Please help...could this be epilepsy?

[kelbel]

Hi everyone - I apologize if this is a little lengthy...but I have really been through the ringer over the past 3 months and I'm want to give all the info I can about this. I kept reading about epilepsy over and over but I just dismissed it because I had a picture of Grand Mal seizures in my head. Never knew there were other types. So, I'm just going to list what is going on and and see if this sounds familiar to all you experts. I'm a 37 year old female (not sure if the age matters, but from what I'm reading it can)

About 2 years ago I started to have some limb jerks when I was laying in bed. This would only be like once a week or every 2 weeks. Its not the type when you are falling asleep...I would just be laying there awake but very relaxed. My arm, leg, foot, etc. would just slightly jump on its own (like an electrical pulse).

This might or might not be related, but starting in October of last year I had very dry eyes and dry mouth. Doc tested me for Sjogrens and other autoimmune issues and everything came back normal. This has come and gone. Starting in January I had some (what I can describe the best way) as dizziness. Once when I was walking and once when I was just sitting at my desk at work. This prompted another doctor visit and more blood tests and everything came back normal. Fast forward to Feb. 16th. My right leg started to ache and ached for a couple of days.

On February 18th, I started to have tingling and numbness and cold patches that were migrating all over my body. I went back to the doc and they did an MRI of my brain looking for MS, tumors, etc. and it came back normal. Sent me to the neurologist. Before I got to her, I started to have twitching in my muscles. Started in thigh and moved to all over my body. Literally anywhere can twitch. Face, eyes, feet, legs, arms, stomach, etc. So, they did an EMG looking for neuromuscular disorders and it came back normal except for some slight carpal tunnel. I did tell her about the limb twitching and I think she discounted it.

My primary doc put me on Celexa for anxiety. Of course I'm BEYOND anxious worried I have ALS, MS, Muscular Dystrophy, Parkinsons, etc. I have never been so stressed in my life. I feel like the twitching and the limb jerks have gotten way worse since I started the Celexa. I've also been yawning a lot...which I've read can be a sign of epilepsy. Its also a symptom of Celexa, but I was yawning before I started the meds...its just worse now. The limb jerks have definitely gotten way worse...which I've also read can happen with SSRI's. They usually happen at night when I'm getting very relaxed and in the morning right after I wake up. I will have the occasional jerk during the day, but not too much. I also have joints popping all over the place and some joint pain in my hips, elbows...also some spasms or contracting in the muscles of my face and feet that have led to TMJ and just weird feet feelings. I know these don't really sound like epilepsy...but I dont want to leave things out. Fibromyalgia? I also have overall muscle fatigue at times and not as much stamina as I used to.

So, is this some sort of simple partial or something...or myoclonic epilepsy? I have never lost consciouness. I still have the weird dizzy feelings..not so much dizzy but hard to describe...like I'm just not able to think clearly. Foggy-brained? I HAVE had every test known to man at this point except an EEG. I just talked to my doc about it and he has ordered one...but from what I hear on here, that can be normal and not mean anything. I've been tested for Lyme, vitamin deficiencies, heavy metals, autoimmiune disorders (ANA, C-reactive protein, RF factor, Sed rate). I've been to the rhuematologist who said nothing rheumatologically based but that it was probably Fibromyalgia, the cardiologist who looked at heart issues with the dizziness, the neurologist who said nothing neurological she could find, and I'm back to my primary doc who seems to be getting annoyed with me.

So, I guess my questions are: Do seizures come as actual episodes, or can you have fleeting jerks just randomly that arent a part of a time period (like 30 seconds of an event). I also feel at times like my eyelids flutter slightly when I close my eyes to go to sleep...but nothing I can't stop if I open my eyes. I don't even know if I'm imagining that or if its real at this point...hahah.
I also have a lot of eye twitching, but I guess that goes with twitching on the rest of the body. Do muscles just twitch with epilepsy?

Again, sorry for how long this is, I just don't know what else to do.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi kelbel, welcome to CWE!

It's possible that the foggy brain, jerking, twitching and tingling that you are experiencing are a form of myoclonic epilepsy, but it's tough to say for sure. Mycoclonus can happen randomly. I think it's likely that the Celexa is making things worse, and is probably responsible for your joint pain and muscle fatigue. Has the Celexa helped in any way, or is it only causing negative side effects? If it is only causing problems or exacerbating existing ones, then you should ask the doctor about slowly tapering off. That will make it easier to figure out what is really going on with the symptoms that remain.

Do you keep a daily symptom diary? It can help in tracking down a cause for your symptoms, and can also gauge how the medication is affecting you. If you do keep a diary, have you identified any patterns with your symptoms? Are they exacerbated by fatigue or hunger? Do they occur at particular times of day or of the month? Do you have any other health issues? Are there aspects of your diet that could be triggering? For some of us with epilepsy, certain foods (such as gluten), or additives (such as MSG or aspartame) can be problematic. Caffeine and sodas can affect the system as well.

You might want to consider taking a magnesium supplement. I know you were tested for vitamin deficiencies, but it's very hard to detect a magnesium deficiency through standard blood tests (only 1% of magnesium in the body is actually found in the blood.). Magnesium plays a role throughout the body, but particularly in brain and muscle health. It can help some folks (including people with epilepsy) to reduce twitching, tingling, and jerking, eyelid spasm, etc.

Best,
Nakamova

 

[kelbel]

Thanks for the reply. That was fast! These tend to happen the most right after I lay down at night and get really relaxed or right after I wake up in the morning when I'm still relaly relaxed. If I even stretch around alot or sit up, they are over. I will have the occasional random VERY slight twitter in my foot or arm or leg during the day, but that is only during the last week or so after I upped my dose of Celexa to the 20mg.

My dizziness or feeling "off" has actually really calmed down from where it was a couple of months ago when this started and its now pretty rare. My biggest things now are the jerks and feelings of tightness in my facial muscles and sometimes in my calves/feet. I have to move my face around and make ridiculous faces all day just to try and stretch my muscles cause they seem so tight.

The jerks and twitches happen every single day like clockwork. I have had no other sensations that I read about as far as deja vu, weird smells, etc. But I guess things have to start somewhere.

When all this started I tried cutting out gluten and still am not eating it (except the occasional slip up). I haven't really noticed a change. I do drink Diet Mt. Dew...I cut that down to one a day...but I still drink it. I tried magnesium supplements, but I havent been real consistent with it. I added a whole foods multivitamin, a probiotic, Vitamin D, and Co-Q-10. I just feel like I'm throwing this and that at it and its not really changing anything.

The Celexa seems to have helped wiht my anxiety about everything. I at least just calmly read about deadly diseases now rather than flipping out about them. I started this whole journey with the muscle fatigue and whatnot before I started the Celexa. I would be content with Fibromyalgia if I had the classic pain...but I don't. Just a little bit. I also don't read about the jerks being super common with Fibro.

Anyway...I just feel pretty alone with this whole thing. I've spent thousands of dollars with my crappy high-deductible insurance plan and I dont feel any closer to an answer than when I started. To top it all off my doc seems annoyed and I can tell he thinks Im a hypochondriac. Easy for him when he isn't the one experiencing this every day. Sigh. Again, thanks for your help.

 

[Nakamova]

These tend to happen the most right after I lay down at night and get really relaxed or right after I wake up in the morning when I'm still relaly relaxed.

Those are popular times for seizure activity because of the kinds of brainwaves produced in relaxed states.

Try taking the magnesium supplement after dinner -- regardless of the cause, it may help. And if the Mountain Dew has caffeine, try going without for a week. Yes, these things feel like trial-and-error, but it's a simple (and inexpensive) way to see what helps and what doesn't.