Numbness of the left hand after waking up

[macao]

Dear Doc

Over the last two months, my entire left hand had become comletely numb from upper arm to palms when I got up from sleep in the morning. It recovered only after 2 to 5 minutes . I am really scared at this repeated occurence. I was on an anti depressant and had withdrawn it for the last one month. Is this bevause of  withdrawl or because of the drug itself. I am really scared and am afraid that it may lead to paralysis. Morever I am underweight with a BMI of under 17.
Is this muscle atrophy? Please help me out on how I proceed to prevent this from happening again. I met a professional neurologist and he has recommended a test but have not taken it yet.

[macao]

Dear Dr. Paul

Thank you for your comments. I sincerely hope it is just a minor problem caused by sleeping posture.

regards

[PaulMD]

Hi there.

There can be several explanations for this.  The simplest one is that your sleeping position may cause compression of the left hand thereby compressing some nerves and the blood supply of the arm.  This will manifest as numbness, when the blood supply is restored, the sensations returns together with some tingling.  If you are underweight, then you may also have deficiencies in micronutrients, especially vitamin B and calcium which can affect the nerves and cause you these symptoms.  Other uncommon causes would include demyelinating diseases such as MS, and other conditions such as ALS.  I suggest that you proceed with your work up as planned or requested by your neurologist.  For now, keep yourself healthy by eating a balanced diet with supplementation as necessary.

Regards and God bless.