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Pin prick jerk! What is this?

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    Pin prick jerk! What is this?

    I often find when I'm sitting or lying down, suddenly I will get the sensation that I've been jabbed with a pin and my leg will jerk involuntarily. This can happen to my arm also.
    What is this? Is there a name for it? I'm sure it has to do with MS because I never had it before my onset.
    Show 'em who's got guts. Don't back down - Brian Wilson
    ******Surfer ED******

    #2
    It's called paresthesia, which is caused by random nerves firing and which can cause numbness, burning, pins and needles sensations, and what I call zingers, those shooting nerve pain that feel like you're being jabbed by a needle. I get them in my big toe and other areas too and they'll make me jump sky high.

    I hate the burning sensation too, and in fact, right now, my left hand and left foot feel like they're on fire! Ouch!

    You might try gabapentin (Neurontin), which is a drug that is used for treatment of nerve pain.

    Hugs,

    Lisa
    Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.
    Cut aspartame from my diet in 2012 and my symptoms have slowly disappeared. Interesting!
    Alpha Lipoic Acid (200 mg) + Acetyl L-carnitine (1,000 mg) = No more fatigue for me!

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      #3
      Ed

      I often find when I'm sitting or lying down, suddenly I will get the sensation that I've been jabbed with a pin and my leg will jerk involuntarily. This can happen to my arm also.
      Just to let you know I get the "pin prick and then involuntary jerk" experience quite often on my legs, arms, and toes. (Ever since MS diagnosis 12 years ago)

      Pretty weird, huh? It happens so fast - no warning.

      Take care,
      KoKo
      PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
      ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

      Comment


        #4
        Thanks Shashi

        I had a feeling that there was a name for it and that it was not unique to me and that it was connected with MS.
        Unfortunately I can't take Neurontin as it interacts adversely with another medication I'm on. My doctor prescribed Neurontin for me and I tried it twice with a bad reaction. You see, I'm Bipolar, and the drug threw me into
        mania. My doctor was surprised because he had had such good results with it with other patients using it but then I asked him, "But, were these other patients Bipolar?" Ah, that was it. He admitted that none of them were. It's too bad that drugs that can help some symptoms interact adversely with other meds. I had a problem with Baclofen for spasticity. It worked very well but I had to get off it because it interacted adversely with another medication I was on, again, a Bipolar medication.
        Show 'em who's got guts. Don't back down - Brian Wilson
        ******Surfer ED******

        Comment


          #5
          It sure is weird KoKo

          Well, you have it too. As they say, "Misery loves company".
          Perhaps the strangest thing about it is that it can happen when I'm actually feeling relaxed and strikes without warning. Zap!!!!!!!!!! It's startling.
          Show 'em who's got guts. Don't back down - Brian Wilson
          ******Surfer ED******

          Comment


            #6
            I get the same sensation. I have NMO, not MS, and I've been getting the pin prick/bug bite sensations for probably 30 years, long before I ever developed my first symptom of NMO. Definitely could be an MS thing, but also happens in folks who don't have MS.

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              #7
              I'm just glad that these "pin prick jerks" don't happen one right after another, or I would have to medicate!
              Mine are of the sporadic variety.

              Take care,
              KoKo
              PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
              ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

              Comment


                #8
                no more swatting

                I get it too, and I always get the urge to smack or swat at the area because it feels like flies biting or bees stinging me. (thankfully I'm getting used to it so no more swatting )

                Comment


                  #9
                  Candycane

                  When I get too hot (mostly in the summer heat), I'll get the sensation of lots of tiny "bites" or "pin pricks" all over.

                  Those are different for me than the kind that causes a body part to jerk.

                  Is that the kind you get?

                  Gosh, with MS symptoms, there's always stuff to talk about.

                  Take care,
                  KoKo
                  PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
                  ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Wow - so glad to have found this. I have this too and always wondered why/where it was coming from! Mine is also sporadic and comes "out of the blue". Go figure - it is a MS thing after all! agh....
                    1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
                    Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I get this also... sometimes, it feels like a pin prick, sometimes feels like an electric shock, sometimes I get an itch that I can not locate other than knowing it's upper or lower extremity and which side of the body.

                      The one symptom that worries me the most, and I haven't seen anyone else complain about it, is a shooting pain that goes up the back of my head. It is the most severe pain I have ever experienced, but thankfully only lasts a matter of a second or so. I can honestly say that if that pain lasted longer, I would not hesitate to take the most drastic action I could. Just the second or so that it lasts is all that I could handle, as it really is the most horrible pain.
                      MS, it's a brain thang!
                      Proud to have served, U.S Army WAC

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Confused!

                        I'm sorry about the dumb question, but I'm new to MS. Why do people still feel the pin pricks/numbness/burning, etc., even after being on Gilenya or a CRAB drug? Isn't the point of taking these medications not to feel these symptoms? I'm so confused and scared bc I thought once I got on a treatment the pin pricks & numbness anymore!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Downtown Girl,

                          The intent of the DMDs (Disease Modifying Therapies) is to slow the progression of MS, not to "fix" our symptoms or cure MS. Sometimes, symptom management drugs, like Gabapentin can help.
                          Kimba

                          “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ― Max Planck

                          Comment


                            #14
                            This may sound crazy, but when having blood drawn or getting an infusion or any actual needle prick in the arm that's relatively deep (further than DMDs) does anyone get this same crazy jerk? I always have it's embarrassing. I'm curious.
                            "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
                            is made perfect in weakness." -2 Cor. 12:9

                            dx 11.23.10 RRMS

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I have the "jerk", it's pretty hilarious when I'm getting a pedicure and nearly kick the person in the face. They think they hurt me and I'm sitting there laughing saying I'm sorry.
                              Opiegirl, Dx 1991
                              Have never used DMD's.

                              LDN 9/2011-9/2012 & just started again 6/14
                              Estriol 9/12-present
                              Still Hopeful.

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