Horrible insomnia & twitches
 

Hello all,

Last week I was on a 3 day bender, woke up Friday (yesterday) feeling horrible, as always. That night I could not sleep at all, and still haven't (going on 26 hours).. Needless to say I'm exhausted. I've been drinking pretty heavily since I lost my job a few months back... But I go through stints where I do not drink at all for a week or so and really never had major issues. However this sleepless night seemed different. I do not have excessive sweating, shakes, hallucinations, or any of the really severe symptoms of withdrawals..

One thing I am having is twitches and minor jerks of my extremities as I close my eyes and attempt to sleep. This has been keeping me up and it's a bit concerning. It only occurs when I'm trying to sleep, nothing when my eyes are open.

My PCP passed away right after I got laid off, and without insurance and out of a job I am apprehensive about going to the ER and forking out a few grand. I am not asking for medical advice and I realize everyone is different, I just wanted to get a sense on how common this is? Even this morning it still happening.

Thank you all!

THere is something called a hypnic jerk, maybe do a little research and see if it matches what you are experiencing.

as Thomas says, it could be Hypnic/Myclonic jerks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoclonus), which I have suffered from in the past.

I currently have Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benign...ation_syndrome) which my GP tells me is probably brought on by stress/anxiety.

the problem is that twitching like this is a symptom of lots of things & it's not possible to diagnose anything from the twitches alone. you may find it passes after a few days of not drinking - withdrawal always worsened my symptoms - but if not I would recommend going to see your GP about it & being honest with them

I had this soooo badly when I used to drink and it's the first time I've heard of someone else with it. It used to keep me awake for up to three days after a binge. I also would get this unexplainable sensation in my chest and stomach that feels a bit like restless leg syndrome, it would feel like electric running through me and if I tried to sleep I'd just jolt myself awake over and over for days .. that along with intense lucid dreams and lucid nightmares which actually became the deal breaker on deciding to quit (hurrendos!!!) Sleep with withdrawals has to be one of my biggest fears. All the twitching stopped when I gave up.

Hi Jayrekt, thanks for the response. Did you find anything that helped to relieve it? I'm at my wits end here. When you say gave up I'm assuming you are referring to the booze?

I did that kind of thing too very early on. I think a lot of it for me was I was literally too frightened to go to sleep and risk not waking up again or having a heart attack or something. I'd start nodding off and seconds later jolt myself awake through fear with massive rushes of adrenaline rushing around my system. Awful feeling at the time. I'd keep the TV on with the volume low all night because the silence scared me too. It helped. I'm not sure it's the same thing as you are going through but it lasted about a week. It was withdrawal pure and simple.
Give yourself a little more time and at least try and rest and stay hydrated. If you are really worried of course see a doctor. Take care xxx

Hi Juicer I'd expect your sleep and the jerks - if thats what they are - to get better as your week progresses.

I know it's difficult seeing a Dr about it, but do keep that as an option if you're concerned about this.


There are a lot of free or low cost clinics around - if there's one in your local area you might get some medical advice there?

http://www.needymeds.org/free_clinics.taf
2-1-1.org

best wishes,
D

Thanks all for the responses...

Last night after 42 straight hours of no sleep I was at my wits end. I ended up going to the ER at 2AM. While the staff was pretty lousy, but I got the relief I needed. My blood pressure was off the charts.. Around 200, which they kept me until it was down below 165..

He prescribed me a low dose of librium, 5mg every 6 hours. Despite the low dose I was finally able to sleep some. Took awhile for me to get there but the sedative effects kept me at ease while I laid there trying, where previously I would get anxious and agitated. Was able to have a decent meal and feel ok after awakening.

My twitches, subsided a bit but still remained today. One side note, my GF seems to be twitching a lot more lately as well. She does not drink or do any drugs. Doesn't seem to impact her sleep, but I wonder if there is a correlation somehow??

Again, thanks for all the advice here's to day #3..

Hey Juicer, Sorry about the late response. Glad you got some relief from this. Yeah, it stopped once I quit drink completely. I still do have strange sensations in my muscles and don't sleep all that well but that is most likely due to anxiety issues. I was unable to drink and this not happen after a while, even a couple of drinks and the next day I wouldn't be able to sleep, it's what pushed me to start daily drinking to avoid any insomnia/twitching. Awful road to go down. Hope you're doing well!

I well remember that awful sleeplessness that plagued me after a heavy binge. And, like you, going in desperation to the hospital to get something ANYTHING to knock me out!! Also the jerking and hearing loud noises when on the verge of sleep that would shock me awake. Additionally I used to experience very horrific images and scenes of devastation whenever I closed my eyes. I hope you are feeling better now. I never want to go through that again.