Question about Foot Twitching with ME

[Iamminkey]

Hi All,I've just joined the forum because I'm wondering whether my relentlessly twitching toes/foot muscles are BFS. I should explain that I have a mild form of ME which means I'm well used to getting odd and apparantly meaningless bodily sensations which come and go. Little over a couple of months ago, I started taking citalopram because I started to feel very anxious about the prospect of remaining unwell and losing my job, the doc said it would help with the anxiety, which it has to a large extent. Prior to the citalopram and the acute anxiety, I had been experiencing whole body jolts and head zaps when falling asleep. More recently there were a few times when my jaw spasmed back which was a bit of a wrench and not so pleasant but thankfully is infrequent. I was also experiencing episodes of annoying muscle twitching in random places like thighs, biceps and near shoulder blades, and occasional slow-motion cramping of my left foot. I just figured this was my nervous system being a bit stressed and out of whack. Since the citalopram, about 2 weeks or so ago, the random twitching has increased, and while lying on the sofa I noticed that the toes on my left foot had developed a life of their own and were visibly twitching away. If I hold the foot, I can feel other parts of the foot quietly twitching away. There is a slightly odd sensation in the body of the foot almost like a quiet fizzing/tingle prior to the toe twitch. As I sit here I can feel it so it's not just when my legs are out straight. I don't see much reason to go see the doc about this as it's not causing any pain, it's not interfering with my activities such as they are, it's fairly mild so I can tune it out, and anyway it sounds like there's no treatment, I'm just curious as to whether it sounds like BFS or not - and if it is, could it be due to the citalopram. Would welcome your opinion. Many thanks

 

[Gloria123]

I just complained on another post about my foot. It's driving me nuts. It's been twitching for over 4 months now, just the muscle in the inner left part of my right foot, near my arch. It twitches enough to move my toes sometimes. And, it's only my right foot.So, you're not alone! I've heard foot twitching is somewhat common. I also twitch a lot in my calves, especially my right one. And, I have random twitches elsewhere, but those are more rare.Mitra

 

[Iamminkey]

Hi Mitra. Thanks for your response. Yes, the muscle along the arch is where I can feel the twitching but it's not visible there. It feels like the twitch impulse is travelling down through the arch and discharging into the toes, affecting affects one or more of the small toes, depending on how strong it is. Do you get that too? The toe twitching is quite visible and pretty frequent, like every few seconds or so.

 

[Gloria123]

Mine affects my big toe the most and its intensity definitely changes during the day. Always worse in the evening for me, probably because I've been on my feet the longest at that point.I can see my muscle twitching. It's the longer one on the inside left part of my right foot, next to the arch, but not the arch itself. It also hurts sometimes there.I'm pretty sure we're dealing with the same thing - maybe different muscles, but I believe the feet are very common places to twitch. My doctor wouldn't give me an EMG on my foot, because he said just about everyone would see something "bad" on an EMG of the foot. He said something to that effect at least, that there's lots of traffic on someone's foot. He also said that the main nerve is the same for the foot as it is the leg, so he didn't think I needed it.Try not to worry about it, if you are. It drives me insane, much more than my calves, because it's much stranger and more intense than the twitching on my calves. But, that doesn't mean it's anything bad.Mitra

 

[Iamminkey]

I guess I'm 'fortunate' in that I've become accustomed to having odd sensations since becoming unwell in 2008 so I just accept new stuff as a curiosity rather than something to worry about. I did mention it to my GP last time I was in as a kind of aside with regard to side-effects of the citalopram but she didn't ask to see it in action. If it's still going by the time of my next appt, maybe I will give her a demo, for what it's worth Interesting you should say about the PVFS, Raindog, as PVFS is often conflated with CFS, and by extension with ME if one meets the criteria for it. My zaps, twitches and slow motion foot spasms all started in earnest since becoming unwell. From what you describe, it sounds like the citalopram didn't affect your muscle twitching one way or the other?

 

[herty18]

You know there are some people who think ME/BFS/CFS/Fibromyalga are all the same disorder and in the least are all closely related. The BFS symptoms you are experiencing might just be an extension of your existing disorder.

 

[herty18]

Oh the brain zap and body jolts thing. I had that when I was withdrawing from a medicine (prilosec) which I had been on 4 four years and quit cold turkey because it was making me very dizzy. It happened over a couple nights when the medicine first left my system. I had terrible stomach pain and I had these brain zaps where a corresponding part of my body would jerk. That was the start of my BFS experience.