Opioids Involuntary jerking

[anonymous1419]

I get this same thing too, not very often but I've wondered about this as well. It's not from nodding off either I don't think, I've gotten this when I haven't been nodding at all.

 

[StaffWriter]

When I mixed an antibiotic (clindamycin) with my usual suboxone dose. It was downright annoying. The twitching didnt only come with the onset of sleep (although it did) but in the middle of the day. It might be a muscle in my forearm, thigh or from my chest. I would wake suddenly with these twitches and they were quite a nusiance. As soon as the antibiotic therapy was over, the twitches ceased.

 

[woamotive]

This happens to me ALL the time as a result of my opiate use. I have muscle spasms (esp in my legs) during the day but mostly in the evening and at night. It's very very irritating. As far as I know, nothing helps to make it stop.

 

[Pillmatic502]

Sounds rather like hypnagogic jerks to me. Very common and can be caused by any number of reasons - including many drugs. Personally, I really would doubt opiate use having caused any damage - other than possibly the effects it can have on your sleeping patterns. Plenty of threads on hypnagogia around if you search - really is a very common thing.

Alternatively, could just be nodding as you'd expect when you take opiates. Either way, it's nothing to worry too much about, I would think.

This is the reason, Is it not like jerking more like twitching of muscles, or other places I have it all the time, i dont think its just opiates maybe nerves. Im not a doctor but I do notice it more when Im high nothing to worry about imo but I have been using daily & last night i slept 2 hours while under the influence, so this may be the same thing who knows & it does different places at different time, for instance some days never some days in my thigh then an hour later my upper arm, then my chest, its just random i dont think its anything to be scared of

 

[edarrin]

opiates definitely affect dopamie. That is part of the pleasure from them...stimulation of dopamine in certain brain regions.

I have had that for quite a while myself. Try magnesium and taurine. I find they help. A lot of people have a magnesium deficency.

 

[Mora Fiend]

Alright im glad it's not just me!

 

[threesfoursfives]

Ok - I have experienced exactly what you are talking about, and also experienced the hypnogic jerks. They are not the same thing.
The jerk is a sleep related action, or can be linked to the 'nodding, jerk conscious' that people describe.

The other -
My opiate use has been heavy for the last 6 months of a 2 year habit, and this has only started occurring in the past few months. Involuntary spasm, leg, back, arm, usually when lying down at night - though start well before I am drifting to sleep. In fact, it is causing me to have issues falling asleep, as my body shunts and pops every 30 seconds for an hour sometimes.
Tried breathing excercises, as well as concentration and other mental controls - no help. It is electric, and is some signal from the brain that is sent in error.

I am worried, admittedly, as I can find no research beyond this thread that accurately describes this. It is very probable it is linked to opiate use, I just hope it is not a degenerative issue, ie health problem caused by prolonged usage of opiates.

The more data on here, the more I could collate and take to a physician.
TFF

 

[DangerChamber]

This happens to me all the time. But its more like an innocent twitch instead of a violent jerk.

 

[Secobarbital]

Yea, its just a "twitch". Not all opiates cause it, opana caused it bad, oxycodone is kinda bad sometimes too. It's weird, but id doubt dangerous, might even be a listed side-effect of some drugs. Opiates and pot together make for a twitchfest for me, I just kinda enjoy it even I guess.

 

[BrokedownPalace]

Since I started taking methadone a month or two ago, I have been getting these "twitches" quite often. They especially happen at night right before I fall asleep, and are incredibly annoying to the point where I have trouble falling asleep. Also, these twitches that happen right before falling asleep seem to send me into sleep paralysis quite often. Atleast 3 days a week. Scary shit, although I have been dealing with sleep paralysis for many years, I can recognize it and control it now for the most part. I even have managed a couple "out of body" experiences during sleep paralysis. Anyway, back on topic. I also have gotten these twitches randomly during the day, like sitting at the computer or in the car, just purely random. I'm on methadone daily, (70mg) and like I said it has been much more pronounced since switching from heroin to the 'done.

 

[monstanoodle]

Alright im glad it's not just me!

Yea yer definitely not alone
I get it sometimes too. It could be either, as Shammy said, a Hypnagogic jerk or purely that yer nodding out and jerking back to full consciousness.
Again, nowt to worry about I doubt

 

[sixpartseven]

I think you'll be fine as I'm pretty sure that Opiates have no affiliation with dopamine in the body. ?

lol what?

They certainly do have an affect on dopamine production.

All addictive substances have some effect on dopamine. Dopamine is what causes the "runner's high" and is the reward factor that enforces a certain behavior. If opiates didn't affect dopamine, chances are, they wouldn't be nearly as addictive. They would certainly still be addictive because they also affect many other functions in the brain, but without dopamine, that psychological urge to keep using the opiate wouldn't be there, preventing a lot of people from using it continually.

This may explain it better...

This euphoric effect also appears to involve another mechanism in which the GABA-inhibitory interneurons of the ventral tegmental area come into play. By attaching to their mu receptors, exogenous opioids reduce the amount of GABA released (see animation). Normally, GABA reduces the amount of dopamine released in the nucleus accumbens. By inhibiting this inhibitor, the opiates ultimately increase the amount of dopamine produced and the amount of pleasure felt.

source

Anyone who wants to understand the basic mechanics behind how drugs work in the brain should check that link out.

 

[izzy66]

like many ppl i get hypnagogic jerks and sleep paralysis which is def related to lack of sleep.
however, for several years i've had wicked neck/head jerks. not twitches but a hard snap. when it happens i hear a loud noise which i thought was my neck or jaw popping but other ppl don't hear it so it must just be my wee brain slamming around in my big skull
idk, shit happens. why really doesn't matter. as long as my neck doesn't break, it's just another one of those annoying things.
-izzy

 

[Hewo]

its actually funny i have been getting "twitch's" (slight muscle spasms about 1-2 a hour after i snort a 60mg oxy) and when my doctor switched one of my other meds i told him it made me twitch but the .5mg alprazolam pills stoped it(wich they for some reason seemed to or maybee i was just to high to notice the twitching) now he just doubled my dose of said medicain(regalin) and i got him to bump my xanys from 3 .5's a day to 4 1mg's a day and now i dont twitch anymore

 

[moclov4]

wow, glad I found this thread ... I was starting to feel like this was somewhat of a rare occurrence, and that it wasn't normal at all ... so I guess no one can say that there are really any long-term negative effects? to me, it's just kind of annoying for the most part; I guess I'd rather have it be annoying than, say, painful or something!

 

[doglover]

It's called a myoclonic jerk. It has nothing to do with dopamine. When your respiratory and heart rate drop below a certain level, the brain checks to make sure the body isn't dying by sending a nerve impulse. This is the jerk u feel. This can also occur when u are falling asleep drug free. Nothing to worry about. As long as your heart is beating and you are breathing you're good.

 

[doglover]

Myoclonic jerk. Google it. This is the correct answer

 

[bluestar79]

I have experience this myself. For me it was related to switching to a higher strength opiate with an. (Almost) unlimited supply.
I'm betting those who are experiencing this have upped doses, recently joined MMT, or have had an increase in amount of opiate drug intake.
I used to jerk so hard I think.it freaked my GF out. Not sure if it bothered her as much as when she looked at me and 1 eye pointed at ceiling the other floor.
Another junkie special.

Stop or lower dose and effect should cease. Mine did

 

[ShaunG]

i literally can't sleep on opiate sometimes because of this. I dose early in the day to avoid it or I will need xanax to not do it.

 

[Oxy8_8]

Not sure if this is the correct place for this, if not I apologize. I notice that when I do opiates in the evening and I lay in bed my body sometimes jerks. Sometimes it's my leg, sometimes my chest, but it's starting to worry me. It's my understanding that dopamine is what controls muscle contractions, at least that's what I was told. Is it possible that the opiates are effecting the dopamine in my brain and causing involuntary jerks in my body? Can anyone elaborate on this, is it something to worry about? When I don't do opiates my body doesn't jerk, any input?

That happened to me at night especially when I first started taking oramorph (liquid morphine sulphate). It went away after a couple weeks.

Tramadol gave me MASSIVE full-body twitches and seizure-like activity. I abruptly stopped it. I think I came very close to having a seizure with the tramadol.