I have a friend who suffers from RLS. She cut all caffeine from her diet and started wearing compression socks to bed. So far, that seems to be helping. I'm so sorry that you are experiencing this condition.

I have had it on and off since I was a child.

Exercise really helps but I don't do it consistently. When I do exercise I walk or do Tai Chi.

I find stretching before bedtime is very important.

Also, taking calcium supplements.

edited to add: Once I tried the ivory soap bar under the sheet trick. It didn't seem to work but many say it does.

This post was edited by debrak2008 on Wed, May 7, 14 at 21:29

I don't have RLS but sometimes I want to shake my legs when I'm trying to go to sleep - have weird feeling and want it to go away. I read an article recently about using essential oils for RLS. The article linked isn't the one I read then, but you can Google for more info:

Here is a link that might be useful: RLS and EOs

Yes, I have it, and it's horrible at its worst -which is when it kicks in on the couch about 9pm. I have nights where it annoys me all night, and then many nights where I'm not aware of it. Once I'm asleep, it bothers my husband more honestly. But it can be hell trying to get to sleep. The soap under the sheets DID work for me -though it blows my mind. In fact, I need to stick a bar under there again.

Oakley, I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. Like Allison, I get jumpy legs at times, and it drives me crazy. Usually just some ibuprofen helps me. I can't imagine having to deal with all the time. I hope you find something that works without causing daytime drowsiness.

Soap under the sheet?? lol. I'm going to have to try that. I can't do socks because I'd burn up, even if it was freezing in the room. :)

Jumpy legs. Is that when you kick during your sleep and don't know it and your husband says you kicked the carp out of him and to stop? I have that too!

Best, if the soap doesn't work try the carb/levo. It works about 90% of the time for me with just one pill and no drowsiness in the mornings.

I'm going to get some soap for the afternoon siesta.

I'm also a big coffee drinker and if I don't drink it, I simply have no energy.

I have mild RLS. It frequently kicks in during the evening, about 8 or 9 pm, but sometimes at night in bed.

I've found that keeping very hydrated is key for me. If I don't drink enough, the RLS gets worse.

Also, consistent exercise. If I walk even just half a mile a day, it gets better.

Tonic water works for me, half a glass before bedtime. Dr. told me to take it.

Could some gin go in that tonic water? :) That would be another easy thing to try when I take a nap.

I got up at 4:15 the other morning and I had to take a nap, but I couldn't. It was miserable!

I can't believe I suffered all those years not knowing there was a med for it.

My mother swore by the bar of soap near the foot of the bed under the sheets. She used to say that the quinine at bedtime helped some too. Do you drink a lot of water during the day? I've always suspected it could be related to dehydration....

Oakley, as far as I know of, I've never kicked hubby. He's never told me anyway. My "jumpy" legs just feel "jiggly" inside and really, its me, that makes them jump as I shake them trying to get that feeling to go away. I try not to do it when hubby is already asleep, but I can't help it. I have to get up and move which is when I'll take one ibuprofen.
I was forced to stop caffeine a few years back when my BP was so high. I had no energy without it until recently I started taking Alive Women's Energy supplements. There's also one for women over fifty, but I looked the ingredients over and decided to take the one for energy. I've noticed a big difference. I ran out of them while in Hawaii and boy could I tell. I think caffeine is like sugar,its a limited "high".

Other recommendations nutritionally include checking iron levels, try adding folate and magnesium. Also avoid caffeine and alcohol near bed time.

Sorry to hear you are suffering with this very annoying condition, Oakley.

As you have likely read restless leg syndrome may be associated with obesity, vitamin and mineral deficiency, hyperthyroidism, heavy metal toxicity. It can be exacerbated by caffeine, alcohol, and many medications.

The allopathic medical system treats conditions such as this by using pharmaceutical drugs which rarely cure, only mask symptoms and do not address the actual cause. Naturopathic medicine is different in that it tries to treat the underlying cause which can have better results so if I had this condition I would consult a Naturopathic Doctor.

"I think caffeine is like sugar,its a limited "high". I so agree with this and that is hard for a sugar addict to admit. I know I feel so much better when I cut way back on sugar and the other white stuff. I don't do caffeine. I think you would go through a hard period adjusting to no caffeine, but it will get better. If you are getting enough sleep, it really shouldn't matter what time you get up. Exercise and other things can replace the caffeine.

But to your question, no, I don't have it. However, like Allison, I have "something" from time to time. It usually seems to be when in the car for a period of time, etc. and occasionally when I first go to bed I will feel it. I think it is muscular because I have problems from time to time with the piraformis muscle (sp), which then continues to the hip flexors and the outer thigh muscles. Exercise (stretching) GREATLY helps this.

I agree with luckygal. I am one who does not like to take medicine and will usually do just about anything/everything to avoid it. I know it can't be helped at times (such as certain periods of the year I have to take singular for my mold allergy), but I know my drs must love me because I will try to take the least dosage of something and/or take it for the shortest period of time possible. LOL I would try to find out what causes the condition and see if there are other options than meds, especially something that treats Parkinsons. That would worry me.

I'm going to have to look this up, because I am dying to know about the soap under the sheet!!!

tina

Lucky, I understand what you're saying, but unless you've personally suffered from RLS, you probably would have tried everything possible before you'd turn to a pill. Which is what I did.

One of my son's have inherited this condition also, beginning in his 20's. So far he doesn't need any meds, but he may down the road as the condition worsens.

I drink quite a bit of water, especially in the evening.

Just, I also take Alive, but I haven't seen any difference in energy. Coffee will give me great energy for a couple of hours.

I'm definitely going to put the soap in my bed though, and if it helps in the afternoons that would be great!

Basically the afternoon nap is when I need something instead of a pill.

If this med has been "masking" a condition, it's a condition that hasn't hurt me for the past 25 years. lol

The reason you may not have noticed a change in taking Alive, is because of your caffeine intake. That's just a guess, but it makes sense in my head. Which doesn't really say much as I'm in shock today. My Father in law passed away last night and I got the news from my Mother in law this morning. Still can't/don't want to believe it.

nope. I get charley horse cramps in my calves at night though. very painful.

Checking any other medications you take is a good idea. RLS is a side effect of antihistamines, for example, as well as several other medications.

I have allergies and while most of the year I can control them without medication, during the spring and fall I really need to take antihistamines, or I can't breath. And the RLS gets worse when I do. But the choice is between breathing and kicking my legs and struggling to breath, and breathing wins out.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Justgotabme. My deepest sympathies.

Thank you Annie. I appreciate your thoughts so much.

Violet, those cramps have plagued me for years, but when I was pregnant it was awful. Of all the remedies I tried, the only one that worked was to stand on a cold, hard, tile floor. It worked! Eventually I would start to wake up just before the cramp started. I'd immediately dash over to the bathroom floor, and it would stop before it got going. The surface has to be hard and cold, so tile is better than hardwood.

Oakley, how does one know if one has RLS? I have to move my legs, i can't sit still for long. It doesn't bother me, but I worry about distracting those around me.

Just, I'm so sorry to hear about your FIL.

Camlan, since I've had this since my late 20's, medication is ruled out. I think some people are just prone to get it while others aren't.

bpathome, if you got it, you'll know it, and it WILL bother you. lol. It's a tickleing feeling inside your calves or ankles (I've had it in my arms before) and it's miserable because you have to move your legs thinking it will go away and it doesn't.

Before I took meds, I'd get up and walk the floors. I know a lady who told me her daughter would just cry because of RLS until she found a med for it.

I'm a pharmacist, not a doctor but I know people can develop a tolerance to Sinemet, at least in Parkinsons. Other options would be a dopamine agonist (Requip or Mirapex) or a particular type of antiepilectic drug like Neurontin (gabapentin) or Lyrica (pregabalin). One other class of drugs for RLS is the benzodiazepines like Valium or Klonopin. Of course they all have risks and side effects and they all do cause drowsiness which you might like for helping with sleep.You should also be tested for magnesium deficiency as that can cause cramps and RLS symptoms.

All things to discuss w/your doc. Everything I mentioned above is available generically except Lyrica. I don't have this often but when I do, I think I will go nuts so anyone that has it nightly has my sympathies!

bpath you may have it! I googled RLS because I wanted to read about the soap thing and found a good website. Apparently it ranges in severity so some people have mild cases of it. Feeling like you have to move your legs to get rid of the feeling is a major symptom (that's you!).

It also mentions many of the things that people suggested here such as caffeine, antihistimines, etc.

I'm linking the url.

Here is a link that might be useful: RLS

duplicate

This post was edited by tinam61 on Thu, May 8, 14 at 15:01

Thank you Oakley.

According to Tinam61's link, I do have it. I just don't get it very often. The funny thing is, I can recline in bed and read and nothing happens. I turn off the light, lay down and wham! I got it.

My husband has it, and our primary care physician is the one who suggested the IVORY soap in the sheets.
He said that while there doesn't seem to be any explanation, about 1/3 of the people he sees with RLS report that the soap works.
It sure is worth a try.
(it didn't help my husband).

Tina, great link, thanks!

"More than 80 percent of people with RLS also experience a more common condition known as periodic limb movement of sleep (PLMS). PLMS is characterized by involuntary leg twitching or jerking movements during sleep that typically occur every 15 to 40 seconds, sometimes throughout the night. "

I have that too. I wake up a lot after a big jerk of the leg, and this is what my DH complains about. I've woken up with the blanket on the floor wondering how the heck it got there. lol

3Graces, thanks so much for the info. It very well could be the beginnings of developing a tolerance to carb/levo, but it's still working pretty good for me on most nights.

A while back I called the doctor's office to get a refill, and when I told the receptionist the name of the med, I went ahead and said it was for RLS. She had never heard of the med, and asked if it worked. She said her daughter has it so bad it brings her to tears. I told her if I could only have one med it would be for RLS. That's how bad it is.

Threegraces...I have had RLS for 30 years. It is the most miserable feeling possible and never found a relief. Most doctors really don't give it much interest and answers. 8 years ago I developed a neuro movement disorder. Have been on the "pams" as my Pharmacists calls them. From day one of using them, no RLS. Yes, be careful taking them, but they give me a normal life and too old to worry about addiction. I will not take them during the day, even though it is prescribed for both day and night. No after affects, but sure sleep well and hasn't affected my day time activities which I stay alert to.

I was diagnosed with RLS two years ago. As soon as the sun went down I had the terrible urge to stretch my feet. As the night wore on it would only worsen, so much that I would go to bed as early as 9pm willing myself to fall asleep to escape the discomfort. After a battery of blood tests as well as an MRI to rule out any back issues, I was prescribed Mirapex. 90% effective for me and I am happy with that. I hope you are able to find some relief.

I was diagnosed with RLS after a sleep study 10 years ago, and was prescribed Requip. It seemed to help for a long time, and made me very sleepy, but about two years ago, I needed a refill on it, and my doctor was on vacation for a month. I didn't realize it right away, so I was without meds for a while. When I got my refill, I started taking it again and felt awful!

I had done some reading on the 'net, and began taking a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement, and started to feel so much better!

Now, I don't take it every night like I did in the beginning, but I do notice my legs starting to act up if I haven't taken it in a while. It seems to help me, and it's so much better than taking prescription meds!