Question
20 year old male.

About 2 weeks ago, I noticed that my legs were pretty weak. My arms were also a little weak, but it was mostly my legs. I thought it was because I wasn't eating/sleeping enough. So I got some extra sleep and ate more. But the weakness would not go away. My legs were even shaking as I was walking. I have also had a lot of twitching in my arms and legs. Another thing.. I tend to drop things easily.

I also take vitamin D regularly, so that can't be why.

I've been to a doctor and described these symptoms, and he just said that it's probably nothing and to come back if it gets worse.

So... does this sound like ALS? I'm very worried.

Answer
Nick,

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:

"Because symptoms of ALS can be similar to those of a wide variety of other, more treatable diseases or disorders, appropriate tests must be conducted to exclude the possibility of other conditions. One of these tests is electromyography (EMG), a special recording technique that detects electrical activity in muscles. Certain EMG findings can support the diagnosis of ALS. Another common test measures nerve conduction velocity (NCV). Specific abnormalities in the NCV results may suggest, for example, that the patient has a form of peripheral neuropathy (damage to peripheral nerves) or myopathy (muscle disease) rather than ALS. The physician may order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a noninvasive procedure that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to take detailed images of the brain and spinal cord. Although these MRI scans are often normal in patients with ALS, they can reveal evidence of other problems that may be causing the symptoms, such as a spinal cord tumor, a herniated disk in the neck, syringomyelia, or cervical spondylosis."

Please see this link for the full text discussion ALS:

http://tinyurl.com/4mjmcx5

I recommend that you see another physician for a more thorough examination to determine if additional testing is warranted. Based on the symptoms you have described, I would recommend seeing a neurologist.

I hope that this helps to answer your question.