Can vitamin deficiency cause muscle twitching?

Q. Does vitamin deficiency cause twitching and tingling?

Answered by
Dr. J. Mariano Anto Bruno Mascarenhas
and medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team.
This is a premium question & answer published on Oct 03, 2016 and last reviewed on: Jul 28, 2023

Hi doctor,

Before a week, I began having twitches and tingling in both legs from the knee down. For some time now, probably 6 months or more, I also began feeling that my legs were heavy and just general weakness all over, not really muscle weakness. I am also a gastric bypass patient and have a history of low B12, iron saturation and low vitamin D. To complicate matters even more, I went to an orthopedic spine specialist about a month ago, due to the stiffness in my neck. I was unable to turn side to side and this has been going on for several years, like 5 or more. Also, I have a sharp pain between my shoulder blades. My cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows moderate facet joint arthritis, small central spur on C5-C6 and some compression of the spinal cord. Even more complicated is that the MRI showed thyroid nodules and the ultrasound reported as typical of a multinodular goiter. My thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was 4.18. I visited my family doctor and he said that the twitches were probably from low vitamin B12. He gave me an injection yesterday and took blood to measure B12 and vitamin D. My vitamin B12 is more than 2000 and vitamin D is 9. I am going insane thinking that I have some horrible neurological disorder with the twitches and tingling in my calves, general fatigue and heavy feeling of my legs when I walk. My primary care physician did a strength test on arms and legs and said it was normal. Can low vitamin B12 and vitamin D cause these symptoms? I just feel weird and scared.

#

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause subacute combined degeneration of the cord. So, the treatment is daily Vitamin B12 or Vitamin B complex supplementation for 12 weeks. Your vitamin D levels are also low. The treatment is Vitamin D capsules 60000 IU every Sunday for 12 weeks. In your present scenario, for twitching, the first line of management is vitamin B12 supplementation and vitamin D supplementation. Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with him or her and take the medicines with consent for 12 weeks and you will have a dramatic improvement in the next three months.

Thank you doctor,

I got a vitamin B12 shot yesterday and the level is quite high now. My primary care said that I am not B12 deficient even though I have never had a normal B12 level. Would getting that injection make such a drastic increase in my B12? Though I got an injection yesterday, my calves are still twitching and tingling and my hands are tingling too. I am so scared that I have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

#

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. Yes, the high value was because of the injection. You have to take Vitamin B Complex and D supplements for 12 weeks. This cannot be cured in a day. You need to take tablets for at least 12 weeks to see the change. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a motor neuron disease. That means, only motor neurons will be affected. Tingling is a sensory problem, which means, it is not a motor neuron disease. So, there is nothing to worry about ALS.


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