Dweii Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Lately (could be the past few weeks, or months, my estimation of time passed has always been crappy...), I have involuntary muscle movements. Usually they are so small you can't see them, but I can definitely feel them. They're basically everywhere except my face; arms, legs, fingers, toes, even my stomach muscles. They seem to come more frequently when I'm tired. I mentioned this to my pdoc and she said TD is usually in the face and that it didn't sound like what I described. She didn't really take it seriously, and I, in love with Geodon as I am, didn't want to either. Now though, looking at the Wikipedia entry for it, I got scared. "Dyskinesia means "abnormal movement" and tardive means "late", signifying that the dyskinesia only occurs after some time has elapsed following initial administration of the neuroleptic drug." Yup, been on Geodon now for eight months. "female patients are more prone to develop tardive dyskinesia. Cigarette smokers also have a higher prevalence of tardive dyskinesia." Guilty of both. "Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by repetitive, involuntary, purposeless movements." ... "Rapid movements of the arms, legs, and trunk may also occur." Bleh. What to do now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Didn't you just start taking stimulants again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweii Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share Posted December 11, 2006 Yeah, but these symptoms have been present before that, I think. I also had them on Fluanxol, but not as much, before I even touched any stimulants. But looking back, it's possible Concerta made it worse. If it is stimulant related, what does that mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 That it could be something other than TD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweii Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share Posted December 11, 2006 Yeah. I don't know what though. I've noticed speed junkies having these symptoms, but at 36 mg of Concerta it would seem unlikely. I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaRufina Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 With TD... it is really a complex movement most times rather than one or two imperceptable muscle movements. The arms and trunk and neck can be involved but as far as I have understood they are part of the movements usually [though not always] with grimacing. Involuntary jerking, even imperceptable to others, can be from various things. I have a certain amount of mild jerks. They are small and probably happen every 5-15 minutes. More when I am tired or strained. I used to have an occasional fluttering of my eye, and my first two fingers would move randomly. But it wasn't jerking. I can't say that it is at all the same as what you are going through. What might be more helpful is to really write something that is very very dscriptive about what you are feeling/what is going on. Jerking can be many things. It could throw your legs in the air or be totally imperceptible. It could come out of no where or you may have a feeling of warning. You may feel something after ward. You may have them happening at a fairly constant rate or some and go, more in tensely or less. They may be accompanied by other sensations. Concerta did that to me when I first raised it again. Like I said, I still have it some but not nearly as bad. [Though I am also on another med now, too.] It can cause muscle twitching. You may be on too high of a dose for your body to not react like that. If that is the case, it might stop eventually, or it might not. It's a balance of pros and cons. I do suggest writing down something very very specific so that your doctor will at least know exactly what you mean when you talk about what is going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vunja Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 I'm kinda siding with your pdoc. I think it's fairly common to have symptoms of TD throughout the body, but it's generally accompanied by facial twitches. I've also always thought that mostly, people with TD were generally unaware of their movement, especially in the face. there's a possibilty I'm completely wrong about this -- I can't find mention of it anywhere at the moment. but, just to make sure, I would definitely ask someone (or a few someones) who are close to you, see you fairly often and know you fairly well, and ask them if they see anything weird. for me at least, my friends/family are a lot better at noticing quirks (or the lack of them) than I am. you should also check any supplements you're taking. this is personal experience -- I took iron for a few months and didn't notice much a difference, but when I went off of it I would get really shaky a few hours after meals and I developed some very odd twitching, mostly in extremities. since going back on, the twitching has gotten a lot better and the shaking has stopped, luckily. especially if you've just ended something you thought didn't have much of an effect on you, check up on it and see if maybe it had a hidden effect. it's also just generally easier to blame weirdness on psych meds (because usually it is their fault!) but it's not always, so think about other things you might have done out of the ordinary. all that said, regardless of what exactly is making you twitch, your pdoc should take you seriously and consider that something is probably wrong. if you have a gdoc that you trust, you might go see them and they might take you more seriously. in any case, good luck. and remember, panicking is not good in any situation. <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweii Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share Posted December 11, 2006 Luna: Thanks. Will do. And then there's the electric shock feeling in my body... damn meds. Is it possibly these things could be neurological? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweii Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 Vunja: I read your response now, I think we posted around the same time. But even if it is fairly common, it doesn't mean it's not something to be worried about, is it? But you're right in that I notice them myself, and that might be an indicator of something else. My family hasn't noticed them as far as I know, but I'll ask again. No supplements here, I try to take a multivitamin and some fish oil, but I rarely remember. And yeah, I guess I, among many others, are quick to blame any weirdness on our meds, but I think there are other factors, like me being tired when it happens a lot. And uhm, what's a gdoc? I'll bring it up with my pdoc again and try to get her to take me more seriously. And write down the feeling, as suggested. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 And uhm, what's a gdoc? I'm assuming "general practitioner/doctor" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vunja Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 But even if it is fairly common, it doesn't mean it's not something to be worried about, is it? But you're right in that I notice them myself, and that might be an indicator of something else. My family hasn't noticed them as far as I know, but I'll ask again. sorry, I think I wasn't clear enough. for people with TD, it's fairly common to have movements in the rest of the body, but it starts and is worse in the face usually. it is absolutely still something to worry about. sorry, I never wanted to imply that. I'm not terribly good at making myself understood. am I making sense? And uhm, what's a gdoc? yeah, general doctor. like, the one you'd go to if you had strep throat or something like that. they can help a lot sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweii Posted December 16, 2006 Author Share Posted December 16, 2006 Thanks. I have an appointment on monday, and I'll make her listen to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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