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Benzos & Fasciculations (Muscle/Nerve Twitches)

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Posted 9/25/2010 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
I wonder if anyone who has ever taken a benzo for very long has ever started having muscle twitches?

I have been plagued with this very nerve wrecking and menacing problem ever since about 1996 or '97, about 3 to 4 years after starting Xanax.  Since 2000, I have been on lorazepam, 0.5mg. taken twice daily.

On the Benzo UK site it lists twitches as a symptom.

Lately, the events have been worse when they occur, and I get this vibration/jumping in my rt. frontal lobe area just above and slightly in front of my ear.  When it's bad, it can last all day long!  Minor attacks can be maybe two or three per day.  It can go into remission for maybe a week or longer.

I'm on a neurological forum and another member there is a strong believer in magnesium, and has been of great help in recommending that for this problem.

I am seeing my Dr. Oct. 4th to discuss this and what type magnesium might help.

I do hope long term use of a benzo has not caused this, but I can't say it hasn't either.

Thanks~

Posted 9/25/2010 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning,

If you are referring to PROFESSOR ASHTON'S site,  it is a great site and dedicated to helping people manage coming off of benzos safely.  I used her method to decrease from 40 mg of Valium per day down to 2 - 8 mgs per day.  The slow wean worked very well.

As far as the twicthing, you have been taking the same benzo for almost 18 years so perhaps it is time to wean off of it and see what your Dr. thinks.  Inadequate magnesium intake can cause fasciculations.   Increased intake of magnesium-rich food, such as nuts (especially almonds) and bananas is a natural way to go.  Ask your physician re how much Magnesium supplement he would suggest.

Glad to hear you have an appointment on the 4th.

Kindly,

Kitt

 

Posted 9/25/2010 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Kitt,

Professor Ashton's site is it.

I'm glad the slow taper worked well for you.

I am about to think getting off that stuff wouldn't be bad, if it won't leave me with years of after effects.

I will sure ask the Dr. about the magnesium intake. I have some printed off material about this to discuss as well.

Thanks,
panicman62
Posted 9/25/2010 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
A slow taper works but Ashton's water titration doesn't. Benzodiazepines aren't even water soluble. That site is does have some interesting information on it, but there are a lot of kooks there, too. They'll blame every problem on Benzos. I'm not saying the twitching isn't caused by long-term Xanax use. I don't know. The problem is they don't either but assume it is. I used to have an anxiety blog and those people would comment sometimes. If I'd had a headache that day, it was the Klonopin I was taking. Nevermind that I have headaches all of my life and it was sinus/allergy issues that caused them. I had to delete a lot of their posts because they were just fear mongering.

Again, not saying they are wrong about everything. Just take some of the stuff they say with a grain of salt and talk to your doctor to figure out what you want to do.

Post Edited (debaser) : 9/25/2010 12:20:12 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/25/2010 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
I hear ya', debaser.

I read some of their scare stories. They even claim benzos cause early death. Hard to swallow that one.

That's right about the doc. They're trained to know the meds.
Posted 9/25/2010 9:50 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with debaser and still use benzo but at a much lower dose. 

When we use the information from the net for research, we have to be sure the information is reliable and authoritative. That puts us in the position of having to verify information and make judgments about whether it is appropriate. We need to think critically, as opposed to using information just because it's available to us or published on the Web.

Thinking critically about information and its sources means being able to separate facts from opinions. We have to be able to verify information and know its source, we have to determine whether the facts are current, and we need to know why someone offered the data at all. After considering these issues, we can decide whether the information is appropriate for our purposes.

Good point debaser !

Kindly

Kitt

Posted 9/27/2010 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
I haven't been taking Xanax nearly as long as you have panicman (it's only been 3 months for me), but I have noticed that when I skip a dose that I start to get jittery and have muscle spasms. I usually take one at night, but feeling pretty good a few nights I tried to either put it off till later or fall asleep without it. When I did I couldn't fall asleep, and like I said I started getting jittery and having muscle twitches or spasms (mostly in my legs, sometimes arms). Once I "gave in" and popped the Xanax I was supposed to take those side effects would stop. That leads me to believe that it's the medication itself, but at the same time I guess you can't discount the power of the mind. It could be like a reverse placebo effect where I'm developing symptoms because my brain knows I didn't take the medicine.
Posted 9/27/2010 12:50 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know what causes mine. Since being on Ensure, it seems better, and further in between attacks, but it's trying to let in on me tonight. I was tested low on Vit. D and have taken it for several months, since last winter, and sometimes I suspect it, but I don't think Vit. D3 would do this.

Anyway, I hope your problem resolves. If I'm facing coming off this stuff, I'm afraid I'm in for one rough ride. I just hope it's in the mind as you say. Hopefully, the right kind and dose of magnesium will eliminate this totally. I'm also eating bananas now due to the potassium.
Posted 9/27/2010 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
After I posted this last night, everything went berserk.

I started having horrible vibration and twitches in the upper rt. part of my head, same old place.

I've already been on the phone this a.m. with my dr. office and the neurologist office I saw out of town, last Aug. 26th. Something is not right and needs fixed!
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