brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Myoclonus
Causes of Myoclonus
Myoclonus may occur normally, often when a person is falling asleep. For example, as people start to doze off, they may jerk suddenly and awaken (as if startled), or muscles in part of the body may twitch. However, in some cases myoclonus may result from a disorder, such as the following: Liver Failure None Overview of Kidney Failure None Brain damage due to a virus (such as Encephalitis due to herpes simplex) Brain damage after Cardiac Arrest and CPR (when the heart's pumping stops suddenly) Metabolic disorders (such as a high blood sugar level or Hypoglycemia or low levels of Oxygen deprivation Overview of Head Injuries None Dementia With Lewy Bodies and Parkinson Disease Dementia None Huntington Disease None Parkinson Disease (PD) None Alzheimer Disease (occasionally) Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) None Certain Seizure Disorders (such as juvenile myoclonic epilepsy) Myoclonus can occur after a person takes high doses of certain drugs such as the following: Antihistamines Some antidepressants (such asamitriptyline) Some antibiotics (such as penicillin and cephalosporins) Bismuth Levodopa(used for Parkinson disease) Opioid pain relievers 