My restless legs are driving me MAD

[Mrstrumpalot]

If you don't suffer from this you probably won't appreciate just how uncomfortable it is. Have been in bed 3 hours now and still not asleep. My legs are driving me mad with pain/ restlessness especially in the calf area.
Have been on pramipexole now for about 6 months, GP says I am at my max of 3 per night but they just don't seem to work anymore. I have also tried magnesium flake baths and magnesium oil rubbed in.

I know it may seem trivial compared to more serious complaints but I dread going to bed, kick about for ages and then feel exhausted the next day. It's really starting to get me down.

My 5th night of magnesium spray. Less tingly now thank goodness. My legs are less restless. I even managed the cinema at the weekend.

Piglet I'm so glad for you. Mine are so uncomfortable right now. I miss the nights when my legs went crazy at night but I was fast asleep. Now they seem unbearable all day

This is going to sound a bit mad, but in a moment of madness and desperation I punted on a YouTube video that was something like 'Restless Leg Sleeping Hypnotherapy' or some such. I remember thinking 'this I never going to work before I clearly nodded off and wasn't woken up again by them. Worth a go?

Flutter thank you, I will try anything!

It was about ten days ago (thankfully I don't get it often - or at least not since I gave birth) and haven't had it since, so not promising it want coincidence, but costs nothing to try! Fingers crossed for you! ,

I have RLS 24/7 and have suffered for 30+ years. Never sleep more than 3 hours nightly. A cocktail of various prescribed medications give me some relief.
Anti seizure Medicine such as abstention can help once the right dose is reached. Also codeine or tramadol are helpful. Antidepressants can be a trigger as can some antihistamines.

It's important to raise your ferritin iron levels to around 100. Ferritin is the iron that is stored and needs to be requested, it's not a normally requested test. A terrifying reading of around 20 is considered normal, but it isn't sufficient for a sufferer of RLS.

A good site for information is rls.org. in particular it has an extremely good discussion board - it requires registration.

Symptoms only occurring at night, or getting worse at night, are a clear indicator of RLS.

'Gabapentin' not abstention

Lady thank you for your post, it's very helpful.

I suffer from horrible symptoms at night, but also increasingly bad symptoms during the day. I'm on a low dose sleeping tablet to help me sleep but it leaves me so drowsy the next day and I feel that it makes the symptoms worse. I'd love to never take one again

I'll have a look at the website, thanks for the link

I was awake all night last night. My legs were so bad.
How long do the magnesium tabs take to work? I've been taking them 4 days now. It is awful. I am either so tired the next day or sleeping late.

It really screws your QOL

So many of us suffering and yet still not a definitive medical answer which works for everyone.

It's making me really really miserable and tired and to top it off I think I have plantar fasciitis, self diagnosed but symptoms fit exactly. Anyway have made an appointment with GP.
Have such a pain under my heel and can hardly walk when I get out of bed. That, coupled with the cramps caused by rls , is making me walk like an old woman when I first get up and I'm only mid fifties.
Absolutely fed up with it.

@Mrstrumpalot
It is crazy how many of us suffer this and yet they aren't really sure if the cause and certainly not of the cure.

Is it a mainly female afflication? I bet if it was a male one there would be a cure by now

ineed i agree that it is crazy how many people suffer from RLS and I would fully support further research, but I don't think gender comes into it in the slightest. I suspect it is more rooted in a lack of understanding/lack of funding. Happy to be proved wrong though

I had this terribly when regnant and nothing worked.
I never found magnesium to work. When not pregnant codeine worked and like a pp it was often but not always tied to iron deficiency.

Many years ago someone suggested orgasm as a temporary cure and it does work even just for a little while but it's hard when not in the mood to be bothered with the hassle of orgasming.

Folic acid. 800mcg a day. That is what worked for me when I had it. It's certainly worth a try, folks, and won't hurt if it doesn't work.

I had restless legs during my last pregnancy and it was horrendous! Every night I had to have a warm bath, drink a cup of chamomile tea, eat a banana and take a couple of paracetamol. It made a bit of difference but not a great lot!

I have this too, but in my arms ...??? I have to move them all the time, feels very uncomfortable. It's only in the evening and night and keeps me awake. I'll try magnesium.

chillaxing arms and legs for me. Is RAS such a thing??

Does anyone else have it worse in one leg? My right leg is at least twice as bad as my left. I noticed it in my right arm last night too.

My right leg is significantly worse than my left. Does anyone else feel any muscle weakness the morning after a bad bout? I feel like my arm and leg muscles feel quite week.