Hi, I am looking for some advice. My MS has generally been ok but back at Xmas I started getting electric shots in my right leg. It’s wasn’t all the time so just ignored it. Well about a month ago started to notice it more and pain if the electric zaps got worse. Two weeks ago it got real bad one day it happened every half hour during day and night. I called my nurses and they recommended I take some time off work and rest and if no better in a week then they will put me on Amitriptleen (not the right spelling sorry) out of my week off they did settle but yesterday and today haven’t been good. I am scared to go on more medication. I am scared my leg is damaged. I am just scared. Is there anyone that can give some advice if this is happening to them? Does it eventually go away. I know MS is a snowflake disease and everyone’s symptoms are different. Thank you for taking them to read this. Kerry.
Hiya, I’ve not experienced these zaps in my legs but I have in my head and face. I would speak with your MS team regarding this issue. Sorry I can’t help anymore, I hope these soon settle down for you.
Hi Kerry
My electric shocks have been with me, on and off, since 2013. I take amitriptyline (10 mg in the afternoon) along with Gabapentin, Vit D3 and now Plegridy (and medication for my asthma). The amitriptyline/ gabapentin combo keeps my pain levels and the zaps that do come along at a level that I can cope with.
I can still feel the stronger zaps, but not painfully, more like an odd pulse down my spine and into my arms and legs - which is way better than the full blown electrical shock sensation I was getting.
Hi thank you for getting back to me.
Have you had any side effects on the amitriptyline? Also was you told this is a relapse as I am getting conflicting information as one person says it’s a symptom and other say it’s a relapse? So do you get this a lot of do you go long periods with no zaps? Mine is just on the same spot every time, I can go few hours then boom then next day can be every half hour.
Amitriptyline at 20mg gives me a weird persistent cough and dry mouth; at 10mg I am fine - I can feel the ‘pulse’ a bit more at 10mg but it isn’t painful. For the first week or so it made me drowsy quite quickly, but since then its been fine - I take it 12 hours before I need to be awake (Neuro’s advice) around 4 pm (ish), I don’t get drowsy, but when I do go to bed I drift off quite easily, and wake up with the alarm clock without any hangover/grogginess. For me, if it comes down to an extra tablet or electric zaps, I’d take the tablet every time.
Most of my zaps come from a lesion in my cervical spine area, the Neuro suspected a lesion in that location because of the zaps, but it wasn’t big enough to show up clearly on MRIs until 2022. I mostly get zaps when my neck flexes forward and/or sideways, over time I’ve adjusted my movement to avoid them as much as possible, but I do get caught out mostly when I look down and especially when looking down and to the side, like looking at something on the floor beside your chair without leaning over.
I get more / stronger zaps if I have an infection (cold, uti that sort of thing) or when I get very stressed - which is me at the moment in the middle of moving house. I think other infections have a knock on effect on my lesions as all my symptoms kick off more when I have one.
It can be tricky figuring out if the zap is a result of being in a particular posture or position, as this could pin-point where a lesion might be lurking. Keep a note of what position you were in when a zap occurred for a few weeks to see if there is a common pattern.
My zaps have never gone away fully, but with them ‘muted’ I can get on with life pretty much as usual, other symptoms get in the way from time to time, but that’s to be expected. I go to work, exercise, potter in the garden etc.