Very restless, have to move arms every few seconds, what is this

[Thecatgotmytongue]

As the title suggests, at night or in the evening I have to keep moving my arms every few seconds ... it's a weird feeling, very uncomfortable, I can't not move them.

I'm presuming it's like restless legs ... is very very uncomfortable and I feel so miserable .. I don't sleep much and I'm extremely tired but can't sleep because of this and the only way to stop it is to do something else, e.g mumsnet!

Does anyone know what causes it, is it worth seeing my gp, are there any supplements I could take to help?

That sounds awful Thecat .

I can't believe that you're wondering if you should "bother" your GP .Goodness yes ,phone now and make an appointment .

Wishing you better quickly

Sounds like akithesia (spelling?) Awful. Have you started any new medication recently as it can be related to that? Don't just stop it again though, definitely see your GP.

No new medication. I just think the doctor will laugh.

I can think of two possibilities:

1 you have suddenly stopped taking a codeine based med. withdrawal makes you pretty twitchy

2 you've got a vit/mineral deficiency. B12, vit D or magnesium I think.

Obvs not an expert though. Xx

Hmm I've never taken codeine. I haven't stopped taking anything else either. I take vit b complex and vitamin d supplements. I don't take magnesium though.

I really don't think the GP will laugh . Why would they ? And if they do you should complain to the practice manager .
But I'm certain they won't .

IME things that stop you sleeping seem to raise a red flag and be taken seriously .Though I stress that even if this was just happening before you went to sleep the GP will still take you seriously and try and help .

You need to make an appointment .

I thought he'd just say it's restless legs. It's like I have to move my arm every 30 seconds or after a minute or so, otherwise it feels uncomfortable. I hadn't thought of it as a twitch though. I'm not sure.

I've suffered on and off with restless legs for years. DF had it too.
Since a shoulder injury a few years ago, I get restless arm too. It sucks!
Like a growing uncomfortable feeling that you have to move to get rid of.
Stretching the affected limb helps.
Magnesium supplements can help. I find if its hot it's much worse so take a frozen water bottle to bed if it's hot.
I saw GP who prescribed a drug used for Parkinson's that I forget the name of. I decided not to take it due to risk of side effects including obsessive behaviour and weight gain, which I can do without.

Muscle twitches like this can be side effects from medications too. And you can develop a side effect even if you haven't had one before. So if you are on a medication you could speak to your GP, they may be able to think of something to help.
If it's disturbing your sleeping then it's a big enough thing to bother the GP with, I think.

Ive had restless legs, and occasionally it has moved to my arms - worse when pregnant, after codeine, alcohol, and antihistamine based stuff. I would go to see your Gp - mine was self limiting and amenable to not being pregnant and not taking alcohol, antihistamines, or codeine.

But it is truly miserable though - just as you are dropping off to sleep, the iresistable need to move your legs /arms until it goes away, then repeat ad nauseum until you are in tears, is torture.

Magnesium is supposed to help - but go to see your Gp x

Thanks.

It's not even just when I'm falling asleep but also in the evening watching TV.

I take very little medication, just ADS, which I've taken for years. I'll ask my gp when I'm there next week. I'm so fed up. I slept two hours last night.

Magnesium does help, but it can be linked to low ferritin and actually slightly low ferritin.

I had 'itchy bones' and what feels like rls in upper body mainly. Gp said they have to make sure ferritin is over 70 before looking at other treatments. It appears to now crop up in me when I fall to around 50. This is classed as borderline but many many people are fine much lower. It's much improved when my ferritin is higher.

I have something similar with my legs except I do when I'm asleep and totally unaware of it. It's a side effect of my Sertraline. It's called periodic limb movement disorder and similar to restless leg syndrome. I wake up with really sore knees and ankles DP has filmed me bending my feet and legs every 30 seconds or so when im asleep. There is medication to treat it.

Thanks ... interesting!

I'm not sure what ferritin is, I'll look into it. I know my iron levels are ever so slightly low, I should go back for a test, but didn't think it was worth it if only slightly low. I suffer with ibs so didn't want to take iron tablets, they always cause me problems.

My dd was given Vitamin B1 for this. It's a big dose and tastes vile but it seems to help. She was also on Sertraline and it can apparently be a side effect.

Sorry other people have already mentioned Sertraline!

I'm on sertraline so maybe it is that. .. definitely going to mention it to my gp.

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Restless-leg-syndrome/Pages/Causes.aspx

I was going to suggest an iron deficiency and see others have mentioned it already. The page above also mentions other possible causes which would be well worth ruling out (kidney disease, diabetes and others).

Oddly I developed this while on sertraline plus lots of muscle weakness - though this might have been partly to do with its slight interference with thyroxine. I had to come off it but it's taken a long time to recover. I'm not sure what the main cause was though. As I say they looked at raising ferritin levels too. I was on too little thyroxine then far too much. I also was eating a lot of grapefruit which I later found messes with the processing of both.

I've bought some magnesium spray, so will see if that helps in the meantime.