A few thoughts: You mentioned things have been getting worse—did some major stress trigger that?
Honestly, I think you should just get a full immunology panel done at a place like the Mayo Clinic. Once you have the actual data, there’s no more guessing games, and it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg..
My gut feeling? I don't think this is actually SFN—I think your dopamine levels are just totally fried...
Have you tried going no-fap?
This whole thing is super complicated. You're really hyper-focused on that SFN diagnosis, and maybe you're right... Who knows. The brain is such a black box, and everything seems to start there...
I really hope you get a solid diagnosis eventually, even if it turns out to be something else entirely. Good luck..
Adam Morris4 said:She’s a bit frigidan, sure, but she’s got great style and looks wonderful... Honestly, I think if the two of us really put our minds to it and gave her some focused attention, we could definitely get her back on track...
And what about me? I'm pretty easy on the eyes too, right? Might be worth making a move while these other jerks stay out of the way until tonight. Thanks for the heads-up, man...
Look, Drew Reed2, what you’re describing sounds like textbook chronic anxiety—one of those psychosomatic issues. Honestly, maybe go see a psychiatrist just to stop the suffering, though I'll be real with you—it might actually feel worse at first because psych meds are a total crapshoot until you finally find the right fit.
I deal with those exact same sensations in my feet—visible twitching, that pins-and-needles feeling, buzzing. It’s honestly exhausting since I’ve been dealing with this for 16 years now. Nothing has touched it. Not SSRIs, not dopamine stuff, not even CBD. My diagnosis was just Benign Fasciculation Syndrome, just putting that out there. The main diagnosis is a psychosomatic disorder.
For example, I never had to worry about HIV or Hepatitis C, despite being tattooed, but I've struggled with MS, Lyme disease, peripheral neuropathy, and small fiber neuropathy.
Hypochondria is one thing, but when it hits hard once, it totally wrecks your body and your brain chemistry. After three years of this, I’m still basically playing doctor at every clinic in town. Right now, I've got a brain MRI with contrast scheduled, and I still need to get a thoracic MRI done—so why not? Then there's immunology, maybe my RF factor will jump to 100, or I'll test positive for ANA... if I tried to get a loan at Immunomed, they wouldn't even give me the time of day.
Advice: don't burn yourself out trying to hunt down the cause—it'll just make everything worse. I've seen people go absolutely overboard at the immunologist, running like ten thousand tests—ten times more than necessary—basically doing a full-body magnetic scan and everything. You aren't going to find a "smoking gun," and honestly, a ton of people deal with this exact thing and everyone ends up just spiraling into anxiety. Some possible links though: maybe recovering from mono or having low Vit D... Hopefully I'll find out soon if it wasn't just my B6 levels being totally off the charts..
Just some minor twitching—constant muscle fasciculations accompanied by that weird tingling sensation. My full neurological workup was totally fine, including the MRI scans.
So I picked up some Neurobion over the counter, $20 but honestly? One pill and I was done—it made me feel super nauseous. I’m thinking about just tossing these massive doses and switching over to Solgar Neuro Nutrients... plus, obviously, getting my Vitamin D levels up. Just my luck, though—I already went out and bought a huge 640-count bottle. 😁
Neuro Nutrients is this really complex dietary supplement packed with amino acids, standardized Ginkgo leaf extract, soy lecithin, B vitamins, and Vitamin C.
The combo of B1, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, and biotin helps support healthy psychological function—plus B5 helps keep your mental performance on track.
B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, and biotin also support a healthy nervous system, while B2, B3, B6, and Vitamin C help fight off fatigue and exhaustion.
The powdered Ginkgo biloba extract helps with healthy microcirculation.
great for vegetarians and vegans sugar-free, salt-free, and starch-free this stuff doesn't have corn, yeast, wheat, gluten, or dairy, and it's formulated without any preservatives, artificial flavors, or dyes.
It’s totally possible. When that dopamine levels out, you probably get those weird sensations—like electric shocks, tingling, or that "pins and needles" feeling... I’ve been taking l-tyrosine paired with 20% CBD along with B-complex 100—or even just Solgar multivitamins—and honestly, it helps me hold it together. It feels better. That part is certain—even a tiny shift in these symptoms can be a massive deal.
boldstag58 said:Basically, if you’re hanging out in a pool or just soaking your hands in warm water for a while, and the skin on your fingertips wrinkles up—you know, gets all prune-y—then you don't have Small fiber Neuropathy. The second thing is: if your hands and feet sweat normally, it's not SFN. At least, that's what I heard from MSM, though who knows how accurate that actually is.
Well, then I guess I'm in the clear. That first thing is called pruning, right? Sweet... I'm gonna go celebrate with a few beers.
They checked my PTH and total calcium levels at the exact same time, and everything came back perfect—so nobody could make heads or tails of it. Just one big mystery. All my other vitamins and minerals were fine; I actually double-checked them. The first time I paid about eighty bucks at the lab. The only thing I missed was checking my B6... I went ahead and ran the ANA, RF, and anti-CCP tests myself, and they were all negative—though apparently, a massive Vitamin D deficiency can mess with autoimmune markers.
What else should I get tested for? I’m heading back to the clinic in New York soon for a full systemic workup, so I’ll be doing thyroid antibodies, cortisol, testosterone, immunoglobulins, and checking my B12 and D levels again.
Apparently, a huge number of people are dealing with a Vitamin D deficiency without even realizing it. Most internists and endocrinologists don't give it much thought. Honestly, just order at least 5000IU from Amazon and call it a day—then just check your levels whenever you feel like it. I walk into the endocrinologist's office, and the guy starts lecturing me about neuroborreliosis based on my symptoms, and I'm just sitting there thinking—wait, are you an endocrinologist or an infectious disease specialist?!
boldstag58 said:Harold Reed4 Let me know if you're still hanging around. I actually heard about this one super simple test—supposedly it's a foolproof way to figure out if you're dealing with Small fiber Neuropathy or not.
Which one is it? Honestly, by the time I walk into the clinic, they're practically rolling out the red carpet for me—so why waste more cash on just one more little test...
It’s probably not Vitamin D—these symptoms feel more like a B12 deficiency or maybe way too much B6. I haven't checked my B6 levels yet, though. My D was sitting at 16, and even after taking 10,000 IU for a year, I haven't seen any real movement. I'm actually pretty curious to see where it lands in four weeks when I finally get bloodwork done. Honestly, the biggest improvement I've noticed is from using 20% CBD resin. 90% of people dealing with anxiety have a significant Vitamin D deficiency..
Serotonin isn't really the issue since SSRIs don't work for me—at least not personally. If you ask me, it’s got more to do with dopamine. The brain fog, the paresthesia... it all connects.
I also deal with this weird thing whenever I get tattooed. Every single time, the artist has to go over it twice with different needles; they tell me either I'm anemic or something else is missing in my system. It's like a 1 in 900 chance... you just end up skipping the tattoo altogether. It's almost like my skin is gradually rejecting the pigment.
There just isn't a magic fix. You basically have to accept the symptoms and push through, and things will eventually get better. For me, CBD, a little tyrosine, and some Solgar multivitamins help me keep it together..
Matthew Bishop44 said:It’s not quite literal—it’s more like an elimination process. I’ve run every test under the sun and everything looks fine on paper, but my neck feels like it’s in a coma, which just creates this endless loop. Because my neck and shoulders are constantly tense, the circulation to my head takes a hit, leading to all these side effects—headaches, ear pressure, feeling totally drained, vision issues... Check out your neck and get a Doppler ultrasound on those vessels, then start exercising—just keep moving... Massages, swimming, physical therapy, acupuncture...
I went through that exact same thing—that feeling of total depletion, like someone just slammed the pause button on my life. And yeah, it was definitely anxiety-driven. Even though my physical therapist comes by often and really works me over, my MRI of the neck and spine came back perfectly clean. But man, my neck was a disaster—just completely locked up. I’ve been dealing with tinnitus for ages now, along with floaters too. A young guy, labeled with psychosomatic issues when all his tests are perfect—so, am I just losing my mind, or is modern medicine just failing us? Even today you hear people like Justin Bieber claiming they have chronic Lyme disease. Haha
Nicholas Mendoza60 said:I was dealing with a major copper deficiency and my Vitamin D was sitting at a measly 25 units Plus, my B12 was down at 240
Then yesterday I went for one of those electronic mineral scans and the lady tells me my B6 is unbelievably low... like, actually shocking She said if I want to be 100% sure, I’ve gotta go get a full blood panel done
Honestly, if your B12 is that low, it's definitely a serious deficiency, so you should probably expect your B6 to be bottomed out too—but just a heads up, the B12 is almost certainly going to cause you way more trouble. Low B12 and Vitamin D are the absolute worst chronic deficiencies you can deal with. They absolutely wreck your immune system, so prepare yourself for all kinds of weird neurological sensations.
Honestly, just go get your B12 and Vitamin D levels checked first—if your B12 is sitting under 300, you can bet your other B vitamins are tanking too. That’s what my private endocrinologist told me, anyway. As for me, I’ve been dealing with a chronic Vitamin D deficiency, which can honestly cause all sorts of crazy symptoms. I've been taking an ultra-potency 5000IU supplement for two months now, but—to be real with you—I haven't felt much of a difference yet.
I’m probably heading out to hit some shops on Fifth Avenue with my girlfriend this afternoon—might even swing by a bar for maybe three beers—but honestly, looking at the crowd now, she might feel a bit out of place since there aren't many women attending. It’s pretty clear you guys aren't exactly big on organizing these things. What was the biggest turnout you've had so far?
Everyone needs to start shrinking their circles while they’re still feeling sane—start digging deep now before you end up dealing with fibromyalgia, Lyme, or some massive cocktail of autoimmune issues. It’s not worth it. Your mental health is a serious thing; it triggers everything from physical pain to muscle spasms and nerve issues. It’s all connected to your headspace. Anxiety... Make sure you check your electrolytes, especially Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D!