Does anyone take neurontin (for jerking and twitching) AND methadone (for creepy crawlies)?
Help! AFter doing very well for about 4-6 weeks, SUddenly in the past week I am having terrible leg and arm and abdominal jerking! It started a week ago during my acupuncture treatment. Then it happend during my wednesday treatment and while I was at my desk yesterday. I am on 5 mg, 4x a day. Last night I took my 5 mg at 9pm and I took a walk adn then tried to go to sleep but could not due to the jerking. I took .125 mg Klonopin. I walked for a half hour, slept for an hour, walked for a half hour, took another 2.5 mg methadone, wandered the house and did some odd chores . . . took another 2.5 mg methadone and .125 mg klonopin in the end I took 5 walks by the time I finally fell asleep at 3 am. I woke up at 5 am and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the attack was over and fell back asleep. I woke up at 6 am and the creepy crawlies were back with a vengeance!
I called my psych (he was teh last person to prescribe neurontin to me, for anxiety) and he said I should talk to the neurologist. I called the neurologist and the sec'y said he would clal me back today (I'll believe it when I see it).
I did drive to work today. Legs improved in teh car but got worse during a morning meeting. I am pretty sure that tonight it going to be more of the same.
Does anyone take neurontin (for jerking and twitching) AND methadone (for creepy crawlies)?
Methadone and Neurontin together?
Umm.. I've never heard of Neurontin being prescribed for jerking and twitching.. It's usually for Neuropathy related pain, and in some cases, helps RLS symptoms..
So I don't really know what to tell you.. How long have you been on this combo? And why was it deemed necesarry?
If the major issues started after you began this combo, then that should throw up a major red flag.
Methadone by itself, can cause twitches or jerks as a side effect.. It's supposed to be uncommon, but so far; Mia, You, and I have experienced them while on Methadone. I'm not sure about the other folks on the forum though.
I wish I had some answers for you, but hopefully the Neuro will.. My doc has acknowledge its a side effect but up to this point, has refused to give me any benzo's because of my addiction problems (understandable) although he hinted if it ever became troublesome and I had established a clear excersize routine, then he would consider a benzo..
Without knowing what you were given the Neurontin for specifically, I would say it probably isn't the drug of choice to deal with twitching. It's more about neuropathic nerve pain relief. You could try switching to Lyrica if you need a drug in this class for some reason though.
Otherwise I would advice ditching the Neurontin and going with a benzo, if you find one that can control it..
However my assumptions in this could be completely wrong, too.
So I don't really know what to tell you.. How long have you been on this combo? And why was it deemed necesarry?
If the major issues started after you began this combo, then that should throw up a major red flag.
Methadone by itself, can cause twitches or jerks as a side effect.. It's supposed to be uncommon, but so far; Mia, You, and I have experienced them while on Methadone. I'm not sure about the other folks on the forum though.
I wish I had some answers for you, but hopefully the Neuro will.. My doc has acknowledge its a side effect but up to this point, has refused to give me any benzo's because of my addiction problems (understandable) although he hinted if it ever became troublesome and I had established a clear excersize routine, then he would consider a benzo..
Without knowing what you were given the Neurontin for specifically, I would say it probably isn't the drug of choice to deal with twitching. It's more about neuropathic nerve pain relief. You could try switching to Lyrica if you need a drug in this class for some reason though.
Otherwise I would advice ditching the Neurontin and going with a benzo, if you find one that can control it..
However my assumptions in this could be completely wrong, too.
Oh, OK! Neurontin does NOT help with twitching and jerking! I did not know this. Or, if I did, I forgot. I guess I thought that since it was an antiseizure drug it would help.
Benzo's can help with twitching? I did not know. I took .25 Klonopin and it did not help. I have some lorazepam - I guess I could try that. I have had a rule not to take benzos two days in a row to prevent becoming dependent on them again, though. We are still hoping for another baby, so don't want to be hooked on benzo's again.
This is way beyond the little mild twitches I had before - it is all-out jerking. My arm jumps off the aculpuncture table. Hopefully it is just stress and the methadone. The twitching is always worse with stress, and I have been very stressed lately.
Falling asleep at my desk . . .
Thanks, Zach. I have to spend some time catching up with how everyong is doing reading the recent threads. Work and home have been so crazy I haven't had a chance to check in recently.
Benzo's can help with twitching? I did not know. I took .25 Klonopin and it did not help. I have some lorazepam - I guess I could try that. I have had a rule not to take benzos two days in a row to prevent becoming dependent on them again, though. We are still hoping for another baby, so don't want to be hooked on benzo's again.
This is way beyond the little mild twitches I had before - it is all-out jerking. My arm jumps off the aculpuncture table. Hopefully it is just stress and the methadone. The twitching is always worse with stress, and I have been very stressed lately.
Falling asleep at my desk . . .
Thanks, Zach. I have to spend some time catching up with how everyong is doing reading the recent threads. Work and home have been so crazy I haven't had a chance to check in recently.
I'm not actually taking neurontin, just wondering if it would help me if I added it to the methadone. At least, maybe it would knock me out!!
Could the benzo be CAUSING the problem? I'm taking such a tiny amount and only took it aobut 5 days in a row.
Sometimes I wonder if this isn't all in my head and if I could just do someting that would make it go away. Have you ever read a book by Dr. Sarno about how sometimes pain can be caused by repressed emotions, usually rage? I think some of my pain fits this description and I fit the personality type that his approach is successful for.
I tried out a new neurologist a couple of weeks ago who suggested that my RLS is just my anxiety. I insisted that he was wrong and did not make a follow up appointment with him. Sometimes, I wonder, though.
I also wonder if maybe I need another ferritin infusion. The last time I had a big problem with twitching was around the time I had the ferritin infusion.
Things were going so well with my legs. I hope this is temporary. Most people in my office are having trouble sleeping due to work. Work is not stressing me really, however. Home and health are stressing me. Can't wait to breathe that sigh of releif that I get when the attack is finally over . . .
Could the benzo be CAUSING the problem? I'm taking such a tiny amount and only took it aobut 5 days in a row.
Sometimes I wonder if this isn't all in my head and if I could just do someting that would make it go away. Have you ever read a book by Dr. Sarno about how sometimes pain can be caused by repressed emotions, usually rage? I think some of my pain fits this description and I fit the personality type that his approach is successful for.
I tried out a new neurologist a couple of weeks ago who suggested that my RLS is just my anxiety. I insisted that he was wrong and did not make a follow up appointment with him. Sometimes, I wonder, though.
I also wonder if maybe I need another ferritin infusion. The last time I had a big problem with twitching was around the time I had the ferritin infusion.
Things were going so well with my legs. I hope this is temporary. Most people in my office are having trouble sleeping due to work. Work is not stressing me really, however. Home and health are stressing me. Can't wait to breathe that sigh of releif that I get when the attack is finally over . . .
Neurontin is sometimes prescribed for twitching. I'm not sure if such prescriptions are good ideas, but they do happen.
However, it can also cause twitching, according to the literature.
So, YMMV.
Me, I'd be very leery of combining neurontin and methadone without careful advice from a doctor. They're both strong central nervous system depressants, and, as such, could be synergistically dangerous.
However, it can also cause twitching, according to the literature.
So, YMMV.
Me, I'd be very leery of combining neurontin and methadone without careful advice from a doctor. They're both strong central nervous system depressants, and, as such, could be synergistically dangerous.
Disclaimer: I often talk about what I do and what works for me, but these are specific to me and you should always consult a healthcare professional before trying these things yourself, lest you endanger your health or life.
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SquirmingSusan
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I take Neurontin off and on, and I take it to help with the jerking (PLMD). I've been off of it for a couple months now, because it became totally ineffective for me over time. But I was jerking so badly the last few days, I decided to try it again. I took one last night and it helped a lot. I slept a lot better than usual. So I'm hoping it may continue to work again for a while. The other night I was lying in bed, relaxing, and thinking about going to sleep when I had a huge jerk right down my back, from my neck down. Scary!
So yes, anticonvulsants can help with the jerking. Benzos are anticonvulsants as well. But, as with all meds, it may or may not work for you.
My problem is that anything that I take to help me sleep loses effectiveness after just a couple doses.
I can't say that methadone caused me to have more jerking than I did before; if anything the jerking has settled down a bit in the couple years that I've been taking it.
So yes, anticonvulsants can help with the jerking. Benzos are anticonvulsants as well. But, as with all meds, it may or may not work for you.
My problem is that anything that I take to help me sleep loses effectiveness after just a couple doses.
I can't say that methadone caused me to have more jerking than I did before; if anything the jerking has settled down a bit in the couple years that I've been taking it.
Susan
Thanks for your responses. I appreciate it. I'm pretty sure that it is being caused by hyoscyamine in the medicine called Urelle that I was given for Interstitical cystitis pain. I first noticed the jerking during an acupuncture session the day after I started the meds. It was even worse at my next acupuncture session the following wednesday. I think I noticed it during acupuncture because I drift in and out of sleep during those sessions. About 6-7 days after starting the meds was when I started with the really severe anxiety, insomnia and twitching and jerking. This morning I googled "urelle and twitching" and found a ton of info on anticholinergic side effects and anticholinergic poisoning syndrome due to hyoscyamine. The other commonly used meds for urinary tract pain also cause this: Pyridium (AZO) and something with the brand name Cystex.
It is listed as common side effect on a site called doublecheckMD. I also got a lot of results in my google search. If it weren't for the timing I wouldn't be so sure but I am very sure now. I started having to take a lot of night walks at the same time.
I hope that it does not take a long time for the twitching/jerking to go away and that my urinary pain does not become intense again. It was so bad I was literally dancing around my bathroom. Some folks take methadone for it but some say methadone can make it worse. I thinkI'm going to have to have my UT scoped again. Ack.
I hope that it does not take a long time for the twitching/jerking to go away and that my urinary pain does not become intense again. It was so bad I was literally dancing around my bathroom. Some folks take methadone for it but some say methadone can make it worse. I thinkI'm going to have to have my UT scoped again. Ack.
A bit off topic... but relates to the jerking and twitching. Does anyone just twitch on the "inside." I often perceive or experience "twitching" and "jerking" on the inside or perhaps just mentally. My body does not twitch but yet "inside" I have every sensation of having twitched or jerked. It's kinda like dreaming that I twitched but knowing that I really am not dreaming. Not sure I am explaining it correctly but hopefully the idea gets across.
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ViewsAskew
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Huh, that is an interesting picture, Mark, but it doesn't sound fun...I can't say I've noticed anything like that.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
If it were a deep muscle twitch or something like that, it would be a bit harder to see on the surface, as its not provoking a limb or torso movement, etc..
However when I get twitches like that, they tend to repeat every second or so, and if you look hard enough in the area it feels like its coming from, you can see the surface of your skin twitching/distorting.
However when I get twitches like that, they tend to repeat every second or so, and if you look hard enough in the area it feels like its coming from, you can see the surface of your skin twitching/distorting.
Sojourner wrote:A bit off topic... but relates to the jerking and twitching. Does anyone just twitch on the "inside." I often perceive or experience "twitching" and "jerking" on the inside or perhaps just mentally. My body does not twitch but yet "inside" I have every sensation of having twitched or jerked. It's kinda like dreaming that I twitched but knowing that I really am not dreaming. Not sure I am explaining it correctly but hopefully the idea gets across.
Well, physically, any muscle can twitch, and you have muscles on the inside for sure. Intestines have smooth muscles to push food through, for instance. The diaphragm is a muscle, and a twitch there is a hiccup. The so-called pelvic floor is made mostly of muscles, as I recall, and I personally have a chronic twitch in one of them.
There are lot of places to feel a twitch that you can't see.
On the other hand, if you're saying you're experiencing something like a twitch, but on the psychological side instead of the physical side, then I'm not sure what to say. Maybe something like a startle response?
Disclaimer: I often talk about what I do and what works for me, but these are specific to me and you should always consult a healthcare professional before trying these things yourself, lest you endanger your health or life.
