Restless legs- help!

[Theresnobslikeshowb]

3am I woke with the most weirdest feeling in my legs. 2 hours of kicking my legs about I finally got up at 5am. I have never suffered with this before, I could have cut off my legs last night.

I’ve looked at NHS online, and it said it could be lack of iron- so I’ve taken some iron tablets.

It also said that lithium and antihistamines could cause it- both of which I take, and yesterday was the second day of a new antihistamine. Also that Gabapentin and codeine could help- both of which I already take.

So I’ve taken an iron tablet and I have not taken an antihistamine today. But what what else can I do if it happens again tonight?

If you do suffer with this, OMG I really feel for you, I never appreciated how unsettling and horrible it was.

It is horrible. I suffer from time to time and the only thing that helps when I can't stand it anymore is a bath.

Used to be a nightmare on car journeys longer than 1/2 hour ☹

Take Magnesium and if the problem lasts for a long period of time, Pramipexole on prescription works well.

Lie on your back with your legs up against a wall, that works for me

Obviously check with a pharmacist in case there's danger of interaction between this and what you already take, but magnesium is a great supplement for restless legs.

Women especially need more magnesium as they reach the menopause. It also helps with tiredness in general. I get mine from Holland and Barrett. Sometimes it's mixed with other minerals (e.g. Magnesium Citrate or Magnesium Lactate) or with an additional vitamin (e.g. Vitamin D). I used to have restless legs now and again (and boy, do I recognise that description of wanting to chop you're own legs off!) and it's really made a difference.

At the end of the day magnesium is a natural mineral that the human body should have in it to some degree anyway - it's just a case of knowing whether or not you need to top up your reserves of something you probably used to have enough of, but now - for whatever reason - don't.

It’s awful. I find moving about helps and drinking too much doesn’t!

Interesting about magnesium, I have a magnesium oil spray that someone recommended for muscle strains, might be worth trying for restless legs too.

I'm 6 months pregnant and get this frequently it's awful isn't it! Make sure you're well hydrated, salty crisps to maintain sodium / potassium balance. Supplements like Iron tablets may indeed help but they take a good while to get in to your system to make any difference. The elevating your legs slightly does provide some relief from the worst of it too. I find exercise helps me too, although conversely some people say it makes theirs worse! 🙈

Utmost sympathies!

I’ve had RLS since I was a wee girl! It’s absolute murder. I have been prescribed pramipexole from the docs and it works great! I couldn’t take them during my two pregnancies and it was torture, I remember being in hospital after just giving birth and being so excited I could take them again that night haha! Hope you get something sorted, it’s a horrible feeling x

It a bar of soap in the bed. No idea why but it helped me a lot.

Magnesium helped me

Don't take without discussing with your GP or pharmacist to check for interactions with ALL your existing medication but some people find quinine helps and I think it's in the BNF. Tonic as in gin and tonic doesn't have high doses though some find it helps. Quinine tablets are available from the pharmacist. Availability is a little constrained possibly due to people reading about chloroquine or hydroxyclhloroquine and COVID and deciding to self-dose on something with a similar name.

Good luck.

I understand in the US, FDA banned quinine for RLS but UK GPs may still prescribe. Please discuss with your GP or pharmacist, especially given the other medications you mentioned and any other medication you are taking that you may not have mentioned.

Magnesium spray and magnesium tablets helped me a lot. The spray feels weird at first but your body gets used to it after a few weeks. I would use sparingly and wash off after 10 mins and it still worked.

My mums doctor told her to take aspirin for it. She said that worked

Had this since I was 4. Am now in my 30s. I get restless arms too, fortunately not as often as it's awful when all four limbs are restless!

Reduce your caffeine consumption, I drink de caff tea now with the occasional caffeinated brew if out, or maybe one first thing. This helps. We used to have a 9pm cup of tea, we both sleep much better now it's a de caff one.

Heat packs help me - I heat one of those long microwaveable wheat bags and lie my legs near it at night. It reduces the urge to move them.

I also try and stretch my legs during the day and evening. Siting at the sofa for several hours in the evening can trigger it off.

Some people find a hot bath before bed helps.

Ibuprofen works quite well for me. As RL come with period cramps, double bonus.

I get it if my feet aren't cold when I go to bed. This means i can fix it by going to stand on the cold bathroom floor, but it's still very annoying. And horrible in hot weather.

I have suffered horribly with this at night and I found a weighted blanket helped hugely. I've gone from having attacks maybe 5 nights out of 7, to only having one or two a month. Even then they're much more mild than previously.

Magnesium definitely helps in my experience, especially magnesium baths. Also, do you do any stretching at all? Yoga or something similar? Another thing worth thinking about is are you having any digestive issues at the moment? Sometimes when I have restless legs it's actually digestive discomfort.

I used to get this a lot, I found Vit B Supplement really helpful, also cutting down on alcohol and making sure I'm not too hot.

What is it ?
Are your legs constantly moving ?

You get this really weird feeling in your legs that makes you feel you have to move them to ease it.

I get the feeling of blood pumping through veins / arteries in in my legs so that is a different thing ?

Definitely try Magnesium

Magnesium combined with Vitamin D should sort it out, but antihistamines sadly do aggravate it!