Does anybody experience muscle twitching/fasciculations while tapering?

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Does anybody experience muscle twitching/fasciculations while tapering? They are really destressing for me

[[ba...]]

Oh yes!  Your legs will just jump, and you can even see and feel little muscles in your arms twitch.  It's normal, but not fun. 

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yeah I have the same little twitches but mostly in my legs. did yours come while tapering?

[[ba...]]

While tapering, and when I have inter-dose withdrawals.  For Ativan, my muscles will start twitching about 12 hours after my last dose.  Depending on the half-life of your benzo... For Valium and Klonopin, with their much longer half-lives, it doesn't happen as much. 

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I have exactly the same, they start twitching about 10 hours after my last dose and go on all day until i take my daily dose. So you didnt have it before being on ativan did you? If not this means it is clearly due to the ativan....

 

PS> im also tapering on ativan

[[ba...]]

Okay, if you're tapering off of Ativan, that makes sense.  Very short half life.  Can I ask why you are not tapering from Klonopin? It's half life is 18-50 hours.  I can do about 24 hours without Klonopin before I start seeing w/d symptoms.   

 

No, I never had muscle twitches before benzos... Specifically, before tapering or inter-dose w/ds... Other than the stray eye tic here or there, never.  You can definitely blame Ativan for the twitching. 

 

What dose are you on, what taper rate, etc?  These are good things to know.  I don't know if you're tapering too fast, but muscle twitching, although normal, is not a good sign.  I.e., it means you're body is w/d too quickly. 

 

Right now, sadly, I'm not tapering at all.  I have some severe spinal problems, some are diagnosed, some are not.  Waiting for an MRI..  I'm taking about 6 mgs Ativan a day OR 3 mgs Klonopin a day (long story, stupid insurance... I'm not choosing the Ativan right now), just as a maintenance dose so I don't have a seizure, etc.  Right now is not my time to taper.  When I set up an account on this board, I was ready to taper, but problems have come up left and right.

 

But yes, it is DEFINITELY due to inter-dose Ativan w/d.

 

I'd REALLY suggest to get on Klonopin for your taper, if you can.  Most, but not all, doctors (GPs and psychiatrists) know that a direct Ativan or Xanax (or any other short acting, short half-life benzos) taper is not the best.  Like I said, MOST know, others believe there is no such thing as benzo w/d, although the PI sheets on all benzos clearly say "Do not rapidly discontinue".  The pharm co's are in bed with the FDA, but whatever.... If you can find a doc, explain the taper, it will go much more smoothly with Klonopin, and then eventually Valium.  At the tail end of a taper, Valium is recommend because it comes in very small dosages that are hard to obtain with Klonopin, or at least difficult, even using a water tiltration method. I don't understand the method myself... I mean, I understand HOW to do it, but if I'm withdrawing from a potent med, and it feels like my world is falling apart, why in the world would I want to set up a chemistry lab in my kitchen and deal with milliliters?  Of course, some people have no choice, such as when their prescribing doc doesn't believe them, or insurance doesn't cover Klonopin or Valium, etc. 

 

I guess I need more background info on your dosage amount right now and your taper plan.  Thanks. 

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Hi, your message confirms me that it does come from ativan withdrawal. Although I had only been taking 1 mg of ativan daily for 1 month and one week I believe I tapered too quickly. I went from 1mg to 0,175 mg over a period of six days. That is a semi c/t. My withdrawal symptoms were horrible: twitching spasms, tingling, formication all over body, headaches, stomach aches,shooting pains,dizzyness,nausea, incredible anxiety etccc... After that episode I went up to 0,5 mg and have been stable on that for about 5 days. The only symttom that is still there is the formication ( slight tingling sensation in the skin) and the twitching, which usually starts or gets worst 10/12 hours afer ativan. Does that make sense? Thanks for your post btw, it is quite reassuring

[[ba...]]

It makes perfect sense.  And yes, even though you have only been on Ativan, at a small dose of 1 mg for 4 weeks, you can still have w/ds.  After even two weeks people can.  I have read some people who have taken them for a week have severe w/d.  It's good to know that you HAVE ONLY been on them for a month!!! Great news!  The shorter you're on them, the shorter the w/d time-frame will be. 

 

I've been on benzos for over 5 years... Ugh. 

 

Anyways, here is a link for you:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm#s8

 

"The" Ashton Manual.  The lowest Ativan taper it has is at 3 mgs/day.  I guess you can do the math and input 1 mg instead.  Whatever you do, listen to your body.  If I were you, and I was on 1 mg, then .75 mg, then 1/2 mg... I'd stay there for a week or two.  If you keep getting more muscle twitching, try to taper down *very* slowly-- as in, .45 mg for a week, and so on.  Don't know how you would do this without a scale or chemistry set!  Ativan is hard to cut using a razor...

 

Really, get Klonopin if you can. 

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Thanks for the advice I'm going to find a psychiatrist who can hopefully prescribe me some klonopin to make my withdrawal smoother as you pointed out. Btw, sorry to hear about your spinal problems, hope you get better soon.the twiching is not related to them is it? (I'm sorry to ask that). Its just twitching is not mentioned as a withdrawal effect on the prospect, which makes me think I have some underlying disorder that is causing them and it distresses me aand is keeping me away from my studies and social life...all of this uncertainty...thanks for the advice and good luck!

[[ja...]]

Hello

 

Im Jenny .I just wanted to say..Muscles take a huge hit in this w/d .Mine did terrible.

Even if u taper slowly it can happen twitching,Spasms ,Jerking,As for me I had all but the worst was.Muscle mass lose deteriation,I became bedridden .Good thing is .It came back took a bit of time but all back.Its way common in this w/d for muscles to do all these things.

hang in there

 

~Jenny

[[ba...]]

Muscle twitching isn't mentioned, but neither is agoraphobia or many other withdrawal symptoms that happen.  Oh, if only they let people who used benzos to write the PI sheets!

 

It isn't mentioned, but it's VERY normal. 

 

No, the spinal problems aren't related to benzos... Whew.  I have congenital scoliosis that I just found out about at age 30, among other things.  I don't think they're related to benzos by any means.  I think the scoliosis is causing the sciatica, which is causing the spasms, and so on, and so on.  My doctor agrees. 

 

Best of luck with your taper.  Don't freak yourself out over what w/d symptoms are listed, and those that aren't listed.  You know your body better than anyone else does.  Muscle twitching, specifically for Ativan, because Ativan is used in status epileptis, aka, a grand mal seizure, is the 1st line of treatment because Ativan is so useful as a muscle relaxant. 

 

When it is withdrawn from the body, you get the opposite effect: Twitching, tics, and spasms. 

[[1a...]]

Does anybody experience muscle twitching/fasciculations while tapering? They are really destressing for me

 

yes... and not just from interdose wd from ativan... i had my worst muscle twitching a few months after i completed my taper from klonopin....it started with an eye twitch then bad in my calves when lying in bed in the morning then i had a bicep twitch that was pretty much non stop for a couple days then a weird buzzing on the inside of my left knee that lasted a day and random twitches all over my body many times a day.....along with all that muscle weakness as well.. it seemed to peak around month 5 post benzos... i was so concerned i went to a neurologist to take an emg to rule out any muscular diseases, and it came back clean....shortly after that it went away for the most part along with the muscle weakness.... benzo wd over stimulates the cns and can mimic muscular and neurological conditions. my neuro diagnosed me with benign fasciculation syndrome ( BFS) but i know it is from benzo wd.... i didn't bother to tell him about it because i knew he wouldn't buy into that.... there is a BFS forum, you might want to look at, only because it explains all the different and weird symptoms of that disorder that wd mimics and if you get any of the sx's it won't freak you out....btw..anxiety makes the twitching much worse.....i turned a big corner at 6 months out and many of the physical sx's which ithought would never leave have gotten much better....so hang in there

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They've only been on benzos for a month, so I didn't bring that up, as I don't think they will other twitching. 

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Hi, 1after909 I did think initially that it could be bfs but since other people included you seem to get it from withdrawal it makes more sense to me that it comes from my withdrawal, did you also get them during ativan withdrawal? Or from klonopin only? are your twitches getting better or did they gradually disappear over time?

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Oh and also, I read some articles  saying that bfs is an autoimmune disease, that's why I'm hoping mine is due tO the withdrawal rather than an autoimmune response...

[[ba...]]

Hmm, I just read what BFS is and I don't think it's autoimmune.  (I know WAY too much about autoimmune disorders, sadly enough!)  It's a symptom of a condition, such as autoimmune diseases, long-term use of drugs (mainly stimulants and antihistamines), but it's usually benign and almost everyone experiences it at some point in their life. 

 

Adrifont, I think you have benzo w/d twitching.... Especially since it happens 10 hours after taking Ativan.  All benzos can give you w/d twitching, and the shorter acting the benzo, the more often the twitching will happen, due to half-lives. 

 

Don't get paranoid about having another condition!  You've only been on Ativan for a month, so that's GREAT! 

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Yeah, I guess your right there, I'm very relieved now that I know its a common symptom, I was able to get on with my daily activities today, I went jogging yesterday as I used to do last year and I've started doing my uni work (which is a good sign I. Guess). How come you know so much about autoimmune diseases? Do you have any or do you have bouts of hypochondria like I do?

[[1a...]]

Hi, 1after909 I did think initially that it could be bfs but since other people included you seem to get it from withdrawal it makes more sense to me that it comes from my withdrawal, did you also get them during ativan withdrawal? Or from klonopin only? are your twitches getting better or did they gradually disappear over time?

hi adrifont....

you don't have bfs.......muscle twitching is a common benzo wd effect... not just for ativan, but for all benzos....and yes i'm doing much better... both my muscle soreness and twitches have gotten dramatically better.....

[[ba...]]

Yeah, I guess your right there, I'm very relieved now that I know its a common symptom, I was able to get on with my daily activities today, I went jogging yesterday as I used to do last year and I've started doing my uni work (which is a good sign I. Guess). How come you know so much about autoimmune diseases? Do you have any or do you have bouts of hypochondria like I do?

 

Glad you're doing better, and even jogging!  Yay for you!

 

So far, I have 4 autoimmune diseases, so I know a lot about them, specifically how they work at the molecular level/ molecular mimicry.  I'm a dork, no one handed me the information... It was years of research.  And I haven't *even* hit the peak age for them to develop.

 

LOL @ the bouts of hypochondria.