RLS and Fibro
 

I've been diagnosed with restless leg syndrome. My neuro calls it a "cosmetic problem". I disagree with him.
I also have leg and back spasms from a collapsed disc in my back.
How many other people get twitches and spasms from whatever cause when trying to fall asleep?

A cosmetic problem???? The heck does that mean? Does he think that it is less important than your other issues. Well smack that man in the head and give him a quarter for the notion.
RLS is more than real. It affects me every now and again because it is a side effect of trazodone. Usually an omega-3 tablet and some ibuprofen works for me, but that may not for everyone.
Dumb docs.....can't work with 'em....can't live without them.

Interesting.
He didn't tell me it's a side effect of Trazedone. I take that, along w/ paxil, tegretal, synthroid, seroquel, and god knows what else. I think he and my psych are afraid to tell me it's a side effect from meds. I tried requip, but it made the rls worse! He said, well, that's a very rare thing. I felt like saying, what do you want me to do about it?
I'll try the omege 3.
Thanks,
J

Janet, the only reason I found out about it is that when I went up in dosage on my trazodone recently my RLS came back like gang-busters. The only thing that seemed to calm it down was omega-3 tablets and 800mgs of ibuprofen. Strange I know.
Here is what I found out about the side effects.....

What side effects may I notice from taking trazodone?
Side effects that you should report to your prescriber or health care professional as soon as possible:
•fainting spells
•fast or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
•painful erections or other sexual dysfunction
•skin rash
•trembling

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your prescriber or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
•blurred vision
•constipation
•drowsiness, dizziness
•dry mouth
•headache
•muscle aches or pains
•nausea, vomiting
•unusual tiredness or weakness

I just read in a web md article that there IS a correlation of fibro and rls. It is listed as one possible co-morbid condition.

"Other comorbid conditions include irritable bladder, premenstrual syndrome, restless leg syndrome, temperomandibular joint pain, noncardiac chest pain, Raynaud's phenomenon, and sicca syndrome."

Coyote" The Dr's first thought yrs ago, that I had RLS, but then a Neuro and Rheumatologist said NOPE, it's FM. *now also have PM*.

I take Trazadone and Clonazepam at bedtime, or else I wouldn't get any sleep. DH is thankful that I've quieted down, too.

I take a low dose of both now tho.

One thing most doctors don't understand is any co-morbid pain condition makes fibro worse.
Any non fibro pain source may start a feedback loop and cause fibro pain to wind up.
I have fibro, RLS, sleep apnea. and neuropathy. And till i got a C-pap and the right meds for me.(gabapentin) they were feeding off each other.

Plus any normal day to day pain source from a stubbed toe to a headache would would make the fibro worse.

Most of the day to day pain sources can be treated with OTC pain meds.
But RLS and neuropathy need stronger meds.
Low O2 levels caused by sleep apnea can also cause fibro to wind up. and make RLS worse.

Most doctors try to treat co-morbid conditions as separate conditions and overlook how they interact.

Au,

Thanks for your words.
I'll always remember how the pain/fibro flare connection became apparent to me.
At one dentist visit, the novacane didn't take. The dentist wanted to drill a tooth and gave me the option of going ahead without another novacane shot. I said sure...........I always wa told I had a high tolerance for pain.
Well, the next day at work, I was carrying boxes of supplies around and suddenly my legs gave out from under me. I slid down with my knees against the wall, and couldn't prevent the fall to the floor.
I knew this was from the pain I'd experienced the day before.
It would be difficult to make someone else understand this.

Likewise, poor sleep causes more pain, fatigue, memory loss, etc.

Keeping sleep and pain levels under control seem to be key.

I think we are the feelers of the world. We feel everything. We know when a single little muscle in our crazy systems of ours is out of touch. We also seem to know when something will affect us in a bad way.
:Dunno: We are just so sensitive.:D

OMG Wendy! You SO hit the nail on the head.

I used to be able to tolerate alot more pain. In cold weather, there's days I can't even stand a coat on; as it hurts my shoulders.