shaking while i sleep

the past few months my boyfriend has been telling me that im getting harder to sleep with because while sleeping i throw my arms around and he says its like  i go into seizures or something.he says my legs shake and they lift up at times.he said it only lasts for a few seconds and he said it also seems like my breathing gets shallow while this is happening.i dont notice any of this so when i wake up and he tells me this i think hes crazy cuz i dont remember a thing.the only medication im on is cymbalta.i read side effects on cymbalta and it says can cause tremors but my doc says she doesnt think its coming from that.could it be? im lost and im getting worried,is there something to worry about?

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

The symptoms you describe could be seizure activity, but seizures cannot be diagnosed based on history alone. Also, there are movement abnormalities that occur during sleep that are not seizures. For example, parasomnias are abnormal movements or behaviors that occur during different sleep stages. There are multiple types of parasomnias. Some of these parasomnias may be mistaken for seizures. Cymbalta can rarely cause sleep disorders. To diagnose, it is recommended that you have an EEG with a PSG (sleep study) to capture one of these events. This will determine if you have seizures or sleep related disorder which will lead to proper management.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.