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Have Twitching In Arms And Legs. Tingling In Feet And Hands. Getting Seizure Like Symptoms. What To Do?
Question: I have been having twitching in my arms and legs; tingling in my feet and hands; limbs go to sleep on me easily and quickly if I lay down on my side. I have shivering like shakes that come and go quickly. Sometimes when I am sleeping, I will start to shake and it is like i'm having a seizure but I do not wake up and sometimes I end up falling in the floor. I also have seizure like symptoms when I am "fighting" sleep due to studying or needing to stay up otherwise, and I have those symptoms when I get very angry. Blood test shows that I have normal levels of just about everything except extremely low Vitamin D which I have been taking supplements for about a month now.
Hi,
Thank you for contacting Healthcare magic.
Your main problems are what we call myoclonic jerks. Occasional jerks are common in people while falling asleep or while getting up. However, in your case, they seem to be a little more than usual. When they occur more frequently, one also needs to exclude myoclonic epilepsy.
For this condition, EEG (electroencephalography) test is useful to exclude myoclonic epilepsy.
If necessary, medications may be required (such as clonazepam or sodium valproate).
The other problem seems to be peripheral neuropathy. This is the cause of tingling and numbness of hands and feet.
Though it is common to have some degree of tingling and numbness due to pressure on the limbs; in your case, it seems to be slightly more.
Though vitamin D deficiency may cause it, you should also check your vitamin B12 levels. Blood sugar and thyroid profile should also be tested, if they have not been tested.
These are minor problems and settle well with treatment.
You may need to consult a neurologist.
Please get back if you have any follow up queries.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
XXXXXX Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad
Thank you for contacting Healthcare magic.
Your main problems are what we call myoclonic jerks. Occasional jerks are common in people while falling asleep or while getting up. However, in your case, they seem to be a little more than usual. When they occur more frequently, one also needs to exclude myoclonic epilepsy.
For this condition, EEG (electroencephalography) test is useful to exclude myoclonic epilepsy.
If necessary, medications may be required (such as clonazepam or sodium valproate).
The other problem seems to be peripheral neuropathy. This is the cause of tingling and numbness of hands and feet.
Though it is common to have some degree of tingling and numbness due to pressure on the limbs; in your case, it seems to be slightly more.
Though vitamin D deficiency may cause it, you should also check your vitamin B12 levels. Blood sugar and thyroid profile should also be tested, if they have not been tested.
These are minor problems and settle well with treatment.
You may need to consult a neurologist.
Please get back if you have any follow up queries.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
XXXXXX Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you. B12 and thyroid profile was checked about a month ago and thats when they found out about the D deficiency. I thought B12 may have been a possibility since I had almost every symptom, but the results said my B12 was normal.
I will see a neurologist and get an EEG done to see if I have myoclonic epilepsy, but I'm still confused on the cause of the neuropathy.
I also should mention an injury I had about 3 years ago. I had a screw go through my hand and the hospital did not clean it properly. Major swelling, MRSA, and a couple weeks of draining pus ensued as I tried to get help for it. All the hospital wanted to do was to keep giving me antibiotic shots (probably at least 6 or 7 in just a couple weeks) instead of draining it and taking care of the problem. After the infection healed and I was able to take off the stitches, it took a few weeks for the hand to heal and for me to regain full function of the hand. Ever since that incidence, I have been sick more frequently; suffering with spells of nausea and irratable bowel syndrome symptoms; dizziness when doing anything with effort such as any type of labor; and the neuropathy symptoms started.
My question is whether or not the hand injury and the ensuing poor treatmeant from the hospital including the multiple antibiotics and infection would have anything to do with my neuropathy symptoms and maybe the other symptoms.
I always just thought that since I got the function of my hand back that I was fine, but it is too hard to exclude the injury when noticing that my health has declined greatly with no other noticable factors contributing.
Thanks
I will see a neurologist and get an EEG done to see if I have myoclonic epilepsy, but I'm still confused on the cause of the neuropathy.
I also should mention an injury I had about 3 years ago. I had a screw go through my hand and the hospital did not clean it properly. Major swelling, MRSA, and a couple weeks of draining pus ensued as I tried to get help for it. All the hospital wanted to do was to keep giving me antibiotic shots (probably at least 6 or 7 in just a couple weeks) instead of draining it and taking care of the problem. After the infection healed and I was able to take off the stitches, it took a few weeks for the hand to heal and for me to regain full function of the hand. Ever since that incidence, I have been sick more frequently; suffering with spells of nausea and irratable bowel syndrome symptoms; dizziness when doing anything with effort such as any type of labor; and the neuropathy symptoms started.
My question is whether or not the hand injury and the ensuing poor treatmeant from the hospital including the multiple antibiotics and infection would have anything to do with my neuropathy symptoms and maybe the other symptoms.
I always just thought that since I got the function of my hand back that I was fine, but it is too hard to exclude the injury when noticing that my health has declined greatly with no other noticable factors contributing.
Thanks
Thank you for getting back with more details.
Hand injury and the infection are probably not related to neuropathy. However, the medications may have something to do with it. Many drugs including certain antibiotics have toxic effects on peripheral nerves, resulting in peripheral neuropathy.
In the above scenario, symptoms do tend to improve over time. If there is any other cause for neuropathy, symptoms should get worse over time.
Even if Vitamin B12 level was normal, there is no harm in taking B12 supplements, as it helps in nerve regeneration (assuming some damage to the nerves during your hand infection and treatment).
In addition, if tingling is troubling you, drugs such as pregabalin may be useful.
I hope it helps. Please get back if you have more queries.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Hand injury and the infection are probably not related to neuropathy. However, the medications may have something to do with it. Many drugs including certain antibiotics have toxic effects on peripheral nerves, resulting in peripheral neuropathy.
In the above scenario, symptoms do tend to improve over time. If there is any other cause for neuropathy, symptoms should get worse over time.
Even if Vitamin B12 level was normal, there is no harm in taking B12 supplements, as it helps in nerve regeneration (assuming some damage to the nerves during your hand infection and treatment).
In addition, if tingling is troubling you, drugs such as pregabalin may be useful.
I hope it helps. Please get back if you have more queries.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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