Serper2014

Hey all,

just was wondering if during the withdrawal period you have ever had muscle spasms or twitching?

I don't mean hand or leg or arm shakes perse. I've just been getting random twitches in my thumb, calfs, and forearms mostly, with an occasional twitch in my pectoralis major and an occasional twitch in my abdomen.

I'm almost on day 4 (1 hr to go) and I haven't had any other symptoms of withdrawal, except for a bit of sweating last night (maybe, it was quite hot in my room) and a bit of hand shakiness (but I have had two cups of coffee each day and I'm not used to that)

I know that on day 1 and 2 I had more twitching than today, but today I decided to keep a log to make sure the twitching was decreasing with time. Bad Idea, in the first 3 hours I had 12 twitches, and because I was noting them I became very nervous and then I had at least 25 twitches in the next hour but I didn't log them. I had a ton of anxiety so I took a half of a benzo and I haven't had a twitch since. Def don't need to see a doctor at this point besides it would most likely get diagnosed as BFS anyway.

Just curious if any of you have had this after quitting or even after a night of heavy drinking (it's happened in the past too)

How long did it take for it to go away? Did it ever go away?

Gilmer

I had twitching as a result of a vitamin B1 deficiency. I have heard that many alcoholics also have a B1 deficiency. Have your doctor give you a blood test.

ProudDaddy

I have experienced muscle twitching and was told it was a side effect of being dehydrated. I think we all know dehydration after a night or day of drinking. Sometimes it can take a week for mine to subside. If it is bothersome then seek advice from your doctor. Hope you feel better.

megan86

this happens to me sometimes as well, along with strange cramps/charley horses, especially in my feet - i also suspect it is malnutrition and dehydration related. while booze provides enough calories to make me gain weight it's not exactly full of nutrients lol. i also am definitely b-vitamin deficient as i have tested as such even when i was not drinking like i have been (i am a vegetarian and it is very common for vegetarians to be b-deficient) and have not been taking my vitamins because VODKA FOR BREAKFAST ugh. (hoping to stop that pronto, even if it means some twitching.)

thirding that seeking advice from a doctor might be good if it continues or is very bothersome.

Serper2014

Yeah guys thanks, I'll def get it checked out if it continues. I take a multivitamin, but I'll get some vitamin b as well before I go to the doctor

ScottFromWI

Seeing a doc is a good idea of course. I had pretty bad health anxiety towards the end of my drinking and well into the first several months of sober life. Every twitch, pain, etc turned into cancer, some rare neurological disorder or heart failure in my mind. I would probabily have been committed if i would have actually counted events like you have been.

It has gotten MUCH better over time though for me.

Serper2014

Yeah I'm not too worried about the twitching, I just wanted to make sure it was going to go away. Worst case scenario is that I damaged some peripheral nerves irreversibly with all the drinking, which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I'd rather be sober and twitching than drunk and not. It will likely go away, I was just curious to hear from others what the timeline might be like as there isn't any published medical literature on this because it doesn't warrant a scientific study.

Tonymblue

yep had them. Multi vitamin and b complex helped. Friend told me that powerade helped him because its fortified with some b vitamins.

queenofheartz09

My thumb was twitching all day sometimes and now that I'm 23 days sober it hadn't twitched at all lately. I didn't even notice till I read this post lol the twitching was so annoying I'm glad it stopped!

RolyPoly

I have 2 weeks. A few days ago my left biceps were twitching like crazy. Only lasted a few minutes but it was definitely weird!

jezza

Yeah... I'm still getting the odd twitch mainly in bed as I doze off,usually my leg or arm.. It's getting better but must be some sort of SE of the alcohol.. Obviously if you're concerned go get it checked out..

Serper2014

I'm not concerned!!! I've gone through medical school, no doctor is going to treat me for benign twitching....!!!!!! This drives me nuts about this forum where every person tells you to go to the doctor.... It's like no, that would pure stupidity to go to the doctor for this at this point.

GracieLou

I am confused. Are you not the person that posted the question in the first place?

Gilmer

My doctor saw fit to give me a blood test (Of course, I thought I was convinced I had MS... ).

Serper2014

Yeah I just wanted to hear if this was a common problem with people that have quit drinking. If I talked to a doctor he would say "well there's really know way to know if the twitching is caused by quitting drinking or something else, but when people quit drinking sometimes they experience twitching and you're just going to have wait and see if it goes away."

That is what would happen.


So here is a population of people I could ask. Just to get a rough idea if others had experienced it and how long it lasted for them. I'm more curious than concerned.

Serper2014

Hahah yeah that is a great go to test when you have a symptom where there is no apparent cause, such as twitching. I've had a blood test recently and everything was fine.

GracieLou

Alrighty then!

At least you were not looking for medical advice.

trachemys

I've had it bad at times. Over the past few months I've been quitting and restarting drinking regularly. Dehydration, vitamin deficiency, withdrawal, I dunno. A few weeks ago I was dozing off on the sofa and "twitched" so hard I kicked the corner of the coffee table and put a couple of bleeding scratches on my foot. Now, off the booze, on the vitamins and fluids, eating better...no problem.

KAD

During my last bender, I noticed I had developed a whole body twitch. Actually, it was more like a jolt. It would wake me up sometimes. After I quit, it still happened occasionally but now, a month and a half after getting sober, I don't have them anymore.

DavidLA

I'm no doctor, but, alcohol withdrawal, even a reduction in what your brain/body is used to causes anxiety. You may or may not even feel anxious, but it's there(from my experience). Anxiety can commonly cause muscle twitch, vibrations, pins and needles, pin ***** sensations, prickly feelings in skin, etc. Anxiety may remain for quite a while after you quit or reduce for extended periods.. B Vitamins, E, Folate, Thiamine(B1), ALA, Magnesium, are all good supplements while coping with alcohol abstinence or reduction. I'd go high on the B12, not so high on the B6

People predisposed to anxiety anyway, and also drink, then quit or cut drastically back will likely see a more severe spike in their anxiety levels. Time, abstinence, proper nutrition, rest along with exercise and hydration should offer improvements.

I have found that long term drinkers generally live in an anxious state and just become accustomed to it. When your brain gets used to having a certain amount of alcohol and then is deprived of that amount, it fires off signals to increase the juice. These signals can cause a wide variety of sensations.

Just my 2 cents from research and experience.

If you find you do have anxiety a good supplement(s) to take are L Theanine, and/or Taurine. Both offer a calming effect and have been effective in a lot of people, and are very safe. Do your own research on them to see if they are appropriate. Taurine is now being considered to possibly be an essential amino acid. Almost half your heart muscle is made up of Taurine.