This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hey i have jerky head movements and sometimes my head jerks involuntarily as well. What do you call this symptom and is there a drug for this? I've had it for some time now.

Jason,
What you are experiencing is called Myoclonus. The term refers to both a disease and a symptom. In people with MS it's a fairly common symptom.

There's a desription of it and further information here:

http://www.myoclonus.com/whatis.htm

I would say however, that it's extremely unusual for MS patients to be as severely affected with it as those who have it as a disease, i.e. this site gives a 'worst case' scenario.

Robin

thanks for the info.

Jason,

Also.........several types of anti-epileptic medications (AEDs) are useful for myoclonus associated with MS.

Deb

myoclonus is the most common thing like that however there are alot of other things that can cause that. tourette's, bells' palsy, inner ear problems, space occupying lesion (sounds better than brain cancer)

jim

sorry to barge in on Jason's thread, but I've been wondering about my own symptoms (?) for awhile and it hadn't occured to me that you guys could probably tell me if this is anything. I have cramping in my legs and feet when I sit down. Also, rather than having constant numbness like my mother, I alternate between numbness and hypersensitivity in my skin. I'm seeing my neurologist in a couple weeks and if I could put a name to it or suggest treatment, that would help. Sometimes I blank when I'm trying to explain something to him.

Thanks,
Becky

i has the same thing. they called it "preipheral neuropathy" i got neurotonin for it which i could not tolerate... 600mg/day was like drinking and entire 5th of bourbon (which i haven't done in 20 years)

jim

When I have tremors, soemtimes I have a fine resting tremor of my extremities and my head-when its bad, I in addition have an intentional tremor, which means with movement the tremor gets worse-when this happens I have a gross head tremor, my head just bobs back and forth and the only way to stop it is to lie down-it eventually goes away until I get out of bed again. The only thing I have found to help the tremors is cervical manipulation by a good chiropractor. It takes a few adjustments, but does go away.

Sorry, I just remembered something else-the other thing that helps the head tremor is klonopin-baclofen does not touch it. Of course with my head bobbing back and forth, I develop spasicity as well-the only med that touches it is klonopin.