Muscle weekness and twitching

I am a 32 yo female.  Over the last 3 months I have been having muscle twitching all over my body.  It has become frequent, and now happens everyday.  It has become hard to hold thing because of the twitching in my hands.  I have noticed that my arms and legs feel week, almost flulike, but without the other symptoms of flu.  Could this be related to some kind of virus?  And is there anything I can do to stop all this twitching?  Thank you

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-SH]

First of all, keep in mind that I am unable to diagnose you because I am unable to examine you, this forum is for educational purposes.    
   The symptoms that you describe are non-specific, but sound like myoclonus (brief muscle jerks) form your brief description.  Myoclonus has many different causes including, some seizure disorders (Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy), some metabolic disorders (liver or kidney failure, etc), spinal cord damage and after some viral infections.  The other type of "twitching all over" is fasiculations, which are tiny "jumps" in the msucle that do not cause movement over a joint (your twitches sound bigger than these since you are unable to hold things).  I would recommend that you see a neurologist and have an EEG (electroencephalogram) "brain-wave test" as well as some blood work to check on your electrolytes and liver, kidney etc.  Treatment will depend on finding the underlying cause.
I hope this has been helpful.

[4t1074]

The best thing you can do is find a good neurologist, whom specalizes in neruomuscular diseases and get in.  It could be a million things, but you need to go to the doctor.  Do your homework before finding a neurologist, such as calling the local MDA clinic and asking who in your area specailizes in this.  Also, some bloodwork would be good.  Good luck.

[4t1074]

You need to get checked for lyme disease also, this can cause these problems.  Also, rheumatoid authritis, which can be seen in blood.  More than likely, it's small, but important to get it checked out.

[NitaRJ]

You should go to your doctor right away. The sooner you get in the sooner they can find out what is wrong. I went in with similar symptoms. And it has been a good thing that I did. It can be many different things some are not so bad but others are. Good luck to you!

[zuuzuu]

I was amazed when I read your symptoms and found they are mine too. I now realize that my symptoms started approx. 8 months ago.They were slight but increased slowly  to include: involuntary muscle twitching in my right arm, extremity weakness (arms, legs, ankles and wrists); twice I experienced severe flu-like symptoms-random shooting pains all through my body) without being sick with either the flu or a cold. At rest I could feel my heart pounding in my chest (my pulse and blood pressure are excellent) Most troubling was that my head and hands would tremble when I drank from a cup or glass.  The motion of tilting my head back caused me to feel my head shaking (like Parkinsons) and my hands also. It was slight and only noticeable to me but I felt everyone could see it.  My hands began to tremble more - I constantly fumbled trying to turn the pages of a book or newspaper. None of my movements were crisp and clean, I felt like a klutz. If I reached for something, it was as if my brain was sending the message incorrectly. When I reached for something my hands would shake back and forth as if I couldn't decide what it was I wanted to do.  I like to sleep face down and when sleeping in that position with my arms straight below me and under my legs - I would feel the nerves in my body shooting, electricity-like, without stopping.  One evening my husband sat down next to me and after a few minutes jokingly asked me if I had Parkinsons - HE COULD FEEL THE NERVES/MUSCLES JUMPING!  Up to this point I never told anyone about the symptoms I was experiencing.  I was scared enough without having to talk about it.  The most bizzare symptom was when I woke up one night to hear a high pitched metalic sound.  It was similar to the sound of a diesel engine accelerating on the expressway.  I got up and looked around outside to see where the sound was coming from and wondered why no one else in the house awoke to the noise.  I returned to bed, trying to sleep and when the sound got to be too loud I covered my ears - THAT'S WHEN THE SOUND GOT LOUDER.  THE SOUND WAS INSIDE - NOT OUTSIDE MY HEAD. I had been to the doctor, he tested me for everything under the sun: Lyme Disease (negative) thyroid function, B-12 levels, liver function etc. etc. all negative.  I pictured myself becoming incapacitated with some horrible affliction.  The doctor even tested me for things he wouldn't tell me about.  I guess he didn't want me to worry needlessly.  I was worried enough.  My last visit to him my symptoms included a horrible throbbing headache that continued 24 a day for weeks with mo medication giving me relief.  I also had shooting pains in my scalp, and in my jaw/face.  I would sleep only 2 hours and on a good night 3 hours before having to get up to go to work the next day. As he was dismissing me I told him again now my neck pain was unbearable.  It hurt the most at the point where the spinal cord enters in to the back of the skull. I told him I had tried unsuccessfully to stretch my neck muscles, thinking that stress and tension were the problems.  He had me lie down and he said he's try to stretch my neck for me.  I didn't know that he had in mind, but I was surprised when he started to manipulate my head like a chiropractor (my doc is a DO).  He felt my neck and cracked it on one side and then the other.  He told I had a vertebrea out of place and he put it back in.  With God as my witness, in the time it took me to put on my coat and walk to the reception desk - the pain was gone.  I went home and slept pain free and all through the night for the first time in months.   Best of all the tremors in my neck and hands started subsiding.  It made so much sense to me.  If a vertebrea was out of place for as long as 8 months, each day with the spinal cord/nerves being compressed more and more - that appeared to have been my problem.  I was pain free and the symptoms continued to improve each day for 3 weeks.  When I noticed the pain in my neck returning and the tremors in my neck - I went to a chiropractor - it was the best thing that happened to me when my doctor, just for the heck of it cracked my neck for me.  I will now continue to see my chiropractor in a regular basis.  I've even returned to embroidering again.  The results are that vast.  Sorry for being so long-winded.  I just had to tell someone.  I hope you find some relief for your symptoms also.  FYI: I am a 54 year old female.