MUSCLE TIGHTNESS - AAAGGGHHH!!

[futurmil2b]

Hello all...
I have not been on MS World in a while.. still in denial about having MS. Was dx Feb 2011.

The only problem I am having is MUSCLE TIGHTNESS.. its the pits. I wake up in the morning..neck/shoulders/abdomen so tight. I don't think its spasticity.. I am not sure. A hot shower do no help that much.

I don't feel like I have a charlie horse anywhere in my body.. just so much tightness. I stay tensed up a LOT - not sure when the last time my body was in a relaxed mode.

I tried Baclofen..had a bad experience... took a small dose 1/2 10mg in the am and at night - fell asleep at one point tried to wake up but couldn't - tried to call out to my daughter but was not able to. Finally woke up.. it scared the CRAP out of me.. However, I have experienced this before prior to taking Baclofen but seems like Baclofen made it worst.

I did not take Baclofen on a regular basis.. took it maybe 3x total.. I currently take Ativan and it does help. I started out taking 1/2 .5mg once a day - a few months ago started taking 1/2 2x a day.. well this was not helping too much.

I now take the whole .5mg - just started trying the whole..yesterday was my first day. I will try hard to continue to take the whole to see if it eventually help with this muscle tightness...THE TIGHTNESS IS A BIT MUCH TO DEAL WITH...and having to work makes it sooooo much worst... I sit at a computer all day.

I just finished 16 sessions of Physical Therapy.. did not help. So far, Ativan does help if I can get use to taking a whole one on a daily basis.. it I know if can become addicted but that is the least of my worry at this point.. I want a quality of life. We have to find what works for us.

Does anyone else take Ativan for muscle tightness/stiffness.. does it help?? I am not on a DMD med but thinking of trying Copaxone again... But I have not had a flare up since being dx last MRI showed lesions decreased...

Thanks to all that took the time to read and respond to my post.. I know a lot of you can relate to the muscle tightness.. hope I hear from you. Why is is sooooo bad in the morning after waking up - am I tensed up in my sleep???

Ms. Jay

[knuckle]

You should do a little research on GABA (google: GABA supplements).

Taking GABA an hour or so before bedtime as well as a Magnesium supplement will likely reduce your muscle tightness.

Lastly, try sleeping on an incline with a wedge as that seems to help many people.

[CougarMama]

I've noticed some muscle tightness creeping up as well and have managed to "explain" it away so far but your post drew my eye. I have been having this upon waking in the morning and if I say in one position too long during the day. I have found stretching and getting up for a walk hourly has been helpful. Maybe thus will help you some as well.

[futurmil2b]

Thanks for responding..

Knuckles.. I was taking mag supplements at bedtime.. don't help much.

CougarMama - I wish stretching and walking was the key.. I had 16 sessions of PT which consisted of stretching, etc. I have been tight and tensed up for several years prior to being dx with MS.. went through a very stressful time a few years ago..

I called my Neuro today to see if I can up my Ativan and I spoke with the nurse... she told me she did not think the Ativan will help that much with my tightness which she is right.. the whole did not help as well as I would have liked.. I even took an additional 1/2 about 3 hours later and it did nothing.

She suggested I try Neurotine..I agreed because I feel I need something for this tightness and pain in my neck and waking up so stiff every morning.. I pray it helps..

PLEASE NO NEGATIVE POST ABOUT NEUROTINE...

[Sapphiresgold]

same here

...only my muscle tightness is lower back as well as neck and shoulders. I got massages regularly for awhile, and she said she couldn't believe how tight I always was, no matter how regularly I got a massage.

I had the MRI, and it didn't find anything wrong with the discs. Maybe it is the spascity...? I don't know. But I'm gonna talk to the doc about it. I just feel like I am constantly tense and tight.

[sparkle13]

I can totally relate to the muscle tightness. I've had it for years but has progressively gotten worse. I was diagnosed myself a year ago this Sunday. My legs and my back are the worst. It hurts to even bend down. I can't get comfortable when I go to bed. How do you know if it's spasticity? No matter how much I try to stretch, it doesn't help. I don't know what to do. I wake up in the morning like a 2 x 4. Totally stiff. Then when I try to stretch out after waking up, all that happens is all of my joints crack. Does nothing and I remain totally stiff. Any advice?

[futurmil2b]

I can totally relate to the muscle tightness. I've had it for years but has progressively gotten worse. I was diagnosed myself a year ago this Sunday. My legs and my back are the worst. It hurts to even bend down. I can't get comfortable when I go to bed. How do you know if it's spasticity? No matter how much I try to stretch, it doesn't help. I don't know what to do. I wake up in the morning like a 2 x 4. Totally stiff. Then when I try to stretch out after waking up, all that happens is all of my joints crack. Does nothing and I remain totally stiff. Any advice?

Gosh Sparkle.. you sound just like me. I decided to give Neurotine a try. Took my first dose last night.. I think it helped but my Neuro said it will take some time to build up in my system. I am to take 1 capsule 2x today. I will take one this morning and probably one this afternoon or evening. My Neuro wants me at 1 capsule 3x a day.. that's 300mg a day which the nurse said was still a very low dose.

Hubby and I are having wine with dinner so not sure when I should take Neurotine.. don't want to take it close together.. I am also taking small dose Ativan.. but my goal is to wean off ativan - glad I pretty much kept it at a low dose. The Neurotine does relax me a bit...hopefully it will continue to work..

Feel free to email me if you want to chat further and see how the Neurotine is working for me.

Jay

[rdmc]

I see where you've had troubles with Baclofen...didn't read if you'd tried Zanaflex.

It's an anti-spasticity med. If you start, start at a low dosage. A dr. will usually recommend a 4 mg dose, but just so you know, if you're sensitive to meds, it does come in a 2 mg dose.

It can make you sleepy. Sometimes that side effect wears off, for some people it doesn't.

[ActiveMSers]

Jay, how often do you stretch? One of the leading PT experts in MS wrote an article for ActiveMSers on the critical importance of stretching to prevent or lessen spasticity issues. He recommends three times a day. You can check out his article here, hope it helps:

activemsers.org/exercisesstretches/advicestretchoften.html

[futurmil2b]

I see where you've had troubles with Baclofen...didn't read if you'd tried Zanaflex.

It's an anti-spasticity med. If you start, start at a low dosage. A dr. will usually recommend a 4 mg dose, but just so you know, if you're sensitive to meds, it does come in a 2 mg dose.

It can make you sleepy. Sometimes that side effect wears off, for some people it doesn't.

So far, the Neurotine is working fine. I will stick with that for now.

Jay

[sparkle13]

Gosh Sparkle.. you sound just like me. I decided to give Neurotine a try. Took my first dose last night.. I think it helped but my Neuro said it will take some time to build up in my system. I am to take 1 capsule 2x today. I will take one this morning and probably one this afternoon or evening. My Neuro wants me at 1 capsule 3x a day.. that's 300mg a day which the nurse said was still a very low dose.

Hubby and I are having wine with dinner so not sure when I should take Neurotine.. don't want to take it close together.. I am also taking small dose Ativan.. but my goal is to wean off ativan - glad I pretty much kept it at a low dose. The Neurotine does relax me a bit...hopefully it will continue to work..

Feel free to email me if you want to chat further and see how the Neurotine is working for me.

Jay

How is the Neurotine working for you so far? What is it exactly? It sounds like a muscle relaxer. My neurologist never suggests anything to me. I'm not sure I want to be on any more medication but I can't take being in pain all the time.