help needed with Restless Legs Syndrome

Just Google it, the NHS website have loads of information on the condition.

I have this complaint periodically but when it starts I take a good quality B vitamin complex. I leave it off when the symptoms abate. Also tiredness does make it worse so you are in a dilemma here. Try the B vits. It always works for me.

I feel your pain. I end up stomping around the house like a pony.

I've tried a lot of different remedies but it still rears its head now and then

I hope your manage to find a solution!

I have struggled for many years with restless legs and sometimes arms. I used to get it occasionally but it is becoming more frequent. A friend recommended face and body cooling spray and I have found that it works wonders for me. Hope you find what helps you soon.

I too sympathise.
I find it gets worse if I have eaten food containing sugar (may well be a link) and of course in the evening.
I take Magnesium tablets sometimes to combat night leg cramps - worth a try?

I take one magnesium tablet every day, stops the legs even
thinking about playing up?

I take a magnesium tablet every day which includes B vits, it definitely helps. Also rub arnica gel on some nights when it's bad.

Oh yes, magnesium spray was recommended to me. Maybe with a try

OH has it severely. He takes gaberpentin (sp) which leaves him too sleepy in the morning to do anything. He has seen a neurologist but at the moment I don’t think much research is going on. It is driving him mad, especially as it isn’t improving.

I went to a McTimoney chiropractor & he cured my restless legs in one session , he said it was something to do with my alignment

My Dr. prescribed Gabapentin which worked.

It really is an unpleasant syndrome, isn't it!

I know that when I get restless legs in bed, it will only last a few hours, but sometimes I feel as if it has spread to my mind/brain after that. I can't really describe it, other than by saying that the 'restless' moves to my brain/mind and means I still can't drop off to sleep.
Does anyone else get anything that?

Stretching before bed works for me, usually. If it doesn't, I take tylenol arthritis and that does the trick.

Best wishes.

Having developed RLS during the menopause, I have been prescribed 0.18mg Pramipexole tablets - one to be taken an hour or so before bedtime. I have augmentation (which means increasing symptoms over time), so now I can take 2 tablets a day if needed. As long as I take the pills I am free of kicks and twitches, but if I miss even one tablet, I am up walking the floor all night. Get advice only via NHS websites.

I am surprised that so many GPs seem unaware of the condition and the dire effect it has on those whose wellbeing and general health are so drastically affected. A word of warning about several 'support' networks on social media which contain reports of bizarre instant 'cures' e.g. wearing flight socks, bar of soap in the bed, hot/cold showers, an hour on a treadmill before bed. These do not work

I found this out by accident. It definitely works for me. When the prickles and jumpiness begins, use a body brush on your legs using firm upwards strokes. When your legs start to tingle, try to sleep. Obviously, don't do this if you have cuts, sore skin etc. It sounds crazy and I've no doubt some will mock, but if it gives you some relief, then it's worth it!

I find getting in to a cold bed helps calm it down.

I feel your pain, this is such a miserable condition. I have it quite severely and none of the more natural remedies have worked for me so I now see a neurologist who specialises in sleep medicine.

It is disappointing to hear that your gp has not offered any help. The first thing you need to do is get them to check your ferritin levels, and if they are low start iron supplements on prescription. It is also worth looking at any medication you are on to see if they make rls worse. Common culprits are most antidepressants, antihistamines, beta blockers for anxiety or high BP and some statins.

Medications used in rls are mainly gabapentin/ pregabalin and dopamine drugs pramipexole/ ropinirole. Unfortunately the dopamine drugs can cause something called augmentation where the symptoms eventually get worse, so that is worth bearing in mind when talking to your gp.

If I were you I would try another gp in the hope that they are more knowledgeable about the condition.

Iron tablets I believe can help. DH can’t take them because they might affect his blood levels. He takes pregabalin prescribed by neurologist and it certainly helps. His restless legs syndrome increased over time to his body and arms. Spent much of the time walking trying to relieve the stress.

Both me and my adult daughter have RLS. It really is horrid. Magnesium has worked for us. I take a magnesium tablet (just one a day) and my daughter swears by a magnesium ointment that she rubs on her legs before bed. Magnesium has been a game changer for both of us.

I have heard Tonic water helps cramps but not sure about restless legs.

A banana every day and a zinc tablet.

Nospringchix has made a great post on rls. I have had it very severely for 40+ years 14-7 in my arms and legs. The DAs Ropinerole or Pramipexole caused me to augment…. A GP who didn’t know what he was doing. After many tortuous years of 24/7 symptoms I learned that opioids helped and now use Cocodamol with success prescribed by my Movement Disorder Consultant. I also take Pregabalin for peripheral neuropathy with the bonus that it helps RLS.
This is a disease that is indescribable to a non sufferer.
I will add, contrary to a previous poster who said a cold shower doesn’t work….. if I get water as cold as possible over my legs for about 20 minutes it will usually calm my symptoms long enough to get to sleep. I have often used a bucket of icy cold water, splashing the water up until the symptoms ease. It is almost painful at first but a good pain and you soon get used to it.
An excellent site is rls.org. They also have a very active discussion board and you need to register separately for it to be able to ask questions. But I think you can read it ok without registering.
For anyone with severe rls I’d recommend it. It was a life saver for me. Literally. I was that bad. Had to raise my desk at work so I could stand to use the computer. Couldn’t sit down at tea break/lunch.
I educated my GP (who said he’d sort of heard of rls !!) using The Mayo Clinic Algorithm. Thankfully he was amenable.

I’m so sorry I’ve gone on a lot here but want to help anyone with rls if I can.
Thank you

Thankyou all so much for your kind and helpful replies, I really appreciate them...

A nightly glass of Indian Tonic Water helped me. Try it for a week or two. It doesn’t offer an immediate cure, but over the course of a few weeks, my symptoms disappeared. As a matter of fact, I still have a glass, when I remember.