Restless legs at night

Absolutely, I have had it for 30 years and suffer 24/7 in both arms and legs. I take medication which helps. Great information can be found on www.rls.org which is a discussion board. One important thing to do is have a blood ferritin serum level test done. This checks the iron level getting to your brain and you want it to be up around 100. Doctors consider ferritin around 20 to be normal but this is not so for rls sufferers. Also an ordinary blood test may say all normal but a ferritin iron test is a completely different test.

The main criteria for diagnosis of restless legs syndrome is that it is at least partially relieved by movement. The urge to move / walk cannot be ignored.

We posted about this recently on GN and even since then I am even more sure that processed sugar is a cause. More magnesium in your diet could also help. Try a sugar free diet for a week or so and see how you go.

It's a horrible feeling, I first noticed it when I was pregnant with DD1 and she is 41 years old. I have eliminated quite a few things from my diet so I know what affects me. Processed sugar has me wanting to get up and walk around fairly soon after eating it. White bread, pasta or anything made with flour gives me dry eyes at night.

I prefer to sort out the cause instead of masking it with medication.

It is wonderful to be able to manage symptoms using diet and other methods and I did this for about 25 years. Caffeine and sugar were occasional triggers but not causes, feet in a bucket of icy water for about 20 minutes would sometimes cut the leg symptoms for a half hour.

Eventually, when I ended up standing at my desk in work from 9 - 5, unable to be seated because of symptoms - and operating on mostly about 3 hours sleep nightly - the stress became too much and I succumbed to medication. Honestly, I'd have done anything to mask the symptoms. I guess it depends greatly on the severity of symptoms. I have it in legs, arms, shoulders 24/7. I could sit at my desk again.

This disease affects sufferers in different ways, in various degrees of intensity, in different parts of the body. What helps one sufferer does not always help another sufferer and it is suspected that RLS has several sub sections which each differ from the other by causation and in the success of differing ways to manage it.

Low ferritin blood serum is one trigger/cause which appears to be quite common amongst those at the severe end of the spectrum.

Happily the OP is not troubled every night which is a blessing and I wish OP and Faye as much peace from this condition as is possible.

The longer you can remain off medication the better.

I believe it has been determined that true RLS is a neurological condition which can be triggered I.e. pregnancy,menopause, surgery, antihistamines, antidepressants, plus many other triggers.

I have this problem at night about twice a week. And everyday if I sit down to rest in the pms. I think it's related to a pre-arthritic condition in my left hip. I've had my right hip replaced.
I've never mentioned it to my doctor because there's always something else to ask about.

I feel for anyone getting it in their arms too. It's bad if you are standing at your desk for so long coolgran, I have stood at mine too but not all day. That anxious feeling of wanting to get up and just go, I know it well. My symptoms seem to have disappeared and so has my arthritis since I changed my diet. It doesn't take much for them to start up again but I am very aware of what I should not eat now. I hope it will stay that way.

In my experience doctors only seem to know to medicate Tricia though I had a doctor years ago who told me to try old wives tales first as they often work.

Many years ago - one winter night at about 1am I was really desperate for symptom relief and I went out into the back garden wrapped up except for bare feet. 10 minutes walking barefoot in the snow cut the horrible crawling feelings long enough to get to sleep.

I have a fear of being in a care situation unable to walk or speak for myself with untreated RLS.

Faye ..... I've described the urge to move as being like a Jack In The Box. Trying to convince myself this is 'only a sensation' and ignore it..... impossible.... hang on, hang on, stay seated, stay seated.....then boom... jump up, must move to get relief.
Church and meetings can be tortuous.

My husband suffers from restless legs. A doctor here in the USA told him an old wives tale. He tried it and it works for him. Simple and cheap, what does he do - drinks a large glass of tonic water every night a few hours before he goes to bed. The tonic water must contain quinine. It takes a few days to work. He drinks it even after the restless legs have gone, after about a month he stops. It's usually 6-9 months before the restlessness comes back and he starts drinking again.

Yes Suefla62, I've heard of the quinine being used for RLS although it was generally perceived originally to be helpful for cramps.
Anything that works - don't knock it.

As OP Boatyard appears to have mild symptoms it is worth trying anything that is not a drug.

My RLS was so bad that I was forced to pack in work two years early. I could not survive on 2/3 hours sleep per night + daytime catch up sleep at weekends. I tried all known remedies, including 6 weeks on Quinine tablets, all to no avail. I even tried to do with out my anti-depressants (citalopram) thinking they might be the cause but all that happened was that I stomped about all night, crying my eyes out.

Eventually, when my right arm decided to beat time alternately with my legs, I threw myself on my GP's mercy, declaring that I could no longer carry on. She prescribed 88microgram Pramipexole, to be taken 2-3 hours before bed and I have slept like a log every night since bar 2 nights when I had been out and omitted to take the pill. Still get the occasional twinge or two if forced to sit still for long periods but try to keep on the move anyway. Personally, I can see no reason to avoid available drugs when they can make such an improvement in your quality of life.

Well said, G23. (Your last sentence I mean).

Quinine sulphate tablets, magnesium and tonic water. If I don't have these three I suffer with both RLS and cramp. I find it also helps if I have a slug of gin with the tonic water !!

Thank you all for the helpful information ,will post back if I get some success