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Could this be anxiety related? (tremors/internal shakes, dizziness, tightness in throat, etc)

Hey everyone,

Just thought I would see what some of you have to say about what's going on with my body, and how much "mental" problems can really mess with the "physical".

First, just to get this out of the way, I'm going to be seeing my GP soon. =) So don't worry about that!

Anyway, the last couple months, specifically after I had surgery near the end of January, I've started having some weird issues that I think could be related to major anxiety. I've been off all meds for about a month now, but my doctors had me on Percocet for many months before and after my surgery (could this be related to the Perc? no idea). I have a long history of anxiety/panic attacks, the last five years haven't been too good to me, and usually after these attacks, which are almost always driven by some kind of intense fear, I have this internal vibrating in my chest that only I can seem to feel, and no one including myself can see it. Also, a feeling that something is in my throat, or maybe that it's tight and hard to breathe or speak, and a strange dizziness and facial numbness, too.

After my surgery, which was insanely traumatic for me, I found that I would wake in the middle of the night overly startled, and would feel like I was shaking. It would only last maybe 30 seconds - to a minute long, and I didn't put too much thought into it, even though it happened 4-5 times a week. On the 12th, though, I woke at about midnight to my WHOLE body shaking internally! I was up all night long and a couple days after that, simply because I absolutely could NOT sleep through this feeling. It's almost been a week later, and I'm still having this internal tremor/vibration feeling. It's changed slightly to an off and on pattern, and moved into my hands/arms/legs where I can actually notice them shaking slightly. Also I have a tightness in my chest and throat every now and then...and a slight numbness to the right side of my face, and lightly dizzy. I feel like the more I stress out about this, the worse it gets, and when I'm distracted it completely disappears! It's at its worse when I first wake myself up (I trained myself to sleep through it) and it's just driving me nuts!

The only medical issues that I have been told that I have is anemia and fibromyalgia.

I'm 23 and female, and I've been tested for so many things in the last couple months to rule out other problems. I had a brain MRI, CT Scan, X-rays, tons of blood work, cancer/carbohydrate antigen tests, Bubble/Echocardiogram, Nuclear Stress tests, etc. All came back fine!

My GP gave me Gabapentin to take a few months ago, but it's still sitting on my dresser full to the top...Will taking this help me? I know I should have taken it...I heard it can help with tremors and nerve related issues, including stress, too. I was also told that when you can be distracted from tremors, they could possibly be something called Hysterical Tremors? Which is psychological.

Does anyone have any advice for me based on these symptoms?
Or can anyone relate to them in anyway? Does it sound like anxiety?

Any input would be wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to read this!




8 Responses
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Avatar universal
Just want to thank you all for being so open and honest about all your problems and illnesses...I was just looking for some answers on why my body shakes so much and you guys took it to another level and have eased my mind a bit knowing that im not crazy and that this is some sort of something I can get checked out thanks so much and wish everybody luck
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You all have given me a lot to think about. I am the senior medic of my unit deployed in Afghanistan and about to return home. I have done back to back deployments now. I started getting these shakes roughly 6 months ago and are not always visible by others. I even have trouble focusing with my eyes at times. You know they bounce around as I fixate on a point. It is at its worst when I lay down to sleep. I am one of those people if worried or mad I have trouble sleeping. I just started to think it was stress or MS. And I am leaning toured stress. I tried things like OJ to spike my sugar levels, but does not work. It is causing me to freak out, because I am in impeccable shape for 33 yrs old.
Helpful - 0
1294735 tn?1272398058
I am 44 years old and I too have panic disorder.  I used to get one panic attack a year until I got married in 2001 and couldn't get pregnant.  The stress from not being able to conceive really messed me up.  It got to the point where my new husband didn't know what to do with me.  The cardiologist that I worked for (I'm a medical assistant) thought I was crazy never finding anything wrong.  My internal medicine doctor was a saint.  He told me I'm having severe anxiety and must be on paxil, that it is the only drug to help. I was terrified.  So, for the first few weeks until it got in my system he gave me xanax.  I took one of those and called him at 3AM and the next day he gave me ativan.  Which worked much better. For me Xanax was horrible.  I have to say after a month my friends at work said I was a new person.  I felt so good I wanted to make a commercial for paxil..LOL  But then the weight packed on.  Then I had Invitro and got pregnant with twin girls.  Was doing great until all the hormones I took to get pregnant gave me graves disease (hyperthyroidism).  Went on tapazole and got better.  Went off the paxil in 2006 and then in 2008 it started all over again.  At this time I had moved and the new doctor put me on lexapro.  I got worse.  Then we went to Zoloft.  The   dizzy spells, headaches and just not feeling well.  Always feeling like another panic attack was around the corner.  I went back to my old doctor and he said you need paxil.  I have been on it about 2 months and feel like a fat horse.  But,  I haven't had one panic attack, no anxiety, I am laughing and feeling mentally great...........  He said it is the only drug for panic disorder........Oh yes and even though I have those crazy dreams.  I sleep like a baby.  I do have to say there is a lot of people that have this.  Most of the people I know also have a thyroid problem, mitral valve prolapse,  and some kind of stress that makes it worse.  I too have all of this.  I don't wish this on anyone it is a horrible feeling especially when people think your crazy.  We are all organic and sometimes things just don't balance and sometimes you have to find the correct balance and it must be chemical.  I am starting a new gym and going on weight watchers.  I hope this helps.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you all for the wonderful comments. I totally feel for you all, because this feeling is just awful! It really does feel like anxiety for the most part. I know I've had some nerve pain (a shoulderblade injury) and the Fibro in general just causes widespread pain and twitching and all kinds of annoying stuff. But the shaking only seems to present itself when I'm literally terrified. For instance, everytime I'm waiting on bloodwork results, I feel this "terror" shake in my chest, that fades when I find out nothing is wrong. When my doctor tested me for Lupus, the terror shake came back, and went away when the test came back negative. Same for when I had the full 9-yards worth of testing done on my heart -- came and then faded. And, of course, my surgery made me feel like I was losing my mind because I was so scared (it was my first time going under the knife) and was a full open-abdominal. My GP thinks this has all given me some major fear-related anxiety, including while I'm asleep, plus I'm pretty sure I'm a hypochondriac.

I saw my GP, and he recommended that I just take the Gabapentin for 2-4 weeks, and see how it makes me feel. If I start to feel worse, to contact him, and if I start to feel better...it will help him figure out what's going on with me. He thinks I have a major panic/sleep disorder. But if the meds don't work, he'll refer me to a Neurologist.

I took it yesterday and it made me very, very sleepy. But I slept more calmly than I have in a week, and the shakes were much more mild that usual when I woke up. I know it will probably takes weeks before I feel any real difference, but man...I really want this to work.

Again, thank you all so much for the wonderful comments, advice, and just for sharing your stories with me. I hope you all feel better as well, and that we can all find a sense of peace eventually with ourselves!
Helpful - 0
633284 tn?1271714418
Hey I just want to say, It does sound like anxiety I get that feeling everyonce in awhile in my chest super weird....also My sister has fibermyalgia (however you spell it haha) she has a lot of nevre problems from it and she would not take the gabapentin b/c she thought is was a bunch of crap and she pretty much was in deniel but anyways she started taking it about 2 weeks ago and she says she feels soo much better the twicthing the pain the numbness has gone away almost completely she of course still gets her flare up here and there but she can work through them with lil to no pain! So I would take it and see what it maks you feel like I would say try it for a month and see how ya feel! Good luck I hope this helps!
Helpful - 0
1238554 tn?1339420116
The internal shaking was my biggest symptom after I had my first panic attack. I swore up and down that something must be wrong because the shaking NEVER stopped. It kept me awake for basically an entire week, which didn't help matters as far as my anxiety/fear of going crazy was concerned. Everyone kept telling me it was just the anxiety, but I didn't believe them. It was so horrible and I thought it would never go away.

Eventually though, it did. I started seeing a cognitive behavioral therapist who helped me get a better grip on my anxiety. It took a couple of months, but eventually the shaking, or internal buzzing was what I called it, went away. Now I can tell when I'm getting anxious because the buzzing comes back, and it's my cue to get my mind occupied on something else and do some abdominal breathing. I've never heard it called hysterical tremors, but I guess the term fits because it only happens to me now in moments of fairly severe anxiety.

I know what you're going through, and I know it's completely frustrating, tiring, annoying, and all sorts of other horrible things. Like sillygirl said, this is a very caring group and I've found that just being in this forum and reading others' experiences has helped me out a lot. Anxiety made me feel like I was completely alone and crazy, which I know now is not the case at all.

Take care!!!
Helpful - 0
1118884 tn?1338592850
Thanks for posting your story here.  I think I am well qualified to speak about the internal shaking: it has been a major symptom of what my psychiatrist labels agoraphobia.  I can go weeks without it, but then it returns, usually when I wake or before doctor's appt. or social events.

As I have other symptoms that are more debilitating, I don't worry about this one.  You are the first person who has described exactly what I feel, so thanks for that.  What we all know here is it helps to know you are not alone.  Whether it is symptoms of anxiety, side effects of medicines, family issues, health difficulties.

Back to the internal shaking, whatever the label: you can distract yourself and it will stop.  
Usually;).  For me it is worse in morning.  The good thing about that is I know I can do something ...anything..and it will stop.

We are a caring group.  I think of friends here as my virtual therapy group.  Welcome!
Helpful - 0
1282678 tn?1275186261
I've had multiple surgeries and have been on and off of pain killers for the past 4 yrs. I too have had so many tests. I have had all the test you have except the cancer one and nuclear stress tests. This has all been going on for 2 yrs. They tried to tell me i have fibromyalgia and slight anemia. I have hard time accepting it's only this. I am starting to think that most of this is anxiety. I forgot what it feels to be normal. Take care and good luck! Distraction does help. I think about this 24/7, so the stress does make it worse.
Helpful - 0
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