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Internal tremors: What specialist helped you?

Posted by mj953 @mj953, Apr 1, 2021

I have had internal tremors for the last five months. My doctors are perplexed. I have had heart tests bloodwork all normal. I am scheduled for a brain MRI very soon. The first serologist that I went to said I had anxiety. My general practitioner doctor says now this is not anxiety you have a medical problem That’s why am scheduled for an MRI and a new neurologist.I also might add That I fell last July and really hurt my hip and back. As soon as I went to physical therapy the tremors started. Maybe I have a pinched nerve?

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rubysmith | @rubysmith | Oct 29, 2023
In reply to @chinasvegas "Thanks so much for this information. Have not heard of the Myofascial Release therapy. My symptoms..." + (show)
@chinasvegas

Thanks so much for this information. Have not heard of the Myofascial Release therapy. My symptoms however are quite different from yours. I have no pain of any kind just a sorr of jittery feeling in my upper chest occasionally. Your discussion is very informative and I read it all. Good to know. Thanks so much.

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Hello
I know this was 18 months ago but have just come across this post. Hope you are recovered now. Just wondered if you still have the 'jittery' feeling in your upper chest as I have this feeling come and go (have tremors too) When it happens I start to feel agitated although I'm not, it's like a chemical reaction and can last days into weeks. Specialists are at a loss and just say it's anxiety but it's not. I'm due to see an Endocrinologist next month as getting desperate. Any reply would be greatly appreciated.

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1 reply
chinasvegas | @chinasvegas | Oct 29, 2023
In reply to @rubysmith "Hello I know this was 18 months ago but have just come across this post. Hope..." + (show)
@rubysmith

Hello
I know this was 18 months ago but have just come across this post. Hope you are recovered now. Just wondered if you still have the 'jittery' feeling in your upper chest as I have this feeling come and go (have tremors too) When it happens I start to feel agitated although I'm not, it's like a chemical reaction and can last days into weeks. Specialists are at a loss and just say it's anxiety but it's not. I'm due to see an Endocrinologist next month as getting desperate. Any reply would be greatly appreciated.

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Hi Ruby,
I have not had that jittery feeling in my chest since then and was never treated for it. Sorry I could not be helpful.

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1 reply
rubysmith | @rubysmith | Oct 29, 2023
In reply to @chinasvegas "Hi Ruby, I have not had that jittery feeling in my chest since then and was..." + (show)
@chinasvegas

Hi Ruby,
I have not had that jittery feeling in my chest since then and was never treated for it. Sorry I could not be helpful.

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Oh that's good! Thank you so much for replying 😊

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Scott R L | @scottrl | Oct 29, 2023

It's always great to hear a story of recovery and success!

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lexdog2010 | @lexdog2010 | Nov 11, 2023

I have had internal tremors for over 30 years. They started out coming, maybe once or twice a month. Then in 2020, they came every day. My internal tremors only come when I'm sleeping or very sleepy. It doesn't matter if I am sitting, standing or lying. Anxiety or excitability tends to make them worse. I strongly do not think that anxiety is the cause. I have seen three neurologists and I've had all kinds of scans, X-rays and more. Nothing. I also was told that it was my anxiety, but the intensity would change without my anxiety changing or would not change when my anxiety was worse. For the last three years I have kept records of foods I eat, pills/supplements I take, when they are worse/better, etc. I cannot find any pattern to justify what is going on. I did notice one thing and one thing only. I tend to have nightmares periodically and my tremors are horrible during these nightmares. As soon as I get up and walk around, they're gone. As others have suggested, I'm exhausted. I came to one theory that I'm working on and that would be a chemical imbalance in our GABA neurotransmitters. For me it would make sense because at night our GABA works to relaxs our muscles so we don't move around in our sleep. What happens if the dopamine is high (stimulant or stress created), which creates more excitement and energy prevents the GABA from being able to fully relax us? I see this happening when I have nightmares. This I am assuming also reduces the GABA and increases our flight or fight response. I have been researching this for the last three years as well. The downfall is that it is very difficult to raise the GABA due to most supplement/pills do not cross the blood brain barrier. One more thing, there are many reasons that cause our GABA to be reduced; long term stress or anxiety, PTSD, trauma,etc.) I also want to add that many on this site have GI disorders. I have found that we also have GABA in our GI tract systems. It has somewhat of a impact on our digestive system. There are websites that encourage exercise and other things, which I have tried and it actually makes my tremors worse. My understanding is that it is difficult to determine if you have a GABA deficiency. What I have tried is a B-complex and Serotonin (L-Tryptophan) and they help reduce the intensity but do not take away. Both of these are known to increase the GABA. I'm researching others as well. I'm not positive if this is even the reason for the internal tremors, but I am continuing to study this theory, just in case.

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mj953 | @mj953 | Dec 1, 2023
In reply to @colleenyoung "@judy75, I'm glad that you are seeing the gamut of specialists. Did you learn anything from..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@judy75, I'm glad that you are seeing the gamut of specialists. Did you learn anything from the GI doctor or cardiologist? I assume you haven't seen the neurologist yet.

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no answer from anyone. They all think its anxiety except my primary. Im desperate I may go to Univ of Penn. I also developed a lump on the inside of my elbow / have to get an ultrasound.

I'm not taking any antidepressants. I tried ropinirole but it doesn't work at all now. I used it for a week and it did nothing . I get the tremors all day and the next almost nothing. I have gone w/o them for 3 days but that was only once. I'm thinking maybe a mold allergy or Lyme but I was tested for Lyme and it came out negative . Ive been trying to find a solutuon. The doctors are not helping bytelling me Im nervous. Thats an easy way out . Im not nervous. Im a happy person if it wasnt for these tremors. Them telling me Im mentally unstable makes me so upset. This is an easy way out for them.

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tia50 | @tia50 | Jan 15 8:05am
In reply to @concernsinphoenix "Hello, about 4 months ago I started noticing numbness and tingling in my right hand, with..." + (show)
@concernsinphoenix

Hello, about 4 months ago I started noticing numbness and tingling in my right hand, with some arm and shoulder pain. I saw my GP who thought it could be arthritis and carpel tunnel. I told her I had also been feeling anxious after returning to work five months earlier after a year long break. She recommended physical therapy and prescribed Lexapro. Shortly after this I started experiencing numbness and tingling in my other hand and sometimes in my feet when sitting. I saw a new GP (because my old one left) three weeks later. I was still having lots of numbness and tingling and terrible insomnia from Lexapro. I had also started to notice a very slight tremor in my face only when I held my mouth open. The new GP thought this was probably anxiety and Lexapro was not a good choice for me. She switched me over to Zoloft and Clonazepam. After about 10 days on this combination I began to notice an internal vibration, more on my left side and some more pronounced aching and mild weakness in my shoulders and arms. She told me Zoloft can cause tremors and I should stop taking it, but to continue taking the clonazepam. A week later I was still noticing an internal vibration, aching and weakness, she told me to stop clonazepam as well. In the interim, she ordered a brain MRI, which I had and was normal. I have now been off all of these medications for 5+ weeks and if anything the internal vibration, while still intermittent, feels more noticeable, especially in my lips. Over the last week I have also been noticing more neck pain and pain in my right collarbone area. I have an appointment with a neurologist in about 5 weeks. I also saw a nurse practitioner in psychiatry who has recommended that I take gabapentin and lorazepam. Not sure I want to do this as I had no tremor before taking anti-depressants. Are there providers I should be talking to in addition to neurology at this point? Thanks for any insights.

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PLEASE READ THE FINE AND BLACK BOX WARNINGS ON ALL PSYCHIATRIC MEDS. IT CAN TAKE YEARS TO WEAN OFF THEM AND CAN LEAVE NERVE DAMAGE. BE ADVISED AND MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS ON YOUR CARE IF YOU ARE ABLE.

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tia50 | @tia50 | Jan 15 8:07am
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@concernsinphoenix Hello and I wanted to give you a warm welcome to Connect. I think a..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@concernsinphoenix Hello and I wanted to give you a warm welcome to Connect. I think a neurologist is the right specialist for you to see right now. I have had the pain you describe near the collar bone, neck, shoulder, and arm pain. My symptoms are from thoracic outlet syndrome, and a cervical spine issue. I had a whiplash many years ago, and eventually a ruptured disc that started compressing my spinal cord. I was already in physical therapy for the TOS at the time I started having spine symptoms. I hope your neurologist will send you for a cervical MRI and test you for TOS.

I had spine surgery which helped a lot, but the TOS remained. That is a long term physical therapy treatment and my PT also does myofascial release which does help a lot. A lot of doctors do not understand TOS and miss it. If you are near the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, that would be a good place for a TOS diagnosis because this is something that Mayo can diagnose and treat. There is a compression point under the collar bone and near the arm pit that a can be painful spots. If you do also have a cervical spine issues, Mayo is a great place to be seen for that as well if it is in your insurance network. Nerve compressions can cause the tremors. TOS also restricts blood flow to the arms and head.

Here are some links to information.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988
https://mskneurology.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
Here is our Myofascial Release discussion:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Have you heard about Myofascial Release therapy before?

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Jennifer, thank you! This might head me in the right direction! 🙏🏻

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