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Benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS)

Brain & Nervous System | Last Active: Nov 14 4:35am | Replies (415)

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@didi09

Hey there @captainanxiety8 , I just wanted to let you know I went through the same thing about 10 years ago. I’m 37 now. It scared me so much that after getting several opinions of it being benign, I went to the Mayo Clinic from Canada to find out what was happening. They felt it was benign and stress related. I always find that hard to believe, however stress does make it worse. It took just over a year of pretty aggressive twitching for it to finally subside. Over the years I’ve had minor relapses and I’m always trying to guess the triggers. Stress and illness tend to bring it on. Caffeine and alcohol make it worse. Gluten intolerance is another big one for me. It takes months to subside and tends to go away without my noticing. I also get pins and needles and nerve pain with it as well. Currently I’m having another relapse after years of nothing. I was feeling under the weather for the week and it just hit me again. It still gives me major anxiety when it occurs. Even though I’ve been down this road I always fear it’s something worse. I Have to remind myself that it does subside eventually, even though it’s hard to believe. Your not alone. I think the best remedies is trying to get more sleep, less stress, less anxiety, gentle exercise (walking) and a healthy diet. It’s a tricky one because for me the condition itself is the cause of my anxiety and that’s just makes the symptoms worse. I hope your doing a little better now. I truly feel with this one, time heals and relapses happen. I also feel my initial onset of symptoms came after a bad virus.

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Replies to "Hey there @captainanxiety8 , I just wanted to let you know I went through the same..."

Thank you! This really helps to know that I'm not alone. You're right that the stress makes it worse, but the fact that it happens makes me stressed, so it's a bad cycle. I'll definitely take your advice, I'm trying to change my lifestyle to eat healthier, go jogging, and stop drinking entirely(I'm a social drinker but never too much). I keep wishing there was some obvious clue that could lead to a clear diagnosis and possible cure for whatever it is, but I guess I have to accept that it will remain a mystery.

Hi didi09. I was wondering if you have ever had one muscle twitch constantly? Like you for the last three years I have had waxing and waning symptoms ( although never completely gone) and I know it is likely that this new symptom of a constant twitch in my left forearm is not consistent with a progressive neurological disease, but my anxiety is very high. I am trying to focus on stress reduction, sleep and exercise. Do you have any other strategies that have helped you?
Thanks.

I found someone that has a similar story. My BFS has been going on and off for 17 years. I am in a flare up that has now lasted 10 months. Only thing that they discovered recently was Neuropathy in my feet. Every time I get a flare up of BFS my feet hurt (achy/burning) when I stand or walk. The twitching is everywhere and I wake up stiff as can be. I too worry about it and if it does not go away. Taken Gabapentin, but have not seen much success with it.