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I may not have the option to quit medication.


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Now I'm really weirded out. I was put on medication for a problem sleeping which is also present during the day related to a muscular problem. It's come back with a vengeance. I thought that either it would be gone for good for some magical reason. Also, my doctor has insisted I stop taking Xanax and is having me taper off.

 

Today, I was so frustrated by another night of not sleeping (from the movement disorder) that I started looking for a movement disorder specialist to see, although there aren't any in my area. So I wound up on websites for referrals which contained tons of info about the problem I have, which is a slightly obscure condition which is supposedly benign other than that it leaves me unable to fall to sleep at all.

 

I looked up my specific condition since there are like twenty different subytypes, and the only known treatment are benzodiazepines from what I can tell. So I may not even be able to come off of them! I'm kind of freaking out right now about this. It will be months before I can see anyone, and besides, when I did in the past, they tried me on other medications that didn't work. I have a firm diagnosis from having a very complete neuro workup with an EMG and an EEG.

 

I should add that there are two other medications which CAN be tried, but I've already tried them both. They're anti-epileptic medications. They have horrifying side effect profiles and can cause liver failure and easily as many side effects or more as the Xanax does (technically, for my condition, I should be on Klonopin, but I presume they never switched me because Xanax works okay and it's not a life-threatening issue, just very, very troublesome, especially after not sleeping for months) :(

 

What am I supposed to be feeling right now? I don't know how to handle this information at all.

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I'm really starting to lose it here. I hope I posted this to the right forum.

 

What would you do if you had a medical condition which wasn't resolved by any other medication?

 

I'm going to see a doctor but have to find one first. The last process was exhausting and took a year and thousands of dollars and I already have a diagnosis, plus have tried a lot of other medications.

 

I was hoping it had just gone away with time because for the past sixteen years, I haven't had it. It hasn't. I'd virtually forgotten about it, and now it keeps me up all night long.

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[bf...]

Now I'm really weirded out. I was put on medication for a problem sleeping which is also present during the day related to a muscular problem. It's come back with a vengeance. I thought that either it would be gone for good for some magical reason. Also, my doctor has insisted I stop taking Xanax and is having me taper off.

 

Today, I was so frustrated by another night of not sleeping (from the movement disorder) that I started looking for a movement disorder specialist to see, although there aren't any in my area. So I wound up on websites for referrals which contained tons of info about the problem I have, which is a slightly obscure condition which is supposedly benign other than that it leaves me unable to fall to sleep at all.

 

I looked up my specific condition since there are like twenty different subytypes, and the only known treatment are benzodiazepines from what I can tell. So I may not even be able to come off of them! I'm kind of freaking out right now about this. It will be months before I can see anyone, and besides, when I did in the past, they tried me on other medications that didn't work. I have a firm diagnosis from having a very complete neuro workup with an EMG and an EEG.

 

I should add that there are two other medications which CAN be tried, but I've already tried them both. They're anti-epileptic medications. They have horrifying side effect profiles and can cause liver failure and easily as many side effects or more as the Xanax does (technically, for my condition, I should be on Klonopin, but I presume they never switched me because Xanax works okay and it's not a life-threatening issue, just very, very troublesome, especially after not sleeping for months) :(

 

What am I supposed to be feeling right now? I don't know how to handle this information at all.

 

Are you seeing a sleep specialist or a neurologist?

 

 

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[bf...]

 

 

What would you do if you had a medical condition which wasn't resolved by any other medication?

 

 

If I had a medical condition that was relieved by taking medication, I would take the prescribed medication.  Without question.

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Hey Blue,

 

Do you have PLMD by chance?

 

I wish, as sad as that sounds.

 

No, I have something called myoclonus. It lasts all day too. It's a twitching disorder and wakes me up. I'm a little unclear which exact kind I have. I think "unknown" kind. I had an EEG which was borderline, and an EMG that was not good. It gets worse with rest though and makes it impossible to sleep. But I'd pretty much thought I'd stopped having it since it's gone away for sixteen years now, even in the day time. I'd basically forgotten about it.

 

Last night, I twitched all night unable to sleep. Today, I accidentally threw the silverware I was washing at the floor with one of the twitches. I used to have this all the time! I just haven't thought about it. They come on about once per minute or so. Sometimes more.

 

I tried some other anti-epileptics, but they didn't work. Other than benzos, the only thing that otherwise works is alcohol :(

 

Apparently, and I didn't know this until just now, it's thought to be a GABA-disorder. I try to avoid thinking about it since it stopped bothering me until recently again.

 

Effectively, it's kind of like PLMD though. But that's a different thing completely. Sigh.

 

I'm very, very, very distraught right now. I also don't even begin to understand why my doctor wanted me off medication. The medication IS prescribed for this disorder. It's even on the bottle. I'm so frustrated with the basic lack of medical knowledge around here. I'll obviously have to travel, although right now, I'm a mess in a long drive still. Plus, they're just going to put me on a bunch of much heavier meds or else reinstate me in full, I'd imagine.

 

This is ridiculous.

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Now I'm really weirded out. I was put on medication for a problem sleeping which is also present during the day related to a muscular problem. It's come back with a vengeance. I thought that either it would be gone for good for some magical reason. Also, my doctor has insisted I stop taking Xanax and is having me taper off.

 

Today, I was so frustrated by another night of not sleeping (from the movement disorder) that I started looking for a movement disorder specialist to see, although there aren't any in my area. So I wound up on websites for referrals which contained tons of info about the problem I have, which is a slightly obscure condition which is supposedly benign other than that it leaves me unable to fall to sleep at all.

 

I looked up my specific condition since there are like twenty different subytypes, and the only known treatment are benzodiazepines from what I can tell. So I may not even be able to come off of them! I'm kind of freaking out right now about this. It will be months before I can see anyone, and besides, when I did in the past, they tried me on other medications that didn't work. I have a firm diagnosis from having a very complete neuro workup with an EMG and an EEG.

 

I should add that there are two other medications which CAN be tried, but I've already tried them both. They're anti-epileptic medications. They have horrifying side effect profiles and can cause liver failure and easily as many side effects or more as the Xanax does (technically, for my condition, I should be on Klonopin, but I presume they never switched me because Xanax works okay and it's not a life-threatening issue, just very, very troublesome, especially after not sleeping for months) :(

 

What am I supposed to be feeling right now? I don't know how to handle this information at all.

 

Are you seeing a sleep specialist or a neurologist?

 

I was, and they cost me tens of thousands of dollars. After seeing about ten neurologists who all concluded the same thing, I stopped seeing them. I had a full, overnight sleep study. It showed the problem clearly too. I was told to take medication permanently.

 

I guess I need to be seeing a neurologist again. The only one here is mean and always forgets who I am. I've had so many surgeries in my life that I will avoid seeing doctors unless I have an infection. But I guess I need to play the game of going to yet another neurologist who will conclude the exact same thing again since my situation is clear-cut.

 

I'd just thought it had gone away. I try not to think about these things if they aren't bothering me. I haven't had this since before my now-teenage child was born. So it's been a while.

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Are you saying you want to stay on the meds but the MD is tapering you off?

 

No. I said the MD is tapering me off. I don't care one way or another if I take medication, although I was actually looking forward to not taking them at this point.

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What would you do if you had a medical condition which wasn't resolved by any other medication?

 

 

If I had a medical condition that was relieved by taking medication, I would take the prescribed medication.  Without question.

 

Even benzos? I hate the fact that I'm clearly seriously addicted. I hate that I am treated literally like a criminal for trying to pick the medication up at the pharmacy, and called a drug addict by the ER. I hate that doctors continue to cold turkey me off medication randomly leaving me with horrible withdrawals. I am having a lot of emotions about this. Maybe I can just take them at night, although I think I'll still wind up addicted and having daytime withdrawals.

 

I feel beyond between a rock and a hard place and feel totally desperate right now. I feel in a state of sheer terror.

 

I already take another needed medication. It is psychologically difficult for me to have to take it. I have never adjusted to the idea that if I stop taking it, I will die.

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Hey Blue,

 

Do you have PLMD by chance?

 

I wish, as sad as that sounds.

 

No, I have something called myoclonus. It lasts all day too. It's a twitching disorder and wakes me up. I'm a little unclear which exact kind I have. I think "unknown" kind. I had an EEG which was borderline, and an EMG that was not good. It gets worse with rest though and makes it impossible to sleep. But I'd pretty much thought I'd stopped having it since it's gone away for sixteen years now, even in the day time. I'd basically forgotten about it.

 

Last night, I twitched all night unable to sleep. Today, I accidentally threw the silverware I was washing at the floor with one of the twitches. I used to have this all the time! I just haven't thought about it. They come on about once per minute or so. Sometimes more.

 

I tried some other anti-epileptics, but they didn't work. Other than benzos, the only thing that otherwise works is alcohol :(

 

Apparently, and I didn't know this until just now, it's thought to be a GABA-disorder. I try to avoid thinking about it since it stopped bothering me until recently again.

 

Effectively, it's kind of like PLMD though. But that's a different thing completely. Sigh.

 

I'm very, very, very distraught right now. I also don't even begin to understand why my doctor wanted me off medication. The medication IS prescribed for this disorder. It's even on the bottle. I'm so frustrated with the basic lack of medical knowledge around here. I'll obviously have to travel, although right now, I'm a mess in a long drive still. Plus, they're just going to put me on a bunch of much heavier meds or else reinstate me in full, I'd imagine.

 

This is ridiculous.

 

 

Take the medication as prescribed and DO NOT feel guilty about it. 

 

Do you have a family hx of Parkinsons?

 

Oh! So it's polymyoclonus that worsens when I rest. The sleep study showed nothing past stage 2 sleep with 150 awakenings (no surprise). I wasn't sleeping then much. I had no sleep apnea, and some limb movements. But mainly, I have small movements.

 

No family history of Parkinson's. The first medication they tried me on for this was Sinemet. Didn't work though.

 

I guess I would continue taking the medication BUT the doctors here frown on it. It's such a hassle. I've spent all these months excited to think I can stop taking it.  :'( :'( :'( Truly excited! I am not sure I can accept this. I could take something just at bedtime, no? It's getting bad in the daytime again too. They wouldn't let me hold my son when he was born because they thought I'd drop him. That's why they upped the medication to 3X per day (before that, I was on once per day).

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My doctor is a GP. I feel like he ought to know better. He went on this whole spiel about how I was becoming tolerant to the medicine and so it was time to stop taking it. He gave me a prescription with the name of this forum written on it. He said there was no place for long-term benzos, and he gave me a script for Tegretol.

 

Plus, I have panic disorder, so the Xanax was good for that too.

 

NO ONE here will prescribe it for me. It's deeply stigmatized. There was a terrible situation I had with the pharmacy where they phoned the police on me not too many months ago, simply for trying to refill my legal prescription. The ER has also treated me badly at times. I'm scared of being on the medication anymore, I think.

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It took me about a year to accept taking the medication in the first place. I don't think I can stop accepting this now. I have simply read too many bad things at this point about benzo habituation. Taking them doesn't bother me. But having to take them makes me feel like I'm losing my mind completely at this point.
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Blue...I have a friend who takes Klonopin for epilepsy.  She will take them for the rest of forever.  It's a quality of life issue.  Benzo's DO have a place and it sounds like your medical condition warrants them...especially if nothing else works.  I would find another doctor who will prescribe what you need to maintain a normal life.  I too was put on a benzo for RLS and Meniere's Disease.  Meniere's Disease patients are on the drug for their entire lives.  Unfortunately, Valium turned on me and I had to wean off.  I never worried about the addiction aspect of the drug because I needed it to be able to stand up without falling over.  I now will probably lose what is left of my hearing also.  I would still be taking valium if I could...honestly.  I hate to admit that but like I said, it's a quality of life issue.

 

Donna

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Blue...I have a friend who takes Klonopin for epilepsy.  She will take them for the rest of forever.  It's a quality of life issue.  Benzo's DO have a place and it sounds like your medical condition warrants them...especially if nothing else works.  I would find another doctor who will prescribe what you need to maintain a normal life.  I too was put on a benzo for RLS and Meniere's Disease.  Meniere's Disease patients are on the drug for their entire lives.  Unfortunately, Valium turned on me and I had to wean off.  I never worried about the addiction aspect of the drug because I needed it to be able to stand up without falling over.  I now will probably lose what is left of my hearing also.  I would still be taking valium if I could...honestly.  I hate to admit that but like I said, it's a quality of life issue.

 

Donna

 

Yes, the problem is a lot like epilepsy. I so totally thought it had gone away. It's been decades since I gave it a second thought. Some people really take benzos for life? I thought that they could only be prescribed for two weeks? The information I hear is totally inconsistent at this point. I have had vertigo, so I understand about that very well. I'm very afraid of it stopping its usefulness. With Xanax, I take it for two reasons (one of which I thought was gone): the movement disorder plus panic disorder. I think that's confusing the doctor or something. I should just remind him that I have a serious movement disorder. "Quality of life" is precisely right. But I also was left without medication so long that I did wind up pretty crazy at one point.

 

Why can't you start the Valium at a higher dose?

 

That's kind of like what happened to me. I complained that I'd had a panic attack (in an airplane, with four hours of heavy turbulence, and while driving) to my doctor. He said the medication had stopped working and started pressuring me to quit it right then. I said I wasn't looking for an increased dose. He said the only cure was to decrease it and that I couldn't be on it for life. I'm starting to wonder if he's well. But the prospect of finding another doctor is outrageously anxiety-provoking, especially when all the ones I've seen say they just don't prescribe benzos for any reason. I'm embarrassed to look like a "doctor shopper" and basically do everything that my doctor tells me to so that he won't be annoyed by me. I've had a ton of tests that I probably don't even need.

 

I am depressed by this all. Very. :'( :'( :'(

 

I really appreciate your reply. It's very thoughtful. I didn't think about quality of life. Everyone always just tells me to pull myself up by my bootstraps. I see no support online for long-term benzo use for anything either. The epilepsy drugs are awful though. I don't understand how people manage to take them. I don't think many on this forum would respect me if I had to take benzos for this, to be honest. Just my basic feeling. Maybe I'm wrong. I feel a social stigma about the whole thing, here and in life too.

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BOL,

 

I am so sorry for what you are going through. No one should be treated as you were for merely filling a prescription given to you by a doctor. There should be no stigma. There should be no judgement.  That being said we know its not a perfect world.

 

I would have to agree with Donna about quality of life.  Benzo do have their place in this world and perhaps in your world.  I would say you need to find a doctor who understands your condition and will talk to you candidly about the medications that will work for it.  Clearly your GP does not have this ablility. BTW I did a lot of doctor shopping until I found the one I have, it is your right as a health consumer.

 

Can you forget the past incident concerning the pharmacy and focus on your work, your hobbies, your life? I don't believe anyone knowing your story would judge you harshly for making a decision to stay on the benzos.  If they did so what, sticks and stones you know.

 

pianogirl

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BOL,

 

I am so sorry for what you are going through. No one should be treated as you were for merely filling a prescription given to you by a doctor. There should be no stigma. There should be no judgement.  That being said we know its not a perfect world.

 

I would have to agree with Donna about quality of life.  Benzo do have their place in this world and perhaps in your world.  I would say you need to find a doctor who understands your condition and will talk to you candidly about the medications that will work for it.  Clearly your GP does not have this ablility. BTW I did a lot of doctor shopping until I found the one I have, it is your right as a health consumer.

 

Can you forget the past incident concerning the pharmacy and focus on your work, your hobbies, your life? I don't believe anyone knowing your story would judge you harshly for making a decision to stay on the benzos.  If they did so what, sticks and stones you know.

 

pianogirl

 

Thanks! I'm crying right now. It may take me a bit of time to adjust to this all. I think having a night of no sleep was a (ha ha) wake up call about this still being a problem. You're right. I have such a hard time trusting physicians. I also feel stigmatized just as you say. I lost my first marriage partially over this whole thing, so it's a real wound for me.

 

I will make an appointment with a movement disorder specialist on Monday. There are some about three hours from here that are top notch. I won't worry about the appointment at all. I will go down the day before in the night and try staying at a hotel because of my fear of driving. I will see if they think I should try something else. Maybe they have a new medication out there that isn't published yet or something. I will try other things again too. I will be reasonable and not get upset even if they are upsetting or say upsetting things, which they sometimes do. And I will have the expensive and painful tests even if they seem silly to me. I'm just going to have to.

 

It's going to take me some adjustment. My husband has amped me up about getting off medication every day too. We want to go on a long trip, and with the medication, it has been difficult. I am afraid to lose him too :( I think my first husband got sick of my disorder. We divorced in the middle of my trying to figure it all out. He thought I was crazy, basically (he's a simple-minded, mean little man of course).

 

I have a fear of doctors, a fear of new medication, and a fear of medical procedures as well, sorry. If I could find someone nice who didn't stigmatize me, I could possibly handle it. My self-esteem is so low about medical issues at this point.

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Blue...before valium became an over-prescribed panecea for life's every day problems, it was a drug used for epilepsy.  I think the same goes for Klonopin.  I took valium back in the 70's for Meniere's Disease but I had three smalll children to take care off and the dose I was put on was outrageous.  I just stopped and did not have one w/d symptom.  This time around....a Hellish Nightmare.  Kindling?  Who knows. 

 

This time I reached tolerance and DID updose....started taking it every day instead of when I was symptomatic.  The drug just turned on me.  Actually gave me vertigo instead of relieving it.  People do take benzo's for their entire lives...or at least for as long as they have a serious condition that warrants it.  These drugs are clearly abused, hence the crack-down.  I think the two week rule applies to use as an anxiety reliever.  My ENT never once refused to refill my Rx.  As a matter of fact he was shocked that I was no longer taking them.

 

I know doctor hunting is a chore.  But....it's worth the hunt if you can find one who understands and will be non-judgemental.

 

Donna

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Donna, thank you. I'm so sorry for all that you've been through as well. I keep hoping it just goes away again on its own. It's an awfully strange problem. I probably just need a better doctor. There aren't very many doctors here. It may be difficult to find a new one. I get nervous because I found this one when the previous one refused to fill a prescription on a weekend, causing me to cold turkey for a few days :/ It was basically one of the most frightening experiences in my life.
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Hi. I just did a little research. Maybe you already know about these options, and maybe they are not a real option for you for whatever reason.

 

Do you have polymyoclonus ? The search results are not the same as for myoclonus.

 

Myoclonus: (several anticonvulsants: leviracetam, valproic acid, zonisamide, lamotrigine), acetazolamide, piracetam, primidone (a bit like a barbiturate), phenobarbital (barbiturate), 5-HTP, fluoxetine, sumatriptan, tetrabenazine, trihexyphenidyl, melatonin (?) (http://www.mdvu.org/library/disease/myoclonus/myo_tre.asp)

 

There are several references to baclofen for polymyoclonus.

Also, (http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/archive/index.php/t-177288.html) mentions a few options.

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What would you do if you had a medical condition which wasn't resolved by any other medication?

 

 

Personally, I'd be open minded to continuing to take benzos. It is appropriate long term in a small number of cases.

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Blue...I have a friend who takes Klonopin for epilepsy.  She will take them for the rest of forever.  It's a quality of life issue.  Benzo's DO have a place and it sounds like your medical condition warrants them...especially if nothing else works.  I would find another doctor who will prescribe what you need to maintain a normal life.  I too was put on a benzo for RLS and Meniere's Disease.  Meniere's Disease patients are on the drug for their entire lives.  Unfortunately, Valium turned on me and I had to wean off.  I never worried about the addiction aspect of the drug because I needed it to be able to stand up without falling over.  I now will probably lose what is left of my hearing also.  I would still be taking valium if I could...honestly.  I hate to admit that but like I said, it's a quality of life issue.

 

Donna

 

Yes, the problem is a lot like epilepsy. I so totally thought it had gone away. It's been decades since I gave it a second thought. Some people really take benzos for life? I thought that they could only be prescribed for two weeks? The information I hear is totally inconsistent at this point. I have had vertigo, so I understand about that very well. I'm very afraid of it stopping its usefulness. With Xanax, I take it for two reasons (one of which I thought was gone): the movement disorder plus panic disorder. I think that's confusing the doctor or something. I should just remind him that I have a serious movement disorder. "Quality of life" is precisely right. But I also was left without medication so long that I did wind up pretty crazy at one point.

 

Why can't you start the Valium at a higher dose?

 

That's kind of like what happened to me. I complained that I'd had a panic attack (in an airplane, with four hours of heavy turbulence, and while driving) to my doctor. He said the medication had stopped working and started pressuring me to quit it right then. I said I wasn't looking for an increased dose. He said the only cure was to decrease it and that I couldn't be on it for life. I'm starting to wonder if he's well. But the prospect of finding another doctor is outrageously anxiety-provoking, especially when all the ones I've seen say they just don't prescribe benzos for any reason. I'm embarrassed to look like a "doctor shopper" and basically do everything that my doctor tells me to so that he won't be annoyed by me. I've had a ton of tests that I probably don't even need.

 

I am depressed by this all. Very. :'( :'( :'(

 

I really appreciate your reply. It's very thoughtful. I didn't think about quality of life. Everyone always just tells me to pull myself up by my bootstraps. I see no support online for long-term benzo use for anything either. The epilepsy drugs are awful though. I don't understand how people manage to take them. I don't think many on this forum would respect me if I had to take benzos for this, to be honest. Just my basic feeling. Maybe I'm wrong. I feel a social stigma about the whole thing, here and in life too.

 

It DOES quit working.

10 yr ago I started having panic attacks/heart palps while driving. No amt of xanax would work short of taking too much and knocking me out. Cant do that and stay alert while driving.

 

I dont know what you can do for your jumps. I had them BAD when i quit xanax ut they have gone away:)

 

Its hard to tell if your prob is from xanax w/d or a med prob cause people do get the leg jumps, etc when quitting the meds andyou are still w/d from them. Its a nasty drug.

 

xanax is a controlled drug and yes, if you go Dr shopping they will look at you funny.

It really makes me mad cause some people abuse it and makes it difficult for people who truly have anxiety probs and dont abuse it.

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If you have to take medication to live a better quality of life then go for it. All meds aren't bad. Benzos have both helped and hurt people. It just depends on the person and the situation. If you have to take benzos then you have to take them. Theres no shame in it. This isn't about what other people think about you in real life or on this forum. Its about you!! Try to remain as functional as possible. Hope this all works out for you and you get some peace and relaxation in your life soon.

 

Rock

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I'm so sorry to hear about your suffering and dilemma with benzo's.  No judgement here. You've got to do what's best for you and hopefully you'll have some help from docs to get this situation resolved.

 

I wasn't familiar with Myoclonus, so I looked it up.  It's interesting, but I acutally suffered from this very heavily while I was taking benzo's and for a long time after I discontinued them.  I noticed you've been taking benzo's for 16 years.  Did you have this condition prior to taking benzo's or other psych drugs?  I only ask because it says that this is a condition ore "medical sign" and not a disease.  It is caused by other diseases or ironically by these very drugs (benzo's).

 

Since my withdrawals are over I haven't had a single violent jerk or stutter.  It was awful, my eyes visibly twitched, my speech was a horrible stutter and my arms and legs would jerk violently at any time of day, not just at night.

 

I truly hope you find the solution your looking for.

 

Wishing you all the best!

Cedar

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No, I have something called myoclonus. It lasts all day too. It's a twitching disorder and wakes me up. I'm a little unclear which exact kind I have. I think "unknown" kind. I had an EEG which was borderline, and an EMG that was not good. It gets worse with rest though and makes it impossible to sleep. But I'd pretty much thought I'd stopped having it since it's gone away for sixteen years now, even in the day time. I'd basically forgotten about it.

 

Last night, I twitched all night unable to sleep. Today, I accidentally threw the silverware I was washing at the floor with one of the twitches. I used to have this all the time! I just haven't thought about it. They come on about once per minute or so. Sometimes more.

 

I had the very same issues you are describing and mine was clearly from the psych drugs and withdrawals I was having.  This can clearly be the result of a damaged CNS.

 

"Rarely does myoclonus indicate anything other than arbitrary muscle contraction. Myoclonus may develop in response to infection, head or spinal cord injury, stroke, stress, brain tumors, kidney or liver failure, lipid storage disease, chemical or drug poisoning, as a side effect of certain drugs (such as tramadol[2] and quinolones), or other disorders."

 

Although some cases of myoclonus are caused by peripheral nervous system injury, most myoclonus is caused by a disturbance of the central nervous system. Studies suggest that several locations in the brain are involved in myoclonus. One such location, for example, is in the brainstem close to structures that are responsible for the startle response, an automatic reaction to an unexpected stimulus involving rapid muscle contraction.

 

The specific mechanisms underlying myoclonus are not yet fully understood. Scientists believe that some types of stimulus-sensitive myoclonus may involve overexcitability of the parts of the brain that control movement. These parts are interconnected in a series of feedback loops called motor pathways. These pathways facilitate and modulate communication between the brain and muscles. Key elements of this communication are chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which carry messages from one nerve cell, or neuron, to another. Neurotransmitters are released by neurons and attach themselves to receptors on parts of neighboring cells. Some neurotransmitters may make the receiving cell more sensitive, while others tend to make the receiving cell less sensitive. Laboratory studies suggest that an imbalance between these chemicals may underlie myoclonus."

 

"Some researchers speculate that abnormalities or deficiencies in the receptors for certain neurotransmitters may contribute to some forms of myoclonus. Receptors that appear to be related to myoclonus include those for two important inhibitory neurotransmitters: serotonin, which constricts blood vessels and brings on sleep, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps the brain maintain muscle control. Other receptors with links to myoclonus include those for opiates, drugs that induce sleep, and for glycine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is important for the control of motor and sensory functions in the spinal cord. More research is needed to determine how these receptor abnormalities cause or contribute to myoclonus."

 

Wow, I'm not a doctor, but it seems like benzo's and the damage they do to GABA and the CNS would certainly qualify as being a probable cause of Myoclonus, in my unprofessional opinion.

 

 

 

 

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