Muscle twitches/fasciculation - electrolyte related?

Phrick

good morning everyone Happy Tuesday!

Since moving to lower carb eating (max 100/day) I have been experiencing muscle fasciculation (basically it feels almost like popcorn popping under my skin) primarily in the calves & hamstrings (both legs but even more-so in my left leg, which is the leg most affected by the arthritis and bulging disc in my back). I asked my doc about it once, he said it was fasciculations and he told me to increase potassium but didn't mention sodium or magnesium. I immediately started seeking USDA entries for all foods so that potassium info was included and also started adding NuSalt to my coffee in the morning, and I easily hit 4700mg a day now, rarely coming in under that.

Fast forward to me moving my carbs lower and lower - sub-70g then sub-50g now I shoot for 35g (total carbs) and I hit it or come in under that most days. I still keep my potassium up, and about 5 mos. ago I added magnesium glycinate 400mg/day PLUS Natural Calm mag citrate 2 tsp/day divided, and I keep sodium above 3k mg/day. And I still have them, and recently it seems like even more often. There is never even a 10 minute span without at least one twitch/spasm.

Opinions wanted on if it could still be electrolyte related, or if it is time to go back to doc. Besides low potassium, other possible causes he mentioned include scary things like Multiple Sclerosis and I'm honestly a little hesitant to face that as a possibility...

ETA: I recently had blood work on 2/12 that showed sodium at 139 (range 135-146); potassium at 4.0 (range 3.5-5.3) and magnesium wasn't measured apparently. (and calcium was a little high at 10.4 when the top of range is 10.2)

wabmester

Testing blood sodium will usually tell you nothing. The body tries to maintain a concentration of around 140 mmol/L. So if you're low, your kidneys simply dump fluid to raise the concentration. The symptoms people experience are due to low fluid levels (low blood volume), not low sodium.

Likewise, testing blood potassium doesn't tell you much since the potassium of concern is within cells, not in the blood.

In the case of muscle twitches (including heart palpitations), you may actually have low levels of something.

Could be sodium. It sounds like you're getting plenty, but as you lower carbs, you may need to increase sodium.

Could be other electrolytes. Or it could be a vitamin deficiency.

http://patient.info/forums/discuss/non-stop-muscle-twitching-and-running-ants-feeling-134530
http://www.livestrong.com/article/511834-vitamin-deficiency-with-muscle-twitches/

Cheesy567

Most fasiculations are benign, especially if you don't have any weakness with them, or other neurological symptoms. It's REALLY common for muscles to fasiculate after exercise. Electrolyte imbalances can affect it somewhat, unless there's severe cramping it probably wouldn't show up on a lab test.

If you're concerned, see a neurologist. But, don't worry about MS (which doesn't typically have fasiculations, anyways, it more commonly causes spasticity, which is different) or other serious disorders while you wait for the consult. By and large, the most common diagnosis made is Benign Fasiculation Syndrome, which means that your muscles twitch and there's no serious reason for it. There are some medicines that can help, and a neurologist would be able to talk you through the risks and benefits of them.

I twitch because of an autoimmune disorder. (And it causes lots of other symptoms, too, so it's likely not your problem!) Because of another autoimmune disorder, I can't tolerate the medicines used to treat the fasics. So, I look at the fasics as a reminder that I'm alive, instead of as a bother.

Personally, I find that warmth helps best, but that might be different because of the nature of the autoimmune disorder. The essential oil blend called Peace and Calming also helps calm them down on the really bad days-- I dilute it in a carrier oil and rub it in over the twitching area.

Bottom line, if the twitching is your only symptom, DO NOT WORRY! Ask to see a neuro to discuss treatment options if they're interrupting your activity or sleep.