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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by regisx on June 12, 2016, at 20:06:54
Hello, I'm worried cause lately I have issues with my forearms. There are days where they feel very strange. What I experience are things like:
weakness,
fatigue in the forearms shakiness,
not able to write properly!
tingling
feeling like the arm slept in and just wakes up
when I flex my arm and then extend the arm my thumb shakes! (i have this is on both arms!!!!)I have been to a neurologist. He tested the nerves from the head to the arms and they are okay.
He also did a physical exam and said that I have a rigor. He said this isn't parkinson but he didn't say if this rigor is a bad sign or what to do if it doesn't go away anymore.
I really don't feel like this will go away. I also cannot tell how long I have been having this. I mean usually I don't look at my hand and check out wether it shakes when I extend my arm....
I take Lamictal (250mg) and amphetamine (for adhd) usually 20-30mg per day.
I also use supplements and now I'm uncertain and also worry if they could have anything to do with this.
Supplements which I take frequently but not every single day are:
1) choline
2) glycine
3) taurine
4) acetly-l-carnitine
5) glutamineShould I stop taking amphetamine or the supplements?
It sucks that I don't know what causes this.But this stuff is really scary. I mean this isn't like a broken arm where doctors easily know how to fix it.
Posted by rjlockhart37 on June 12, 2016, at 21:46:01
In reply to Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this?, posted by regisx on June 12, 2016, at 20:06:54
i would ... stop maybe with the supplements, because your prescibed amphetamine to help you focus, if you discontinue it have withdrawl.....amphetamine stimulates dopamine and increases movement, there could be a small chance it could be doing it but maybe try to stop your supplements first to see what happens......
anti-psychotics like thorazine, zyprexa, can cause muscle stiffness but your not taking any of them.......
do exercises, things that can increase the blood flow to your muscles, massage them, maybe......if that does not work, you'll need to talk to a doctor
r
Posted by rjlockhart37 on June 12, 2016, at 21:55:11
In reply to Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this?, posted by regisx on June 12, 2016, at 20:06:54
acutally i was wrong, i googled it, amphetamine does produce muscle rigidity......
https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/2euis0/stimulants_and_muscle_tightness/
talk to your doctor about muscle regidtiy....it could be producing
http://www.healthline.com/symptom/muscle-rigidityr
Posted by linkadge on June 13, 2016, at 16:28:35
In reply to Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this?, posted by regisx on June 12, 2016, at 20:06:54
I would say that it certainly could be related to meds / supplements. I would stop the supplements for a few weeks (to see if this helps) and then slowly re-introduce them one by one.
Linkadge
Posted by bleauberry on June 14, 2016, at 14:15:50
In reply to Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this?, posted by regisx on June 12, 2016, at 20:06:54
Google Lyme disease and see how accurately your symptoms match that.
I'm not going to jump the gun. But to be honest, as a Lyme survivor, I know what I see when I see it. It has to be considered as a major player. Almost every Lymie has significant psychiatric issues due to the way the bacteria impact mood receptors, neurotransmitters, and glands.
I know of nothing else that causes the cluster of symptoms you are experiencing that has a greater likelihood of being accurate than what I have just suggested. Blood sugar issues could be involved - might be a prediabetic thing - get a meter and check yourself for a few weeks to rule it in or rule it out. Your symptoms would be consistent with either Lyme or blood sugar issues or both. Lyme is a very broad word, more like a syndrome than a disease, with a handful of possible bugs, complicated, almost always presents symptoms that confuse the observer.
My Lyme years I had the stiff muscle thing and was always blaming it on this supplement or that supplement, could never quite nail it down. It totally went away after Lyme treatment.
Posted by regisx on June 14, 2016, at 23:43:26
In reply to Re: Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this?, posted by bleauberry on June 14, 2016, at 14:15:50
hello!
i have been to a neurologist already. he measured the nerves and they were ok. he said maybe it comes from the lamotrigine but since i only have this in the arms i wonder how likely this is.
i also looked for lamotrigine and muscle stiffness and this seems to be a very very rare side effect!i have had tests for lyme in the past (western blot) cause i also have arthritic issues. the test was negative. i also dont walk on grass or go into the woods. i mean IF i had lyme then it's old and not new.
i read that lyme is also very hard to even diagnose. but i dont know if simply taking huge doses of antibiotics without knowing if i have it or not would be good and if a doctor would be willing to do this. :/
but i have a lot of strange issues which doctors cant help me with. i have visual snow, floaters and i also see the white blood cells in the eyes! it started a few years ago. this is so annoying that i have to avoid brightness. at home i always have the curtains before the window cause i cannot tolerate brightness it stresses me out.if it was caused by amphetamines then wouldn't the symptoms go away if i dont take anything?
cause i have these symptoms also on days where i take nothing!i also noticed many years ago (back then i didnt think much about it) that when i bend my arm and then stretch it the movement is not fluent but it stutters somehow.
and when i do the same movement now then my hands always shake! when i stretch out my arm and look at my thumb then it's always shaking slightly!other symptoms i have are: weakness in the forearms, discomfort, extreme fast fatigue.
a few weeks ago i was kneading some dough for maybe 1 minute. afterwards my arms felt so exhausted that i couldn't even hold a pen and take a note!!
but back then i thought maybe i am simply out of shape and need to train my muscles a bit more.
but lack of fitness cannot be the explanation. this doesn't explain the muscle stiffness.i'm really worried about this now. i mean there are so many possible causes. now i worry that it could also come from the spine this means that i basically needed to get a MRI of the neck simply to see if everything is normal and I really hate MRIs. :(
and if the MRI is normal what do I do then?
the neurologist sounded like he doesn't have many other ideas if lamotrigine isn't the explanation.i also thought if this could be stress-related cause i think that some of the symptoms (weakness,discomfort) might get worse under stress. BUT then there is still the muscle stiffness issue. I don't think that this can be stress-related.
If my hands were generally shaking and trembling then it could be stress-related but I really don't think that the rigor which I have can simply be caused by stress. then why is it only in the arms and not in other places/muscles?
Posted by baseball55 on June 15, 2016, at 20:28:31
In reply to Re: Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this?, posted by regisx on June 14, 2016, at 23:43:26
At the very least, I think you should do an assessment with a Physical therapist. They can assess the degree of muscle weakness, tremor, rigidity, smoothness of movement, range of motion. If it's not nerve-related, it could be muscle-related. I know you said you were in okay shape, but PTs are really good at figuring out exactly where the problem lies, if it's a muscle or orthopedic problem.
It may be med related, but it could be something as simple as the way you rest your arms at night. It can't hurt to check it out.
Posted by rjlockhart37 on June 16, 2016, at 1:23:34
In reply to Re: Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this? » regisx, posted by baseball55 on June 15, 2016, at 20:28:31
yea you need blood flow to the muscles, you may sit and relax in a hot bath, heat is good for sore muscles and massage the muscles.....get a electric massager and use it on your arms......right after you get out of the hot bath
Posted by regisx on July 14, 2016, at 17:39:32
In reply to Re: Muscle stiffness:Can drugs/supplements cause this? » regisx, posted by baseball55 on June 15, 2016, at 20:28:31
Hi,
I've been to a neurologist and also gotten a brain MRI. Basically it's not clear what causes these symptoms. But what worries me right now is that the doc looked at my brain MRI and then said that my brain should be a bit bigger for my age.Now I worry about brain atrophy maybe due to stress and depression. This is pretty scary.
I also don't know what one could do against that. I mean I already tried all kinds of antidepressants with no effect.
This is the end of the thread.
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