[Misty0732]

I have had that twitching most of my life. I can tell you for certain that PM makes it worse in my case after more than 4 years on PM. I also very strongly suspect it to be responsible for my severe leg pain when driving for long hauls, and likely was either the cause or trigger for my mild high blood pressure and toe/ball of foot swelling and pain. The other major effect was the growth of boobies.

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that! The fasciculations drive me absolutely batty. I have discovered that mild compression (compression stockings or support panty-hose) definitely helps.

Your severe leg pain may be a different issue, however. I had back surgery in December 2013 for spinal stenosis (which caused severe leg pain for me). The pain is now completely gone. If you have severe leg pain after sitting for several hours that could indicate a herniated or bulging disk, or perhaps a synovial cyst that is irritated by extended bending at the waist. If I were you I would visit a specialist (neurologist or neurosurgeon) and see if you can get an MRI and look for structural issues in your lower spine.

My fasciculations started between 1.5 years and 2 years ago. I started PM 2 years ago (almost exactly). I had always just assumed that the fasciculations were caused by my back issues and was very disappointed when they persisted after the surgery. I think that I described them incorrectly to my doctor (I called them spasms, which they really aren't). I very nearly scheduled another and much more invasive back surgery because of them. That probably would have been a disaster and completely unnecessary. I'm visiting my neurosurgeon on January 13 and will show him the video... I suspect he'll confirm it's unlikely related to my spinal problems.

I still take PM, but I never increase the dosage anymore, and I take regular breaks from it to minimize the assorted pains and twitching.

Very good advice. Taking into consideration the research posted by Lotus and your experiences, I doubt I'll every exceed 500 mg/day again. I'll just have to deal with the heightened GD, if it occurs.

My biggest concern about it these days is suspicion that it may have negative circulatory system effects over the long term. I worry some about the possible cardiovascular effects and how similar they might be to the cardiovascular effects I have heard about related to HRT.

That is concerning. I used to work out regularly (I was an avid runner and weight lifter) but my back injuries have sidelined me for the last 2.5 years or so. I'm not supposed to run anymore, but we have a professional quality elliptical trainer that gives me the same benefit w/o the impact. I have just started on it again, about a month ago. I'm sure that the exertion is exacerbating the fasciculations (as most that have BFS state that exercise does so) but I am determined to remain healthy. Regular aerobic exercise does wonders for the circulatory system.

Misty