Tremors upon waking

[hogweed]

Hi – first, thanks for providing this forum. I have a VERY strange symptom. Despite scouring the internet for months, I have only found 3 other people who describe the same thing – and in one of the entries, there was a link to here...

Basically, I am a light sleeper, and usually wake up several times in the night. However, for some time now, when I wake up I’m aware of a sort of vibration (like a fibrillating heart) in my upper body and arms. It's like a vibrating cellphone inside me. I had my heart checked out, and it's not that. My doctor seems to think I’m imagining it, but I promise you, I’m wide awake when it happens. The other explanation that gets universally thrown at anyone who posts about it is that it’s some kind of panic attack. Well, I use to get them too, and I knows the difference – this is nothing like that at all. I am totally relaxed when it happens.

If I get up and walk around a bit, it subsides more quickly; otherwise it can last for a couple of minutes. I would be grateful for ANY ideas. I haven’t got any serious health problems that I know about, but I do take 75mg Prothiaden at night to help me sleep.

Thanks

[Tootsie]

I'm not familiar with the drug you take. However, I do wonder if you had these symptoms before you began the medication. Cheerio.

[hogweed]

I'm not familiar with the drug you take. However, I do wonder if you had these symptoms before you began the medication. Cheerio.

Hi – it’s also known as Dothiepin and Dosulepin. It’s one of the old tricyclics, similar to amitryptiline etc. I've been on it on and off for abut 10 years, but this is more recent, so I don’t THINK it’s responsible...

[annelb]

Have you had a sleep study? You mention this happens when you wake up. It is possible that this is related to a sleep disorder?

Anne

[JeanieI]

I'm home for a snow day and just happened to be reading other forums.

Yup. I've had what you describe. It's an internal jittery feeling, like a buzzing inside, that goes away after being awake for a short while.

I don't know what causes it. I have MS and have always chalked it up to craziness in my central nervous system.

[Dean S]

Hiya Hogweed.
4 years ago i hit my head on the back of a truck. a week lata i had a burning fever, dizzyness, and god knows what else.. within a few more days i hadnt slept due to a sudden awakening followed by an internal rythmic vibration in the back of my head and particulally through my sternum , arms and hands.
it would subside withing about 30 seconds of coming round, but it would happen time after time..... eventually leaving me without any sleep for 5 days and 5 nights...
To cut a long story very short, i have been to evey specialist in the UK... and my syptoms have changed slightly as time has gone by...
i now take between 3.75 and 7.5 of zopiclone every night...which gets me past the tremors on going to sleep... but it ALWAYS happens on wakeing..nothing they can do about that... i havnt worked for 3 years as its didrupted my sleep so much.
i had a loose diagnosis of a sleep wake transition disorder, causing Propriospinal Myoclonus at sleep onset.
and ill probably have it all my life..
Ive spoke to hundreds of people with symptoms like yours, and i have to say everybodys went after time.....except mine... Good luck Dean
coincidently, a lot of the people i spoke to where menopausal women, and this seems to be a regular symptom...

[joy]

Hello Dean. I was interested in this thread myself. I just checked and the original poster has not been back since the post was made. Unless they changed their name, I mean. I also have a sort of vibration at times in two different parts of my body. I have peripheral neuropathy and I suspect that is the cause of mine. They are not very big though and I can live with it. I hope someone finds something to help you as yours does sound like it could be a great problem.

Welcome and look around. We would love to have you as a regular poster. Just join in anywhere that interests you. Most everyone is friendly and helpful here.

[Dean S]

Thanks Joy for the kind offer. I used to be a VERY active member before the big braintalk crash, but since ive managed to stabilize my condition a bit more , i tend not to vist so much ! ill stick around. Thanks again, Dean

[joy]

good to hear that things have stabilized. I know it would be nicer if they had just up and left but we take what we can get. I'll look forward to hearing from you again and will be hoping that it stays occasionally if that means less health problems. take care

[MENOMOMMY]

Hi – first, thanks for providing this forum. I have a VERY strange symptom. Despite scouring the internet for months, I have only found 3 other people who describe the same thing – and in one of the entries, there was a link to here...

Basically, I am a light sleeper, and usually wake up several times in the night. However, for some time now, when I wake up I’m aware of a sort of vibration (like a fibrillating heart) in my upper body and arms. It's like a vibrating cellphone inside me. I had my heart checked out, and it's not that. My doctor seems to think I’m imagining it, but I promise you, I’m wide awake when it happens. The other explanation that gets universally thrown at anyone who posts about it is that it’s some kind of panic attack. Well, I use to get them too, and I knows the difference – this is nothing like that at all. I am totally relaxed when it happens.

If I get up and walk around a bit, it subsides more quickly; otherwise it can last for a couple of minutes. I would be grateful for ANY ideas. I haven’t got any serious health problems that I know about, but I do take 75mg Prothiaden at night to help me sleep.

Thanks


HI I VIBRATE TOO

[mg12061]

Hi, I'm new to posting here I read frequently but mostly on the stroke and pediatric neurology(my 12 yr old daughter had several strokes), Anyway I was reading this post and ironically my 17 yr old son came home from school the other day complaining that his leg was "vibrating". He thought it was his cell phone in his pocket but it's his leg! It's happened several time since. I'ts been while eh's awake,very annoying. He was injured in the same area of the leg durring football practice alst week so we're thinking it's from that.It was so strange to read this happening to others, and that they don't have an injury.....
Mary G.

[JayJ]

Vibration experience...

For those that are concerned about vibrations in various parts of their bodies I've been to the extreme on that. Most often it came when I awoke, and I mean ALL OVER. I used to describe it to my doctors as 'sitting on a commercial paint shaker'. Having sat on a paint shaker I assure you it was an accurate description. I would also notice localized vibrations after sitting for a while.

I had some concern that the vibrations were just in my head, that is until they grew worse and my wife could detect them by touch. It is actual abnormal muscle activity and shouldn't be ignored.

As a quick run down on my physical history I've had lots of problems my whole life mostly dismissed by my doctors as passing or just plain uninteresting (Oh, it's nothing), or diagnosed as one of those convenient ailments that don't really have any practical way to confirm it. When ataxia set in it was of course diagnosed as "conversion disorder". It is just easier than looking for something real I guess. A panel of psychiatrists finally gave me a clean bill of health on the conversion disorder and suggested it would turn out to be autoimmune. Three months ago, after 10 years of ataxia (and off and on vibrations) I was diagnosed with celiac disease. After all that time it was nice to find something real even if it was a disease. It also helped explain much of my past.

But I digress. Simply put, I had so many symptoms that narrowing down a source for those disturbing vibrations was impossible.

When you are desperate and can find little help you try everything. When I discovered a chiropractor with a tool called a Pro Adjuster I gave it a try. (I hate manual manipulation but this is something else). After only a month or so I was walking better and my vibrations lessened. Eventually they were gone entirely. I was treated for about a year over all.

So as not to get your hopes too high, I have to tell you, I was vibration free for a year or more after treatment but then I started having recurrences of symptoms. We had moved to a different part of the country so my old crackypractor wasn't available. I dug up a new one (only one with the Pro Adjuster was acceptable) and while initially I began to improve, I am still undergoing treatments and the vibes (and ataxia) are returning anyway.

I am fairly certain that these vibrations are due to some form of neuropathy. This could acompany old injuries as they tend to callus or calcify and can easily grow against a nerve over time. Not all nerves create pain.

Celiac disease is commonly associated with peripheral neuropothy and I am assuming that this go round of Pro Adjuster isn't working because, while the vibrations were initially due to subluxations and addressable by therapy, now I am likely being affected by the disease. I'm living with it. I just pretend I'm a Harely.

I am no doctor, but I feel like a professional patient...and I am guessing the vibrations are a sort of rapid spasm where the nerves are trying to reconnect after some interference. I recommend if your vibrations persist, disturb your sleep or just annoy you to darn much, look into the Pro Adjuster. Often health insurance covers the greater portion of it. Barring that, try stretching regularly and getting more exercise. Limbering up could improve nerve conduction and thus relieve the vibrations.

Just as a note, your problem could be related to paresthesias (pins and needles) which is different and I think is related to low oxygen levels in the blood (usually localized). It could be perceived as a vibration, but having suffered both I assure you they feel very different.

Good luck.

[joy]

I usually am found myself these days in the emotional forum. We have a male or 2 there already and I invite you to join in with us there from time to time maybe.

I was giving a chiroptasctor a good shot when some of that tingling started. It was so annoying that I just quit going.

Sad now years later I often wonder if I made the right choice. My hubby stays with it tho' and so I have to say I know it is very helpful for most who do.

Again it is good to have you aboard. Join in anywhere and I hope you enjoy your stay.

glad you finally had some sort of diagnosis. That gives you something to work on. good luck to you as well.

[mrraam]

I, too have been getting tremors when I wake up. It feels as if I am vibrating all over. After a minute or so it subsides. My MD is running bloodwork to see if he can find anything. Very disconcerting.

[joy]

It is a miracle that I came back to this as I do not have it marked and memory is bad. I have learned to just accept what I can't change I guess. :( and know that things are progressing anyway.

I still enjoy posting in the emotional forum greatly tho. I'd urge anyone to try and find answers it's just that I seem to have given up myself after all these years.