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Re: Anxiety/adrenaline-mediated myotonia

The build-up of acetylcholine, as Jenna mentioned, is definitely a factor in myotonia. That's why insecticides and herbicides can make u so much worse. Here's an excerpt from a chapter of the book "Neuroscience" on acetylcholine:

"Among the many interesting drugs that interact with cholinergic enzymes are the organophosphates. Compounds such as diphenyl trichloroethane (DTT) and the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were originally developed as insecticides. This group also includes some potent chemical warfare agents. One such compound is the nerve gas “Sarin,” which was made notorious a few years ago after a group of terrorists released this gas in Tokyo's underground rail system. Organophosphates can be lethal to humans (and insects) because they inhibit AChE, causing ACh to accumulate at cholinergic synapses. This build-up of ACh depolarizes the postsynaptic cell and renders it refractory to subsequent ACh release, causing, among other effects, neuromuscular paralysis."

When I was in high school and my parents had our house sprayed routinely I was much worse on days following an application. I suspect we get exposed to these things often without even realizing it. When we play golf I always check to be sure the course hasn't been treated recently or I'll get very stff.

One thing that concerns me about the newer Alzheimer's treatments is they block cholinesterase in order to increase acetylcholine levels. That could be disastrous for someone with myotonia.

Jan

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's

Country: USA

Re: Anxiety/adrenaline-mediated myotonia

>There isn't much you can done once your body releases the adrenaline and it hits your muscles.

Oh, absolutely! When I was opening the door to go help the guy who'd run himself off the road, I thought to myself, "Oh, crap, I don't think I can keep myself from getting an adrenaline rush." And...I couldn't. And even though I calmed myself down instantly afterward, it was hard for me to move for the next half hour. Even my stomach muscles were contracting, which makes me feel queasy.

I also get really stiff every time I get truly mad! It sucks. In school, it meant that when a bully tried to attack me (I didn't have bullies because I was clumsy, but I did have people who hated me because I was a star student--until I got the principal to stop announcing my name when I won stuff, etc.), I COULD NOT RUN at all. However, whatever force I could muster to put into a movement was actually multiplied somehow, so I was able to force kids much, much larger than I was to the ground. (I went to a school that served everyone from professors' kids to gangbangers/drug runners, so my classes were mostly great, but the halls could get ROUGH.)

I was just thinking that some people might have LOTS of problems with stiffness because they once had a problem, that led to anxiety, so in the same situation again, they get a little kick of fight-or-flight, then they get stiff again, so the next time, they are MORE anxious.... Etc. I wonder if they might not have stiffness problems nearly so much of they never got anxious, which is of course something that's easy to SAY and very hard to do.

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's

Country: USA

Re: Anxiety/adrenaline-mediated myotonia

Hi Reya
A very good post you write here, a topic that is difficult if not impossible for people to understand - if they do not have it.
You write very aptly "Stifness, beacause they once had a problem that led two anxiety"

My experience says that there are several things that come into play. Periods with much stiffness. During these periods is adrenaline in the body of full strength and even just walking around in his own home is virtually impossible. What then trigger these periods is a mystery. I've tried everything, changing my diet, blamed the weather to cause it, and another.
The only cure if you are stuck somewhere, is to lie down on the ground and get up again and again and again. So all the muscles warmed up so much that you can walk "normally" again a short time. This is much easier said than done. Just before Christmas I was out shopping in a store, and drove to a shopping cart, suddenly froze solid I could not go to the box, which was 4 feet from where I stood. So it is by no means fun having to lie on the floor and up again a couple of times, people think the one is crazy. The problem is adrenaline takes power over the body. In good times, would something like that never happen.

It all started as you wrote, once I had a problem with Thomsen.

Kjeld

I

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen

Country: Denmark