't send me to the floor anymore, and don't seem to be happening as frequently as they used to.

I was reading and thought it was Lhermittes sign, as that has the most relevant description, but what triggers it, chin to chest, is all wrong.
my "shock" happens when I turn my head to the left and then bring it back to the stationary position, it's on the return to the frontal position that it happens, over the years I've gotten REALLY good at "catching" it before it goes full blast. sometimes the shock travels through the trapeze muscles, i think that's what they're called, the muscles that extend from your neck over your collarbone and to your shoulders on the back side. sometimes a drag from a cigarette or a yawn can trigger it.
I understand all your frustration, as family, friends and Doctors all have no idea what's happening and look at you like you're crazy.
I've noticed that a lot of people on here have mentioned anxiety issues and being prescribed Zoloft, I also was prescribed Zoloft back in middle school, wasn't on it very long, but still find that a strange coincidence.
When i mentioned the problem to the same DR. he thought I was just sleeping on my neck "wrong".
I knew that wasn't right, there was something more to it but could never find anything on the internet that was relatively close to my symptoms.

A couple of years ago a friend of my husbands, who has disk issues was describing his symptoms and they were very similar to mine, what he has is a disk that is rubbing against a nerve and when you move a certain way it irritates the nerve and sends that electrical impulse, almost your body's way of telling you not to move in that direction cause there's damage there!  Like a dog with an electric fence!
I try to make light of it, cause like I said, it used to scare me so bad that I would literally just cry afterwards!
but I am now convinced It's some kind of disk injury, and nothing else, I've seen a lot of other posts where people's doctors believe it is some kind of withdrawal from Oxycontin or pain killers and alcohol, I kind of disagree with that, cause this started I was in middle school and I definitely wasn't drinking alcohol then or withdrawing from anything!

When I was very young about 4 or 5 I was in a car accident, with a friend's mother who foolishly had us both sitting in the front, it was a 2 seater miata, and I literally remember her slamming into the back of the car in front of us and paramedics pulling me out from under the dashboard area, I think that's when the disk damage might of happened, but I'm thoroughly convinced that's what it is. Unfortunately I haven't had an MRI or anything like that yet, due to insurance, but luckily I can somewhat control the intensity of them now.

And another little weird side effect, a lot of people have posted about electrical interferences and I have them too! I never put the two together until now, and I know how you feel when people look at you crazy, but for as long as I can remember, I can always tell right before lightning is going to strike, or feel the AC compressor kick on, like the other poster said, and even the thing with the tv changing channels, but the thing even my family will vouch for is electronics especially cellphones, being broken and they spend forever trying to fix them, take the battery out and replace, etc etc, and all I do is touch the thing and they work again, everyone has commented on that!
I don't think it's anything "otherworldly or mystical" or  anything like that, it may be very scientifically related to the electrical impulses in our bodies which are out of whack making us some kind of conductor or receptor or something weird like that. I know the spinal cord is very electrical. just a thought.....
So thanks to everyone for sharing! it really has been very insightful reading all your stories and theories!

                                                         - ACretens

[maxthecat9196]

I get them in my head from time to time.  Sometimes they are so bad, they cause me to lose my balance fall over.  

Tammy

[ShauniePoos]

the other weird thing is that i dont have MS. Yet i still get these these shocks i am fit and healthy and i have rarely ever been sick. so in my personal opinion i dont think its realated to MS. but whatever it is i hope they find a cure or some way of preventing it :/

[lindsay6240]

Has anyone had them in their head only as they begin to fall asleep or stare at a bright light?  I have also just had a migraine spell that left my face numb for hours.  Seeing a neuro tomorrow but still very concerned.  Please help me.

[seeking_help_bobbie]

im soooo glad i have found this. you all have what i have also, my story, please read.
i am 27 female. about 19 months ago i was in labor with my 4th daughter, the dr gave me an epidural, it wasnt working on my right side, they upped the meds still felt everything on my right side. they took that out and moved it up a bit still the same. i ended up getting the epidural 3 xs, it finally worked higher in my spine, i thought this was weird. i talked to my dr about it. she had nothing to say. i also had bad siatic (sciatic) nerve problems on the right side with this pregnancy, to the point i could not walk for hrs. about a year later, i had really bad back pain and shoulder pain on the left side, went to the chriropractor and he saw that my lower spine is almost a c, still my dr has done nothing, never helped. the pain deminished down to a tolerable level, i gotta say i never have taken a pain pill either, got to the point ex 2 strengh tylenol wasnt helping either. anyway, about 3 weeks ago the pain came back on the left side in my shoulder and up the side of my neck, non stop pain. on the right side about every 2 mins i had a chock of some sort shoot into the side of my head lasted about a second. and about an hr. now on the left side i still have all this shoulder pain and neck pain and the shock rund up my neck along the side of my head n stops around my temple. the pain is kinda like a dull achy and burning all in one.the x ray of my neck just came back that there is something wrong, dont know what but im now having to do physical therapy and i have to see a bone specialist. my shocks come and go all day long.

[seeking_help_bobbie]

just wanted to add, the vibrating feeling i also have, just in my legs, like i have a cell phone on vibrate under my skin.

[Rela3925]

I get electrical shocks throughout my entire body. From my skin to what seems like the core of my body and anywhere in between.  I dont know when they will happen or how hard it will strike or where, but I use to have very rare feelings now they happen hundreds of times a day.  I was recently diagnosed as having lupus but because of the prolonged symptoms of electrical shocks my team of doctors believe that its possible that I may have MS.  I am almost due to see my Neurologists to see what test they will do to determine what is going on with me.  

[ori501]

Hmmm.  I don't know whether this will be useful or edifying to anyone,  but I'll just throw it out there.  My chiropractor says that I have arthritis in my neck, and has frequently said, "Your neck is a mess."  I also tend to have extremely tight muscles in my shoulders and back, and every year or so I go through about a month of severe sharp pains in my left shoulder.  Sometimes my arms start getting tingly and slightly numb.  I suspect I have some unresolved rotater cuff injuries, but I ignore it.
So, a couple weeks ago, I was reaching up in my closet with one arm when I heard my son call me out in the hall, and I jerked my head around.  At that moment I felt the greatest electric shock sensation and expected terrible pain to follow.  Pain did not follow, but what followed was psychologically painful.  Both of my arms were rendered useless for about three long seconds.  Later I called my brother-in-law, an orthopedic surgeon, and he told me that it wasn't anything to worry about.  He said, it's a stinger, usually seen in contact sports.  He said, "What you had is called, in layman's terms, a stinger.  Usually, guys get them in contact sports.  In any case, it's nothing to worry about.  "  I poked around on the internet and found this:   http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00027

[jox67]

Please have your VItamin D levels checked.  I'm currently scheduled for a lumbar puncture on Wednesday to test me for MS.  I do have 5 white matter spots they found on my brain and other symptoms of MS but the electrical shocks can also be Vitamin D deficiency per doctors.

[pinkhippy]

hi, i didnt realise so many people had this too! mine is always in the same place on the back of my shoulder and has been happening for a few years, its like a build up of static electricity and then ZAP!! it only lasts for a second but it can really sting after and its not very pleasant. does anyone know what this is?

[seeking_help_bobbie]

i also have the same shoulder thing going on, popping and grinding and real painful, the pain goes up to my neck, my muscles are so tense they coul see it on xray, my bone dr gave me muscle relaxers that i dont take, dont take medication, and told me i had snapping scapula syndrome, i go to plysical therapy now. i also have a shock that runs from my sore shoulder n neck up ito my head. crazy feeling. then there is also this other pain, when i turn my neck sometimes there is a pain and kinda like the shock. but this one is more painful and feels like someone pulling on a guitar string and letting go. any of this what u have

[ChickenLips]

I have been recently diagnosed with MS.  It is funny, not funny but ironic I guess.  The more I read the more I realize I have had symtoms (symptoms) for years.  I have not had the electric shocks in quite a while, but when I did they would go straight up my back, stop me in my tracks, as long as I didn't move for about 30 secs it went away.

I am now showing more symtoms (symptoms) in memory loss, tingling in my left and right arms, and pain in my lower left back.

I just want to say thank you to everyone for all your posts.

[stevemandy2066]

i have read what you wrote, i get exactly the same and when i have looked further into this, i believe this is what i have, i do suffer with spinal spond/arthritis/balance problem/ and nerve damage, when i explained to my doctor that i get electric shocks radiating from the back of my neck down my spine to my toes, he just said ive never heard of anything like that happening, and that was that no tests oor anything( just left to cope with it), but thanks to you i know the name of it now Lhermitte sign. i have printed the page to show him as he made me feel stupid standing there saying what was happening to me. thank you

[teenyturner]

I get an electric shock down my arms when I bend my neck.. This was among my first symptoms.  It was what caused my GP to make an urgent appt for me to see my oncologist who ordered MRI same day and referred me to a Neuro doc same day.

It was diagnosed as L'Hermittes syndrome.  MRI showed cervical spinal cord demyelination.

[colourwolf99]

hi everyone, i'm glad i'm not facing this matter alone.  I too experienced these strange feelings like electric starting from my head then going down thru neck to the whole body.  i can't remember when it starts but then i somehow can control it when to 'appear' and how long i wan it to be as long as i concentrate... sounds weird right? but it is...  and i just felt its 'gently' moving thru the body, no pain.

[bacopa]

I know how you feel, I have suffered with debilitating electric shocks down to my left heel, left side of left foot or back of left knee for 12 years since nerve damage to my L5/S1 from a failed partial discectomy operation. It starts with the odd shock and builds up to 5 shocks in one minute before subsiding again, the whole thing takes 9 hours before I'm back to normal - pretty horrible.  Most doctors have never heard of it and one neurologist tried to tell me I had epilepsy of the lower spine (hooey).  I haven't found any drugs that help and am not someone who likes to rely on pharmaceuticals anyway.  Sorry I have no better news for you.

[12355]

help I keep getting bad shocks in my left leg near my hip

[redviolins]

I have had the horrible electrical shots of pain (feels like lightning) running through mainly my left limb. Sometimes other parts of my body, but mainly my limbs. For those of you who are experiencing something like this and still have not found a solution, stretch your hamstrings. I don't mean stretch just one time, but stretch your hamstrings religiously. Stretch them while you watch TV.

I am a licensed massage therapist and still have not been able to find a doctor who can identify what is causing these shocks of pain (which seem to come out of no where).

If you search on YouTube for Hamstring stretches you will find some great how to videos. I stretch my hamstring many different ways. Using a towel works miracles (YouTube it), as well as the butterfly stretch.

Stretch your calf muscles as well.

[Momiof2too]

Also being diagnosed with Fibro for the past 3 years I have these shocking sensations. Mine go up my right shoulder blade to my brain... They hurt so bad I cant help but YELL OWWEE and gettingstrange looks ( i try to now but its uncontrollable) with tears people just stare. They hurt bad I never know when they will come and how long! I didnt know they were fibro related untill I read your post.. Thanks :( makes me sad tho i was hoping there was something that could be done!

[midwifey]

I too have the electric shock sensation with headaches, dizziness and light-headedness and now with tingling /numbness of my lower lip . I dont normally suffer from headaches but recently i have had headaches almost all day. i had a CT brain today results on friday...Will update you

[Teedoteop]

Hello all,

I'm a 26 year old male. I recently began having these weird sensations again.  Originally, it only affected my right side.  My arm would get tense, my leg would feel dead, weak, tense, like i have no control over it.  For a good 10-15 seconds, randomly, normally when I'd stand up, stretch out, do some kind of motor activity, and then it would slowly fade away and I'd be back to normal.  They got more severe and intense and even affected my vision in my right eye during each instance.  I would lose focus of vision in just the affected side. I went to a neuro and they had no clue as to anything.  They thought it could be early signs of MS, which scared me.  After countless MRI's they determined it was due to an AVM, more particularly a capillary telangiectasia that was pressed up against my brain stem, and when blood flow would change it would cause the sensations.  After a few months the symptoms started to ween and eventually they were gone completely.  They also found no sign of the telangiectasia anymore.  They had no clue as to anything, from my opinion.  That was about 3 years ago. I thought everything was fine, until just recently the symptoms started coming back, only this time, it was on my left side.  Started off very infrequently, only in my left leg...would tense up but also feel like it was being shocked and having a very intense spasm.  The symptoms are more frequent now, and much stronger, now affecting my arm as well with the tingling, tense sensation, lasting for 10-15 seconds.  I personally think this may be some advanced form of RLS, but that's me being optimistic.  I have an appointment with the same neuro center at the end of this month, although there is a new doctor there now than before.  As the symptoms have become worse, I've started looking for more answers on my own which led me here.  I have never heard of Lhermitte's sign until now and am going to bring this up when I go to the neuro.  The list of possible causes I have are, early MS, Lhermitte's, Fibromyalgia, and severe RLS.  I was wondering if anyone here could help possibly shed some more light for me as to what might be the cause?  These sensations are really starting to disturb my well being and I am become rather depressed by them as they become more frequent and more intense.  It kind of hurts when I have the 'instances' as I call them, like a weird pain.  I'm just looking for answers.  I hope you can help.  My email is ***@****.  Please send any information you can there, or reply here.  I'll be checking back.  Thank you.

[heartfelt77]

  I would like to say Welcome to our forum.  I'm not sure if you noticed but this is an old post which people don't usually see.  If u don't mind starting a new post and u should get a lot of replys.  People here are very supportive and will help u the best they can.  It's nice to meet you.

Good luck and I wish u all the best.  Oh, one more thing u put your email address on here which medhelp acrosses out because your not allowed to post email address on here......  Sorry, so nobody will see that so they can't respond to it.

Please start your own post so we can help u and get to know your situation.

Hang in there........   We will help u through this process its not easy.

Take care
Misty

[Philinfl]

I know what this is like-- I'm feeling this strange sensation up and down my neck, spine, back and post-trapazious area. Up until now I thought I was going crazy- I feel isolated it is hard to explain to anyone what it is like. I have had C5-C7 fusion 10/09-  This started really bad about a year ago. The MD states nothing wrong. Neurotin doesn't seem to help.