My sisterinlaw was having real problems during the day at her work desk as well as at night. The dr. started her on sinemet. That is the drug my dad took for parkinsons so it must have something to do with the muscles. She says it has really helped her.

Ask your physician about a new drug called Requip, which is specifically targeted at RLS.

You might think I am crazy, but put a bar of soap under the sheets by your feet (Ivory Soap), helped me.

Okay -- What is the reasoning?

Don't know but it works, just give it a try.

For some reason people always want to take drugs for everything. Worth giving it a try.

jbkidd,

I wouldn't laugh at any suggestions. Some things can't be explained right away.

My main problem is early evening when I am watching tv. I always have to be moving my legs around.

marcia,

How is sinemet working out for your SIL as far as side effects-any?

I really want to hear users' opinions on medications. I don't want to start on any meds if they don't have good results in the field.

tx- Judy

I have RLS and for the life of me I can't figure out how a bar of soap under the sheets would stop my legs from moving around. Can you explain the reasoning? I must Google this and see what comes up about it.

Fortunately, I don't have the restless problem after I go to bed, just while I'm trying to relax in the late evening if I am just sitting -- watching TV, visiting with people, reading, anything that doesn't involve movement. It's extremely annoying when I am with other people and I can't just get up and leave, which is what I want to do!

I don't and probably will never take medication. Sugar and alcohol bring it on or make it worse.

Jen

Read this article on soap and RLS

Here is a link that might be useful: Soap

I have RLS; It got so bad that I could not sit through a meeting in the evening & it would keep me up at night. I started taking 2 magnesium oxide tablets and 1 potassium (both from the vitamin aisle at the grocery) daily until the symptoms were completely gone. Now when I start to feel the sensations I take just the magnesium & they go away. THis has worked for me for 4 years now. If you have reduced kidney function (like a diabetic might) you have to be careful of taking extra potassium--but those are very low dose tablets.

raee,

I understand how you must have felt. It is sometimes impossible to just sit still.

I take magnesium tabs (250 mg) every day because I heard they help, but I hadn't heard about the potassium.
I can't be sure, but I think the magnesium does help. How does magnesium oxide differ from just plain magnesium?
Also, I didn't know they would work short term. I thought you had to take them everyday and they didn't start to work for a few months.
I guess you prove that theory wrong. I'm really glad you have found something that helps you-and it's natural!!

Judy, I am in Pa and my sil is in Ca so I can't really assess the side effects. She says it has really helped and hasn't talked about any side effects. I have noticed tho that she talks about being very forgettful and she started repeating things over the phone. So, I mentioned that it might be her meds and she basically said even if it were, she would keep taking it because she can function better at work and sleeps better. My dad , who had parkinsons, had a severe reaction to sinemet even tho the docs didn't believe me...it usually works fine for most they say. I would be hesitant after seeing what happened to dad.

thanks mar cia,

I would assume that your sil is taking a much smaller dose than your dad did.
To me, starting on a very small dose and seeing if I slept any better might be worth checking out.

I actually have a lot of problems with exhaustion (which waxes and wanes), and thought my sleep might be suffering too much with RLS. My S.O. says my legs do jerk a lot at night.

RLS is definately one possibility, but I'm looking at tons of other things that might explain my exhaustion.

Judy

I am so thankful that RLS doesn't disturb my sleep. I have always been a very sound sleeper, and the restlessness seems to calm down after I go to bed and start to drift off to sleep. However, on nights when I can't get to sleep (due to coffee/chocolate late in the day), then the RLS kicks in. But as soon as I do get to sleep, it seems to go away. My dad has to get up and walk around during the night. My evening RLS is bad enough, especially during social situations.

I do 'deep knee bends' or 'squats' when I am affected. I seem to need to bend my knees to get relief.
I've noticed that on days were I have done a lot of standing I seem to be worse at night.

The magnesium helps me: most of the time. There are some days when I am just going to have it even if I have been taking the Magnesium regularly. I don't want to take a drug since I don't have it every day. Plane rides and theatre performances are torture. On an ordinary evening at home I just walk around when it hits.

I should warn those of you who read this: Heavy-duty cold medicine makes RLS symptoms MUCH worse. Last winter I had the flu and was dosed up on NyQuil round the clock just to be able to breathe. The RLS was agonizing: pain, not just the restless aspect. I thought I was losing my mind until I realized the connection. It took 3 days without medicine before it subsided to the usual state. Then I went online and found this aggravation of symptoms is well known.
So be aware if you have to take cold medicine that this may happen.

Ok so I noticed that someone mentioned Requip and just wanted to give you fair warning about it. I was on it for a few months and at first I noticed that about 30 minutes after taking it I would fall into a deep sleep but I wasn't concerned because the medication was taking away my RLS symptoms. I have recently been taken off of Requip due to "extreme side effects" ie: falling asleep in the middle of the day (I take it at night), doing odd things in my sleep (as in texting, talking, laughing,and throwing things! At one point I even had an entire TWO HOUR phone conversation IN MY SLEEP!!) Numerous times I fell asleep during daily activities like playing the piano and picking up a piece of paper that had fallen on the floor! :( So while Requip is a WONDERFUL RLS medication, be VERY careful if you are going to take it and call your doctor if ANY of that starts happening!!

All drugs are dangerous and according to Websters dictionary.....drugs are anything except food that changes the structure of your body. A lot of the times the drugs are more dangerous than the problem we are having. When I have restless legs I get up and walk around a bit. There is one thing I take that causes restless legs and it was a sleep aid. I'll never take that again.

Just last week an article in our local paper said more people are dying of prescribed drugs than ever before, drugs passed death by car accidents. Some of the prescribed drugs we take are much more dangerous than cocaine and just as addictive.

Quite a few testimonials for an herbal remedy called Padma Basic.

My dr gave me a prscription for meds,I read them can cuse seizures,nope Ill suffer

I have had RLS for many years, mostly at night. I was put on Sinemet (? generic:carbidopa/levodopa ) back then & have been on it every since with no problems & still effective. Was put on some newer Rx's once later on but didn't like the side effects so went back on Sinemet.

I remember my mother would jerk her legs in the evenings too so think it must also be inherited?! I also was told that persons who had had rheumatic fever (which I did) often got RLS later too.

Sure a bothersome affliction isn't it?!

Will try the bar of soap idea! I also have some bars of lye soap I have made so will try that separately also. I must say I am a skeptic but I do want to test the bar of soap honestly & fairly.... but sure don't look forward to the first test night with RLS again if it doesn't work! Am glad I haven't seemed to gotten immune to the Rx Sinemet (for parkinson's) after all these years! Wonder how anyone figured out to try Sinemet in the first place for RLS?!