Internal full body buzzing, some tremors

[Bahini]

I have been reading these messages and the one thing that is missing is whether the full-body buzzing sensation is a symptom of MS or not!!! I have had this sensation for about 6 months now. I have been to a neurologist and had an MRI of the head and neck and MS blood work from the Mayo, with nothing to explain the buzzing and shaking. Naturally, I have been told that it is probably all in my imagination (NOT!!). I am on low doese of ropinirole for restless leg syndrome and lorazepam at bedtime to help me cope with the claustrophobia of a CPAP mask, and no other regular medication. I am 64 and female and overweight. I had viral thyroiditis 18 months ago following a bout of herpes, which coincided with a horrible viral respiratory illness, and following that, I had what I firmly believe was trigeminla neuritis (excruciating pain in teeth and jaw, ear, scalp, neck, shoulders, lips, face). I took narcotic pain relievers sometimes when I got to the "death is better than this" state of mind from the pain, and the neuritis finally subsided over a period of 4 months. Jump to present: There are no tremors and usually no buzzing sensation when I am sitting still, but as soon as I stand up or reach out for something or pick up an object, it feels like the floor is bouncing beneath my feet and someone just touched an industrial-strength vibrator that is wrapped around me like a blanket. The buzzing is in every part of my body, but particularly in my trunk. When I get tired or am sleep deprived, the buzzing goes from small and rapid to larger and slower, turning into a tremor. The tremors seem to happen when I do things like chopping food, stirring a pot, folding the laundry, and other things that require holding my arms and legs in some kind of position away from my core. Nothing helps. So does this sound like MS to you? Should I be getting a second opinion from another neurologist, and the myelograms and the rest of the diagnostic work? I don't trust that you can just look at blood markers for MS, as they don't show up in everyone at every stage. Thank you.

[floridagirl11]

The electrical current / internal tremors you are experiencing is because of a drop in your hormone levels. It is NOT fatal, but it can be very scary. The tremors can be more noticable with added stress or upoon waking, going to sleep or resting.

Women make progesterone in their ovaries until peri-menopause which occurs around age 40 to 45. Men and women make progesterone in their adrenal glands. Progesterone converts to another hormone, allopregnanolone which activates the brain’s Xanax receptor, the GABA receptor.

Progesterone deficiency causes increased electrical current throughout the brain and body – thus any electrical pain signal, for example, a pinched sciatic nerve, will be amplified before it comes into the brain and after it enters the brain.

Hormone levels in the body can be affected by all sorts of things from stress, to disease to menopause. When your hormone levels are disrupted, these tremors can appear in both women and men.

You need to go see a doctor who specializes in BIO-IDENTICAL hormone replacement (or HRT). You don't want to mess with anything else besides the bio-identical hormones. Once I got on progesterone and got my levels up, the internal shaking and tremors completely stopped. I have talked to many other women and men who have had the same results once their hormone levels are under control.

I am actually a 34 year-old woman and not menopausal yet but I do have other health issues that have caused my pituiatry not send out the right signals for correct hormone production. I have no more issues with the internal tremors though now that I am doing HRT.

Also, try transdermal magnesium for the restless leg syndrome. Just rub it right into your legs.

[zenhound]

LP = lumbar puncture.  Same thing as spinal tap, but generally used instead so as to be less terrifying.

[Bahini]

What kind of viruses are usual suspects in this case?

I described a series of events that could indicate possibly herpes or a respiratory virus. First I had the herpes outbreak, then the respiratory illness,  then (I forgot to mention) a couple of teeth extracted, which became infected and dry socketed and healed poorly (two months!), then viral thyroiditis (virus not identified...I am on Medicare...), and then what was probably a virus in my trigeminal nerve root (also unidentified and which might have been a result of the tooth extractions).

I saw the neurologist yesterday and the next step is a spinal tap and some other studies (he didn't say what) to rule out MS. He said he couldn't address Lyme disease (neuroborreliosis), I will have to go back to the internist. Hopefully I can find a better one than the last one I saw, who basically dismissed my symptoms, did an O&P for parasites (inconclusive), ESR (middle of the range), and IgE (1.6 below the top of the "normal" range), and told me to go see a psychiatrist. He is the one who did the blood work that is supposed to measure a protein that is present in the serum of some people who have MS...that's all I know....and it was negative.

What is an LP?

I use a CPAP for moderate sleep apnea and he seems to be convinced that this is the source of my fatigue and somnolence. I wore a pulse-oximiter around for a couple of days and at night both on and off the machine. I had no apnea or low O2 saturation. Waste of money and time, IMHO, to do another sleep study.

I can use all the help I can get on understanding MS tests and how to interpret the results. Can anyone recommend a really good explanation (URL)? Thank you.

[jensequitur]

It's quite possible that your buzzing and tingling sensations are due to a viral infection.  Sometimes these can get into the spinal column and create the situation you describe.

I have buzzing and tingling sensations all the time, but it's always in a specific location - never all over my body.  Usually feet, knees, or hips - anything that I'm putting pressure on.  This makes me think that the buzzing you're experiencing isn't MS.  

[Bahini]

Thank you for the reply. I did have a head and neck MRI with and without gadolinium and I'm pretty sure the MS protocol was used (one stop shopping to see if I also had neck damage from an auto accident 8 years back). I had an MRI at the time of the trigeminal neuritis, too, and it showed significant swelling of the meninges due to the viral infection--that swelling is now gone and my MRI was "within normal range" (I always have to ask, normal for WHOM?).

I am ignorant about the issue of blood tests for MS. I was told that I was negative for MS markers. My IgE was at the high end of normal range, all the markers for anemia are there (as usual), lime titer positive, epstein-barr positive, salmonella positive, ESR high end of normal, and everything else is "WNL."

What is an LP?

In addition to tremors, I am sleepy all the time. Not just a little sleepy, I fall asleep while doing things. I will nod off about a dozen or more times while typing this message. I fall asleep in the middle of phone conversations. I am nodding off while driving. I didn't do that until the onset of the buzzing and tremors, so it can't be blamed on medication.

I took pain medications for several months but not often (maybe 2 doses per week), and don't take them now, so I don't suspect any interaction there. The doctor didn't recommend this to me, but I thought there might be some medication issues causing or exacerbating the buzzing and tremors, so I recently tapered my Ropinirole to zero over 4 days and stayed off of it for 12 days, then I additionally tapered myself off the Lorazepam over 7 days and stayed off of it for another 7 days. There was no change in the buzzing and tremors. I was, however, in sheer hell from the restless leg syndrome (mine is 24/7 and severe) and I barely slept. So I don't think it is the medications causing this.

The buzzing is light and very rapid and is sometimes present at rest. The tremors are also rapid, but stronger, and most people holding my hand when I am tremoring say they can barely detect a tremor. The tremors come on when I flex my muscles...turning my head to the side will cause my head and shoulders to tremor, for example, or walking will cause me to feel like there is a mild earthquake happening beneath my feet, bouncing me up and down.

This does not sound like Parkinson's to me, from what I have read and seen in people whom I have known who have the disease. I don't think this is chronic fatigue syndrome and it isn't fibromyalgia because I am in no pain. These sound more like the complaints I read from people with MS.

I have thought that perhaps this is Lyme in the later stages, but the doc just scoffed at that one. It does have those symptoms when there has been neuro damage. I live in a Lyme hot spot and have been bitten 4 times over the past 20 years, all with the bullet rash, and took medication for a short while in all 4 instances

What further testing should I have, given that I have already had an MRI that came back essentially "negative for MS."

Sorry for the length. How else to make the whole picture clear? Thanks for any suggestions on further testing for MS.

[supermum_ms]

Hi Bahini,

I'm sorry your going throught this, i'd like to help if I can but first can i tell you, its a bit difficult to read your posts, many MSers have sight difficulties which may account for the lack of response, if you could break up your posts it is much easier to read :-)

A couple of things to note, the medications you listed, Lorazepam negatively interacts with pain meds, its also commonly rx for anxiety disorders because of its sedative properties but it can produce sx of anxiety in otherwise healthy individuals. The other you mention, Ropinirole is rx for restless leg but it is a Parkinson medication and one of the common sx is tremors. You may well be experiencing parkinsonia due to the medication, its well worth finding out how your medications interact with each other and if you are experiencing the tremors because of the Ropinirole.

There isn't any blood markers for MS, blood tests are used to rule out other diseases, especially the MS mimics. Xrays and CT's are not used for MS dx but MRI's using MS protocol, with and without contrast are the main diagnostic test, LP's are commonly used but a negative LP isn't proof of not having MS only the reverse is true.

You ask if it sounds like MS, there are no alarm bells ringing from what you have described, so i'd have to say no but I would with out question get the medications your taking looked into, you never know it could be the cause of the tremors.

I wish you luck!! :-)

Cheers.....JJ