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Posted 3/9/2015 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all.

I'm a 30 y/o female. I was officially diagnosed with fibro back in 2009 after 4 years of looking for answers and posted here a few times then - can't remember my username though!

I've mainly been in denial that I actually have fibro and I've been managing just fine with a few "flares" here and there that I handle with lots of motrin, heat, stretching, and sleeeeep.

However, in the past month or so, things have gone HAYWIRE. I don't know if it's because I switched SSRIs from Paxil to Lexapro and my body is having a hard time adjusting or what, but I'm constantly achy and sore, my muscles feel tired and TENSE. It's like I physically can't relax my muscles even though they are so tense. I'm having increased pain in my shoulder and near my collarbone and ribs that is so bad I saw the doc thinking it was a pinched nerve and he sent me to PT which isn't helping.

The thing that's driving me the MOST crazy though is the muscle twitching. It feels like someone is plucking my muscles (almost like pinching them) all over my body. It is like the twitches move from spot to spot and they're everywhere - legs, arms, abdomen, back, hands, etc. I notice them most when I'm being still and trying to relax and OMG it's driving me nutso. I'm trying all the tricks I learned in yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, heat, etc and nothing is helping. I have just added in a magnesium supplement in hopes that helps.

Is this normal with fibro? My concern is that it's not "normal" and maybe it's something more serious? I do remember dealing with this back when I was diagnosed but of course my mind goes to the worst place...Anyone else deal with this?
Posted 3/9/2015 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
It's probably from switching from paxil. Paxil is better for relaxing the muscles than other SSRIs.
Posted 3/9/2015 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
I <3 your user name; I say it all the time! :)

I had the twitches really bad like you when I first started getting symptoms. I was taking lexapro and opiates and (I think) it was serotonin syndrome but my pain doc at the time said that my nerves were searching for the pain because it was used to it and suddenly couldn't find it because of the drug. Who knows.

I now get really bad fascilations when I am tired or falling asleep, to the point of shaking the bed. They're annoying and sometimes scary!

Did you happen to increase the associated dose when you switched? (I think one is stronger than the other normally)
Posted 3/9/2015 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
I have fibro and I had exactly what you mentioned. The same thing! It got so bad that they thought it was MS or ALS. They tested me and all that, but only to figure it out it was part of fibro.
I also had my organ twitch sometimes. It was crazy!

It eventually slowed, to just a few twitch here and then when I'm stressed or walk a lot.
It was like when your eyes are twitching, but all over my body.

So, yes it's normal. And I don't take any medication, it was just my body going a bit crazy.
Posted 3/10/2015 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
The twitching did correspond with when I switched to Lexapro and I did go up in dosage, too. I took the minimum amount of Paxil considered to be therapeutic and I'm a step above that level on Lexapro. Hmmm. I would have stayed on the Paxil, which worked well for several things for me, including IBS, but we are hoping to have a baby and Paxil isn't safe.

It is reassuring to know it's relatively "normal" though. I'm hoping the magnesium helps. If it doesn't maybe I'll revisit the doc...
Posted 3/10/2015 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
I get this alot. It's like little aliens trying to box their way out of my body. I notice it a lot in my legs when I'm trying to relax. They twitch in random spots like I ate a pack of jumping beans. Lol its very normal with fibro

Take care
Michael
Posted 3/10/2015 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
Hi! I googled "Lexapro and muscle twitching" and it looks like people have gotten this from the Lexapro, also. One said it went away after they were on the full dose. Hope this helps.

Sherrine
Posted 3/10/2015 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
Definitely sounds like it's the meds. I have heard about the serotonin/neurotransmitter issue. That whatever changes we make in meds confuse the nerves (I am not articulating that properly). I had bad twitches last August and magnesium was a life saver. I take magnesium powder but I was also applying magnesium oil directly on to my legs. I use Ancient (forget the second name) magnesium oil and the twitching stopping within 36 hours. Good luck with the baby!
Posted 3/10/2015 9:57 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone! I've been at the full dose of Lexapro for a couple of weeks and the twitching hasn't subsided. Hopefully it will soon. I don't have any magnesium oil on hand but was thinking of soaking in an Epsom salt bath. I think I heard you can absorb magnesium that way.
Posted 4/23/2016 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
I am a 43 year old female. I have had perfect health my whole life. I am buzzing inside like crazy for three weeks. It evolved into twitches and buzzing in my right foot. I had the hardest time sleeping and eventually got completely panicked. I ended up in the ER with clean labs and clean X-ray of abdomen and lower spine. The vibration, buzzing, tremor feels like it is in my lower abdomen, spine or pelvis and is completely non-stop. The put me on Flexiril, which did nothing. Now they have put me on Lyrica and .5 Ativan at bedtime, which helped a little by making me drowsy at night enough to get intermittent sleep. It has done nothing to take away the internal buzz or twitches. I feel like the buzzing is moving up my neck. I am so concerned about this progressing into ticks or jerks. I have been to the neurologist who did an EMG and said that there is a 90-95% chance it is not ALS. She did some clinical tests, as well. I had one nerve in my right leg that had damage, but she thought it was from a prior injury and said the rest of the test was in normal limits for muscles and nerves. I am waiting on blood tests for Lyme disease and my B and RH levels. I am trying to stay cool, but this is consuming all of my thoughts until we have some answers. I also had a non-contrast brain Mri, which showed the preliminary results as normal. My primary care physician thinks this could be fibromyalgia or benign fasciculation syndrome. Does anyone have any experience with this? Does Lyrica help over time? Any ideas that it could be something else? Really searching for what is causing all of this. Would give a whole lot of money to go back to feeling normal.
Posted 4/23/2016 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I often get the rib pain that feel like a pinched nerve also...

Usually physical therapy helps me..but my therapist uses some myofascial work, that helps a lot..

I use topical pain relievers in my right rib area which helps a lot , as i can only tolerate low dose tramadol..i also take an anti inflammatory which helps..our bloodwork does not show inflammation but my therapist says we have neuro-inflammation that does not show in the blood. There is a theory out there that we have a viral origin at the nerve level..i am not sure where the studies on this are though..

Lj
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