It is 2:30 am and I cannot sleep. My legs are driving me crazy!! Can anyone give me some info on how to help relieve it? I have not been dx'ed....but it is so obvious what is wrong. Also, can carrying extra weight effect it? Thanks..any help is appreciated!!

dorrie, i think we have had posts about this. i'm not sure.

my husband had plmd. so far nothing much has helped. he does take calcium and magnesium before going to bed. it seems to make him fall asleep. i know it helps me. otherwise there would be no way i could sleep. his constant movements drive me bonkers.

oh...we take melatonin too. when he had cut out caffiene 100%, he had less movements. no anxiety in his legs either. but he is back on caffiene. lots of it unfortuantly. working 16-18 hour days.

he was rx'ed requip. no way was he going to take it.

i hope you get some relief.

Dorrie, the best help is doing a bit of reading on the internet. There isn't really any short piece of advice - since they don't exactly know what causes it and they don't have any specific treatment, there are about 50 things you can do that might help. Too bad nothing helps all of us.

The Restless legs Foundation is at rls.org - great place for info with a forum, too. In the forum, there are sticky posts that provide a lot of helpful info. We Move also has good information - wemove.org - and also a forum. A doctor runs the southern California support group's site - rlshelp.org.

Hope that gets you started in the right direction. As someone who's had it for 30 years, I can testify to how problematic it can be.

Thank you both for your replies.......Curious, I forgot about magnesium....it does help me but between my Metformin for Diabetes and the magnesium....I spend alot of time running to the bathroom....does that count as a form of exercise?! Viewaskew...thank you I will check out those sites....I appreciate the help!!

Both my sister and SIL experienced complete relief of RLS after lowering their intake of gluten.

SIL had a relapse the day after having pizza for dinner.

It's not proof, but it might be something to think about...

-Heidi

I have been on Mirapex for over six years. It completly relieved my severe RLS. I don't know about other remidies, but I do know that Mirapex does work.

Hi Dorrie,

I was diagnosed with RLS through and overnight sleep study about six years ago. My Doc put me on 'Klonopin'. I take a generic form 'Clonazepan'...not sure if the spelling is correct.

Anyway, my RLS is much improved. Sometimes my legs are still a bit sore while in bed, but this is definately in the tolerable range.

Ask your Doc if this is something that will help you and not interfere with your other medication. I believe it is a type of anti-seizure medication.

Anne

I have had RLS my entire life....40 years ago, people thought you were crazy.

We have a family cluster of it. It is made worse by any drug with anticholinergic affects, antidopaminergic effects and SSRIs. We can not take cold medication, allergy medication etc.

The only thing that stopped it was Mirapex. Other drugs that may work for people are in the family of opiates and clonazepam. Mirapex or Requip need to be started at the very lowest possible dose and in the evening only. I have seen unfortunate people given the same doses as are used for Parkinson's disease. Those doses are much higher and generally not needed for RLS.

RLS can also affect the arms, and upper back, yes, it feels pretty weird. It can also occur during the day in rare cases.

RLS occurs when people have low ferritin levels, however, I could not get my ferritin high enough with just oral meds.

I also have small fiber neuropathy.

Lately my RLS has taken a break...which is weird, as I have been on Mirapex for 8 years, tried to get off numerous times and could not...I had a weird episode of not sleeping for 3 full days and nights....and the fourth night...no RLS.

I am sure it is lurking somewhere and once I get used to not having it, it will creep up on me again.

That RLS website mentioned is very good.

I have had RLS for as long as I can remember and was also made to feel as if it were "all in my head". It was actually my psychiatrist (I am bi-polar) that caught on and prescribed Requip. It has worked very well for me, with few "breakthroughs".

I was diagnosed, finally, with YOPD in 2006 and had Mirapex prescribed for that, but it makes me violently ill at any dosage higher than 0.5 mg.

Good luck!