u/The_Siphon

From all the research i've done on this condition, I firmly believe that a huge contributing factor towards frequency and intensity of muscle twitching is anxiety driven. How i've come to make the condition less intense has been focused on this. Below are some tips i've used to manage my anxiety, and overcome some extremely traumatic health anxiety that i experienced when all this started 6 months ago. I'm doing much, much better now. It took a lot of research and work, but I want to share what I've learned.

1. Stop naming the disease you're afraid of. This is a little psychological trick that my therapist told me about. We all know what disease i am talking about here. Those three letters. Stop using it. Whenever you get a flare up or a hot spot, and your mind starts going there, just tell yourself "I don't have any sort of disease. It's nothing serious". Tell yourself this multiple times a day, and do your best to believe yourself. I really believe that the ONLY reason this benign condition causes so much anguish for people is because of the existence of more serious and extremely rare diseases. We do not have anything but a benign annoying condition.
2. If your twitching moves around, you do not have a serious disease. More serious neurological diseases don't move around like that. BFS is annoying, that's all. Rest assured on this. This fact has helped me tremendously. Refer to point one whenever you feel a flare up in a new area that wasnt there before. And if you are having a flare up in one spot for a week, that is ALSO normal. Do not interpret me saying that its only benign if it moves around. It's super common for a flare up to last hours, or days, even weeks. Im just saying that if you have flare ups that come and go and move around, that is a TRUE indication of a benign condition. Serious diseases do not do that.
3. Another phrase i tell myself that has helped me tremendously is telling myself "this is just something my body does". Tell yourself this over and over again. Like people with skin conditions, or people with allergies. Benign fasiculations are just something our bodies do. It's annoying, we all wish they didnt, but we have to get to a point where it's just an annoying condition we need to live with. Some days are harder than others, but tell yourself its something your body does, and refer to points 1 and 2. I understand saying "we need to live with it" is no balm or help right now if you are going through it, but it's really the only way forward. Refer to points 1 and 2. Really try and believe the truth in them, and this point will begin to ring true.
4. Practice meditation. And no, meditation does not mean sitting cross legged on a yoga mat in the dark. Meditation simply means being totally, 100% present in the current moment. Focus all of your attention inwards towards your thoughts, emotions and feelings. Do not resist them, or judge them. Let ALL negative thoughts and feelings towards twitches come and just observe them. You will find that your anxious thoughts and mood evaporates. A nice simple trick you can use to practice meditation quite immediately is ask yourself "I wonder what my next thought will be?". Ask yourself that in your mind right now, and focus all your attention inside your brain. Ask the question, and just observe your thoughts until a thought creeps in. It usually takes quite a while. Wait for it. Wait for a thought to come in. You will notice that while you were waiting for your next thought, you were not thinking about twitching. With practice, you can use this meditation technique to pull yourself out of a nasty anxiety spiral before it gets going.
5. Keep your electrolytes up. You can flush them out if you pee a lot. A blood test may show your potassium levels are good, but that does not indicate the truth. Potassium is stored in the cells of your body, which does not show up on a blood test. Take supplements (specifically magnesium BISGLYCENATE, and potassium citrate). Also, take a b-complex. B vitamins are very important in nerve health. Get sunlight when you can for natural vitamin D.
6. I'd like to re-iterate a previous post i made where I recommend getting on an anti-anxiety medication. Talk with your doctor. The BIGGEST contributing factor to managing this condition is anxiety, in my opinion. Your nervous system simply doesn't relax if you are constantly anxious about having a serious disease or condition. For me, getting on an SSRI (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor) made all the world of difference. These drugs increase seratonin levels in the brain, which regulate mood. It allows you to maintain an equilibrium of mood MUCH easier. It allows you to not have such intense anxiety spikes, and the frequency of them drops. Seriously take this advice and consider taking them with the assistance of your doctor.
7. Make sure you are not iron deficient. Ask your doctor for a blood test. Iron deficiency is the #1 cause of Restless Leg Syndrome (a condition where you h ave the overwhelming urge to move your legs and is temporarily relieved by moving them). It can also cause buzzing, leg cramps, and fatigue. Fatigue is a HUGE contributing factor for muscle fasciculations. Many people dont even know they are iron deficient. High iron rich foods include most shellfish (clams, mussels), and red meat.

If i think of any more tips along with my previous post, ill post them. If you are reading this trust me, i know exactly what you are going through. Especially if you are early on. I know how traumatic and scary it can be. But you WILL get better.

I had an EMG in february, all came back fine. No nerve damage. I have constant twitching in my calfs, and feet. Occasional flare ups in specific muscles like my knee, or my lats. Like many of you, the fear of a specific disease caused my anxiety to get out of control. I know i have no terminal illness now, but i have some tips for everyone who is worried, or wants advice.

1. Neurological diseases dont present without muscle weakness. Not percieved weakness. You wont be able to use that muscle. Without true muscle weakness, you are fine. Get an EMG test if you need confirmation. Muscle twitches are not the first presenting symptoms of a serious condition.

2. Get on an SSRI (anti anxiety medications like Lexapro). Trust me, the medication allows me to maintain a normal state of mind during a flare up. It's more of a suppliment to help you stay and feel normal. Talk to your doctor, but I would HIGHLY recommend getting on medication. For BFS specifically, this is a very important method of living with it.

3. Start taking a B-complex, magnesium bisglycenate (preferrably 400mg a day), potassium citrate, and L-theanine. B complex especially, it is crucial to nerve health.

4. if you are having trouble sleeping (i know I was), talk to your doctor about getting on a sleep aide. Not something addictive, there are alternatives. Specifically, ask your doctor about a medication called Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate). This is the one I am on. It induces drowsiness by activating histamine receptors in the brain, and is non addictive. Talk to your doctor about this, or alternatives. Getting good sleep is very critical in reducing the frequency and intensity of twitching. It really does wonders for particularly bad days and you jsut want to sleep.

5. take this with a grain of salt - but drinking alcohol on the weekends works wonders to help me relax. I genuinely would recommend this - but keep it to the weekends. This is anecdotal, but i find a buzz really calms my nervous system down. It does this by increasing GABA activity in the brain, and also slows down your brain. A huge part of this condition is health anxiety. Getting a buzz on, i find, reduces this tremendously. Monday to friday, i do the things mentioned above.

6. Listen to the audiobook "the power of now" by Eckhart Tolle. It truly, unironically did wonders for my anxiety. Don't try and push your anxious thoughts away. Instead, invite them in. Observe them. Run towards them. You quickly are able to escape an anxiety spiral. Listen to this book, and PRACTICE what he says. There are no quick fixes for anxiety and it takes work. But you can do it.

7. Exercise. Theres proven evidence of intense exercise increasing GABA activity in the brain, and calming your central nervous system. If you haven't considered this, and as cliche as this sounds, Id highly recommend joining a gym. You dont need to lift weights, or have a plan. Just walk or run on the treadmill for 40 minutes and get your heartrate up. You will feel better, and your nervous system will relax.