Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Anyone else get twitching?

I was recently diagnosed with AS.

About a year before I had any pain in my SI Joints, I began having incessant twitching in one of my eyelids. It has gone on for 2 and 1/2 years, about 4-6 days a week all day!! Needless to say it has been driving me CRAZY. I also occasionally have twitching right outside my eye as well as body twitches, though 95% of the time it is in my right eyelid.

Just wondering- has anyone else had this symptom? Perhaps I have uveitis/ iritis that is causing the lid to twitch?

I asked my rheumotologist and told her that the eye that twitches feels heavier/ bigger than the other, but she dismissed it and told me that if I had eye inflammation my eye would be red. She sent me to a neurologist. I would think everyone's symptoms may present a little differently... And I would love to know if anyone else has been dealing with eyelid/ body twitching!
Thanks
Mandy

I think if you are having lid problems you could have a red eye too. Mine get red often. Alphagan and beta blockers can be good for this I think and maybe avastin too and maybe the ingredient in visine or afrin but I'm not sure about those 2 and I don't know this for a fact and only going off what I have heard from doctors.

The other possibilities are electrolyte disturbances - both potassium and magnesium can be low with even slightly decreased renal (kidney ) function which happens often with the meds we need for AS like NSAIDS in particular. Low calcium also will cause muscle and eyelid twitching - I discovered this a few years ago myself !! And I also have chronic uveitis as well so likely a common denominator !

Oh, eyelid twitching is obnoxious! Sometimes I don't know what's worse, the twitching or trying to communicate to doctors what an extreme annoyance it can be.

I experience the same thing as you, Mandy, and sometimes my twitching also feels like it's happening in the eye itself and not just the lid. The eye doctor has found no explanation for it and thinks it must be related to my dry eye and blepharitis. The rheumatologist checked my magnesium level, found it to be normal and lost interest after that.

Oh I so know that feeling of one eye feeling heavier. It's even worst now since I had cataract surgery. Eye Dr. said that's a first for him. Has no idea what is causing it.

Eye twitching is usually caused by low electrolytes. Some muscle relaxers can cause body twitching however. That would drive me nuts. I hope you get to the bottom of it.

I used to have issues with eye twitching... if low electrolytes is the reason I assume all the veggies I have been eating for 10+ years now is reason I no longer get it.

Tim

Hi,
I follow the LSD/NSD and I had a bout of eye twitching a month or so ago that had been going on for a couple of months. It would happen many times a day and notably I felt it was worse when stressed.
One of my main AS symptoms is uveitis and it was my left eye lid which has had the majority of iritis flares.

I wondered if it was a lack of magnesium which is one thing that can cause muscle 'twitching'. I had been taking magnesium at night since being told that women 'lose' magnesium in their sleep. I then had my vitamin levels tested and my magnesium was fine so I stopped taking it last autumn. Assuming my diet was providing me with enough.

When this twitching started I wondered if lack of magnesium was the cause and started taking it again about a month ago. The twitching has stopped. However it might not be the magnesium that has helped. The weather has been great so I have been trying to spend as much time as possible outside so my vitamin D levels should be up too after a wet miserable winter.

Magnesium may be part of it but it could also be in combination with other vitamins etc.

Before this prolonged episode of eyelid twitching I had only experienced very occasional one of twitches and both have never involved a uveitis flare touch wood!

xx

Yes, used to have twitching, mainly in left eye, off and on all my life, until changed diet, and initial supplementation with magnesium. Even without taking magnesium diligently now, the twitching is completely gone.