Question:

can someone tell me what the twitches are about?  i gave up the zoloft to get rid of them (thought they were a serotonergic effect) but they are there still, my limbs and, just today, my face.  I’m not talking about fine tremors but bloody great jerks.  whats causing them?  the lithium (850daily) or the tegretolCR(1600daily)?  this is one of the reasons i am going to quit – can’t stand it, feel out of control.  i have looked through med sites but want to know if anyone has experienced this and what they did?  Please help.  really can’t take much more of anything.

Response:

Washington — One side effect of tegretol are myoclonic  jerks (muscle jerks).  I have them at any dose above 1200 mgs.  My arm leaps up like I’m waving goodbye to someone, and I’ve dropped things I was carrying etc.  My limbs also twitch in sleep from Tegretol. Shikaku – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – can someone tell me what the twitches are about?  i gave up the zoloft to get rid of them (thought they were a serotonergic effect) but they are there still, my limbs and, just today, my face.  I’m not talking about fine tremors but bloody great jerks.  whats causing them?  the lithium (850daily) or the tegretolCR(1600daily)?  this is one of the reasons i am going to quit – can’t stand it, feel out of control.  i have looked through med sites but want to know if anyone has experienced this and what they did?  Please help.  really can’t take much more of anything.

Response:

<Posted and Mailed to Washington and Shikaku – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Washington — One side effect of Tegretol are myoclonic jerks (muscle jerks).  I have them at any dose above 1200 mgs.  My arm leaps up like I’m waving goodbye to someone, and I’ve dropped things I was carrying, etc.  My limbs also twitch in sleep from Tegretol. Shikaku can someone tell me what the twitches are about?  i gave up the Zoloft to get rid of them (thought they were a serotonergic effect) but they are there still, my limbs and, just today, my face.  I’m not talking about fine tremors but bloody great jerks.  what’s causing them?  the lithium (850daily) or the Tegretol (1600daily)?  this is one of the reasons i am going to quit – can’t stand it, feel out of control.  i have looked through med sites but want to know if anyone has experienced this and what they did?  Please help.  really can’t take much more of anything.

I have a couple of suggestions for you to consider: (1) Try Klonopin (clonazepam). It knocks up 99+% of my muscular spasms.     This is called myoclonus. While asleep I used to have severe PLMS     (Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep). A Sleep Study revealed that I had     324 muscular spasms during 5 hours of sleep. These twitches were     rousing me from Level 4 deep sleep. It is essential for everyone to     get a sufficient amount of Level 4 sleep in order to feel well     mentally and physically. Klonopin is supposedly non-addictive below     1.5 mg per day. BTW if I forget a dose, I have no addictive cravings     for Klonopin (or any of the other psychoaffective meds that I take). (2) Try another mood stabilizer. There are currently new meds in use for     the treatment of BP with less severe adverse side effects. Please see     below for further information. FAQ: "Mood Stabilizers Being Used in the Treatment of BP Disorder" By James D. Milton See below for 7 meds that are currently being used as mood stabilizers. I post FAQs about some of the newer ones bimonthly. I have not attempted to list adverse side effects because they vary considerably from person to person. You will just have to keep on trying until you find one (or more) that prove effective for you with side effects that you can tolerate. You can find out a lot about the treatment of bipolar disorder by visiting this Web site: http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.drugs.html At the above Web site there are many links to other informative sites. Knowledge, Patience, and Persistence IMO are vital keys to success over our common illness. I wish you well! Best regards from, James                 Information Regarding BP Mood Stabilizers 1. Lithium carbonate — Lithobid (and other time release formulations) 2. Divalproex sodium — Depakote, Depakene, Epival 3. Carbamazepine     — Tegretol, Epital 4. Gabapentin        – Neurontin 5. Lamotrigine       — Lamictal 6. Topiramate        – Topamax 7. Verapamil         — Isoptin Combining two (or more) mood stabilizers may be more effective than when each is taken alone. One med may "potentiate" the effectiveness of another — so that the whole effect becomes greater than the sum of its individual contributors. A subtherapeutic dose of lithium carbonate may aid in mood stabilization when coupled with another mood stabilizer. It is important to realize that each of us has very individualistic reactions to ALL psychoaffective meds. YBMV (Your Brain May Vary) — and likely will. What is a blessing for one person may prove to be a curse for another and ineffective for a third. We are moving targets that are very difficult to hit. With some people their brain neurochemistry apparently changes from time to time — thus necessitating further changes in the dosage and composition of their psychoaffective medications. Also there are many antidepressant, antianxiety, antimania, antiseizure, and antipsychotic meds that may be very useful adjuncts to mood stabilizers in the treatment of a BP condition. Where available I highly recommend the time release formulation of any psychoaffective med. If such is currently unavailable or is too expensive, smaller dosages taken more frequently (4 times daily in equal amounts) may well enhance mood stabilization and potentially lessen any adverse side effects. Any and all med or dosage changes should be first thoroughly discussed with your pdoc or psychopharmacologist. Some people apparently seem to think I come across like a medical professional. I would once again like to emphasize that I am NOT! I am just a person that has had a bipolar (manic-depressive) condition for many years. However I do attempt to keep up with meds that might prove potentially beneficial in the treatment of BP. Also I have personally experienced the importance of taking lesser dosages more frequently. This IMO is unfortunately greatly under appreciated by many health care professionals.

Response:

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