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AmieLynn
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16 Aug 2014, 1:28 pm

Hey, I am not sure what has been going on with me. But sometimes I will get sudden jerks in different parts of my body...sometimes even my whole body like a quick electric shock. I am conscious throughout but they startle me when I get them. The other day I had a very strange jerking reaction of the muscles in my stomach and arms and legs (pretty much shot through my entire body). It only lasted a second but it felt like a surge of electricity ...is the best way I can describe it. Could they be seizures or something else?

Thanks



ImeldaJace
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17 Aug 2014, 1:33 pm

The same thing happens to me too. I have no idea what it is. (Good timing with your post by the way. I was going to start a thread asking the same question :) )

For me, the jerks happen when I get overwhelmed like from sensory overload. I never get just one twitch. They can go on for a long time with a jerk every minute or so, and sometimes I have several jerks right in a row. I also sometimes get the feeling of and electric jolt in my head sometimes.

I mentioned it to my doctor and she said that it was just a side effect of one of my meds, until I mentioned that it only happens when I'm overwhelmed, and then she just said " so it's not a side effect then." She really didn't seem at all concerned though and she is a very good doctor, so I have no idea what to think. I want to bring it up with her again because they twitches are really uncomfortable. I even had to leave class once because of how bad they were.

Another thing that really confuses me is that sometimes I almost feel like I feel one coming, but at other times, the jerk is really sudden and completely unexpected. Do you feel yours coming at all?


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AmieLynn
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17 Aug 2014, 1:41 pm

Mine usually come randomly and I don't expect them...which makes it shocking for me. I read online about how it's normal for people to have body jerks while falling asleep but mine happen while I'm wide awake...so like you I'm seeking answers. I hope you are able to find out what it is.

What does it feel like for you when you can feel one coming on?



ImeldaJace
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17 Aug 2014, 3:37 pm

It's hard to explain. I guess it is more that the jerk does not feel so sudden. You know how when you move around consciously, you don't always think "now I will move my left are 3 centimeters down." You just move your arm, it is under your control, but you don't think about it. But even though you aren't thinking about it, you know somewhere in your brain that your arm is going to move and so you are not at all surprised when it moves.

It's that sort of feeling that I sometimes have when I get a muscle jerk, except that I'm not moving on purpose. These jerks are in every other way identical to the jerks that I don't feel like I knew they were going to happen, and both types of jerks are mixed in with each other as to when they occur. It's really strange.


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ImeldaJace
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17 Aug 2014, 3:48 pm

AmieLynn wrote:
I read online about how it's normal for people to have body jerks while falling asleep but mine happen while I'm wide awake...



You know, now that I'm thinking about it, I've always had pretty big jerks when going to sleep. My family is used to hearing clunks from my room at night because my arm or leg would jerk and slam hard into the wall. I wonder if there could be some sort of connection. I know that the ones when falling asleep are normal, but I wonder if my brain is somewhat more prone to have jerks? Even if there could be a connection though, it doesn't really help explain any of it. Maybe the state of my brain when overloaded is similar to its state when I'm falling asleep?


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18 Aug 2014, 1:01 am

I get it too. It feels like a more elaborate jerk than my facial tics. I do get seizures too but I'm not sure if they're related. I would think of them more as a spasm.

I'll have to monitor myself closely the next time they happen.


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18 Aug 2014, 5:22 pm

I am not a doctor by any means, but it could by some form of myoclonus.



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18 Aug 2014, 8:26 pm

AmieLynn wrote:
Hey, I am not sure what has been going on with me. But sometimes I will get sudden jerks in different parts of my body...sometimes even my whole body like a quick electric shock. I am conscious throughout but they startle me when I get them. The other day I had a very strange jerking reaction of the muscles in my stomach and arms and legs (pretty much shot through my entire body). It only lasted a second but it felt like a surge of electricity ...is the best way I can describe it. Could they be seizures or something else?

Thanks


not seizures

they are an extra-pyramidal sign called myoclonus

they can be very severe and caused muscular injury

they can be ameliorated through treatment

they are generally a medication side effect, however, there can be other causes

be well



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18 Aug 2014, 8:30 pm

AmieLynn wrote:
Mine usually come randomly and I don't expect them...which makes it shocking for me. I read online about how it's normal for people to have body jerks while falling asleep but mine happen while I'm wide awake


those are hypnic jerks and they ARE normal

myoclonus can happen 24/7 and it is not normal



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18 Aug 2014, 8:38 pm

ImeldaJace wrote:
AmieLynn wrote:
I read online about how it's normal for people to have body jerks while falling asleep but mine happen while I'm wide awake...



You know, now that I'm thinking about it, I've always had pretty big jerks when going to sleep. My family is used to hearing clunks from my room at night because my arm or leg would jerk and slam hard into the wall. I wonder if there could be some sort of connection. I know that the ones when falling asleep are normal, but I wonder if my brain is somewhat more prone to have jerks? Even if there could be a connection though, it doesn't really help explain any of it. Maybe the state of my brain when overloaded is similar to its state when I'm falling asleep?


myoclonus can occur coincidentally at the part of the sleep cycle when hypnic jerks occur and 'appear' to be very severe hypnic jerks which they are not.

understandable for the layperson to be confused by this



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18 Aug 2014, 11:15 pm

I looked up myoclonus and the description seems to fit the jerks that I get. But I also read that myoclonic jerks are just a symptom of some other conditions... But a symptom of what? Could I be getting myoclonic jerks just when I'm overloaded? Another thing is that I have severe generalized anxiety disorder, and one of the medications I'm on for that is also an anticonvulsant. Can anticonvulsants even treat myoclonus? Could sensory overload combined with anxiety be the cause of myoclonus?

(Sorry for so many questions.)

One good thing though is that, although the jerks are very uncomfortable, they are almost always so slight that they are barely noticeable to the casual observer.


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19 Aug 2014, 10:54 am

I have a tremor disorder that causes me to shake when anxious & doing things with fine motor-skills & it also makes me more sensitive to extrapyramidal side-effects of psych meds & those are movement disorders that can be jerky, slow, shaky, involuntary & such. Lots of psych meds can cause jerkiness & similar type things. I'm NOT saying that it is medication related but it's a cause that should be investigated if your on any meds. There's other things that can cause that jerkiness & things too. The treatment kind of depends on the cause but they may include medication changes, benzodieaepeines like Klonopin, seizure meds, & muscle relaxers. Talking to a general practitioner about it is a a good place to start & he/she may have you get some test or refer you to a neurologist.


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19 Aug 2014, 11:51 am

ImeldaJace wrote:
I looked up myoclonus and the description seems to fit the jerks that I get. But I also read that myoclonic jerks are just a symptom of some other conditions... But a symptom of what? Could I be getting myoclonic jerks just when I'm overloaded? Another thing is that I have severe generalized anxiety disorder, and one of the medications I'm on for that is also an anticonvulsant. Can anticonvulsants even treat myoclonus? Could sensory overload combined with anxiety be the cause of myoclonus?

(Sorry for so many questions.)

One good thing though is that, although the jerks are very uncomfortable, they are almost always so slight that they are barely noticeable to the casual observer.


it would be prudent to confer with your Physician regarding these concerns



ImeldaJace
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19 Aug 2014, 4:53 pm

Ok, Thanks! :)


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20 Aug 2014, 10:29 pm

I have a tic where my arms jerk and I get frequent body shudders. Could this count as well?


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22 Aug 2014, 6:08 pm

I think I get too, like sometimes, my leg would just kick something, usually when sitting down, but it's rare.