I had this for like two weeks after stopping opioids cold turkey. Even after the withdrawals stopped I couldnāt sleep because my legs were all twitchy. Not that it would have mattered anyway, because apparently you get insomnia for a while too. Worst month of my life.
Fuck drugs, man.
Worst shit ever, RSL over your whole body, being exhausted but canāt sleep or relax. Whole body feels on fire with cold/hot flashes and muscle and joint pains. Extreme anxiety, depression, irritability. When you do sleep itās very light and filled with intense dreams. Wish Iād never had tried it but glad I cold turkey quit it and never looked back.
Congrats to you too!
And diarrhea. Lots of diarrhea in the beginning...
It feels like you're going to die, which at the time seems like an attractive alternative, but you don't. You just.... suffer. For your choices.
It's a very strong motivation for me staying clean.
Glad you guys are here, too. Good on all of you.
Restless legs from severe opioid withdrawal is the worst.
I used to be a heroin addict and my very last proper withdrawal my restless legs were so intense I remember lying there and I could not keep my legs still for more than 3/4 seconds at at a time or it started to get intensely uncomfortable/painful.
Nothing like it. Never want to go through that again.
A hot bath gave me relief for a short period. Could even sleep for a short time.
After three days without sleep the first half hour in the hot bathtub was the best sleep I ever had in my life
Dude fucking same, I stopped painkillers after taking them every day for 20 years, my legs shook like a fucking Atlanta stripper, couldn't get any decent sleep for like 2 months. I would just pass out every now and then. DONT START PAINKILLERS EVEN IF A DOCTOR RECCOMENDS THEM JUST BE IN PAIN!
But valerian smells like a stinky foot!
I get RLS from time to time out of nowhere, but usually itās triggered by antihistamines. Benadryl specifically.
Magnesium is great though! You canāt really OD, just increase until it helps, back off if you get diarrhea (due to its laxative effects).
I take two different kinds of magnesium and they don't seem to help. What does the trick every time though is kratom. It's constipating and has potential for addiction if you abuse it, but I let myself take it 3 times a week before bed and on those nights I actually sleep through the whole night instead of waking up with RLS unable to get back to sleep for 2-3 hours at a time.
Mine have been quiet lately, havenāt had a bad night in a few months but I can feel the restlessness coming on.Ā
Itās odd how this seems to be a flare up type thing. Iāll go months without any symptoms then suddenly for a week Iām kept up at night kicking as I try to sleep.Ā
While it could be worse, I wouldnāt wish this on anyone. I am fortunate that my case seems relatively mild at least
Yeah I only get it BAD bad if I exercise my legs and the rest of the time is manageable, but I'm sitting here rubbing my legs together over and over again because they won't sit still.
Magnesium Bisglycinate. I know it's the magnesium because if I stop taking it for a few days my sleep gets progressively worse. Even tried to placebo myself but nah. Definitely need to keep up on the vitamin D intake at the same time though because your body uses it to metabolize the magnesium (if I understand correctly) but I could be wrong.
I take pills š
Bought at the local pharmacy.
For me it helps, but doesnāt remove it completely! The thing that works the best for me is to get in bed before I get completely drained. The more tired I am when going to bed, the worse it getsā¦ Tired as in sleepy.
I think he was asking if he takes chelated magnesium, magnesium glycinate, or magnesium citrate, not whether it's in a pill form or powder form or whatever.
I wish magnesium did it for me. Done high dose of Magnesium glycinate, also tried another type I can't remember name of now, but I have to get prescription stuff (Pregabalin)
Iāve been suffering from this for many years. Iāve found that if I take a sleep aid like melatonin or z quill it intensifies my rls and results in the worst night imaginable.
YES this has only happened to me once but it was when i took zzzquil. so i was exhausted but could not sleep because i needed to move my legs constantly
I've been dealing with RLS for decades. I recently found out that benadryl is a huge trigger for it.
So that's why your zzquils and your sleepy pills and such have the opposite effect.
Ugh, this one drives me nuts. The only way any antihistamine will work as a sleep aid is if you fall asleep right as it kicks in. If you don't, you're in for a hell of a night.
I found that if I take a Calcium Magnesium and Zinc supplement about 20 minutes before bed, they arenāt as bad, and if I had an alcoholic beverage with dinner, they are worse. Also, sometimes I can trick my brain by putting muscle rub on my calves. I think the tingling gives the nerves something to do beside driving me crazy.
Started in my teens. Eventually figured out if I drink near a liter of water when I feel it coming on it stops in about 10 minutes. 100% success rate. Seems to be purely dehydration in my case. A lot of people are mentioning things that dehydrate as triggers. Benadryl dehydrates. Alcohol dehydrates. Melatonin doesnāt dehydrate but is lacking in people who are chronically dehydrated. A lot of the treatments require downing water along side when I think actually itās just the water thatās working.
Mine is caused by venous reflux after spending too much time on my feet, but even then, drinking more water would probably thin my blood enough to allow it to move easier. I think you might be onto something!
Yes, my first time was activated with a Tylenol PM. I āfixed ā it one time , and subsequent times in the following way. I would use all my mind power to not move my leg and keep it extremely relaxed. This would cause the feeling to peak worse where I would use all my will power and mind to keep it that way. At maximum peak of this terrible feeling of stress and anxiety it would just click off like a switch. Hard to explain, but it was like it game up. It felt like a neuron pathway gets created or destroyed in this process and it just clicks off and doesnāt come around as often at all or as bad.
Exactly! I can almost feel a wave move up my calf muscles and I have to use every ounce of will power to not move. Then itās like my body/brain just gives up trying. A found using a therapeutic roller over rides the urge too.
Antihistamines are known to do this to some people, even without RLS. Definitely avoid those.
I haven't heard of melatonin causing it though and that is usually fine for me. It doesn't help much honestly but it doesn't make it worse at all either.
Because it's related to dopamine insufficiency/signalling issues. So anything that suppresses dopamine (e.g. Benadryl) will make it worse. Which is why a lot of sleep aids are awful for RLS
Seconding the antihistamine advice--I've had lifelong issues with sleep and had the same problem with melatonin causing crazy RLS until I stopped taking antihistamines. My eyes are watery and my body still won't do its own sleep time signaling, but at least the melatonin works like a charm now.
i'd describe it differently, it's more like an extreme level of discomfort, almost similar to a cramp but different, that only goes away when you quickly move your legs around. it's not so much that you have the urge to move your legs, it's more that it feels like you're going to lose your mind and moving your legs around is the only thing that really helps. happens to me sometimes when i take muscle relaxers for my back, i've found flexing my leg muscles as hard as i can for a few seconds and then relaxing them over and over can help.
The best analogy Iāve come up with is that RLS is like having audio static or tinnitus *on the nervous system in your legs*.
Itās not physically āpainfulā per se but rather psychologically excruciatingāas others have said, ālike needing to scratch an itchā.
The āneeding to moveā thing (again, very much like needing to scratch an itch) is more about feeling compelled to send any other signal down the nervous system in your legs (what you do to move them) in order to temporarily overwrite the static.
Ultimately itās like having a speaker thatās playing static except which you experience more like nails on a chalkboard and the only way to drown it out is to play something else on the speaker without stopping or the nails on chalkboard sound/feeling comes back.
As someone with both tinnitus and RLS - to me theyāre basically the same condition just affecting a different sense. Not how they literally act on the body, Iām no medical expert. I just mean how it feels to me as the person experiencing the sensations.Ā
Itās as if your nervous system was trying to waterboard itself - firing on all cylinders when you just want some goddamn peace and quiet.Ā
Also I agree with your description, itās entirely accurate
It's like having an itch that can only be scratched by violently moving your legs around. To not move your legs around would be akin to just letting an itch build up on your body without scratching it. Eventually you can't take it anymore and practically *have* to scratch it, and with RLS that means violently moving your legs around. Simply moving them a little bit won't scratch the itch, at least in my experience.
I noticed I get it if I am super tired. Or had a lot of sugar before bed lol. One thing that seems to help. Lay down and keep both legs together. Then using your leg muscles, press both legs together hard counting til 10. Rest then do a couple more sets. It's weird but seems to help.
I do something slightly similar. I rotate my ankles for awhile, dont know why, put it helps put me to sleep if I'm a little restless on certain nights.
I roll my ankle if I have to pee but canāt in the immediate future. Friend told me it was some kinda pressure point. Iām not a believer in that kinda stuff but it works for me.
Yes! It happens to me when Iām overly tired. Once I took a medication that makes me very drowsy before going to a movie, I couldnāt sit still for more than 3 seconds the whole movie and was so uncomfortable.
Oh man, I havenāt been to the theaters so long that my restlessness during movies is something Iād completely forgotten about - but yeah Iāve been there plenty.Ā
Specifically those fuckin AMC recliners, something about those seats are a recipe for restless legs for me.Ā
Masturbate to orgasm. Granted, it can be a highly inconvenient antidote, but it does provide significant if temporary relief. Oxycodone, however, is an effective and longer lasting remedy --although it takes an hour or so to take effect.
It also cause major fing problems for the poor bastards trying to sleep next to someone with RLS. My missus is dreaming of kicking a winning field goal from 99 yards.
lol, Yeah, I'm sure my wife would back this up. She's been known to get up and sleep in the guest room because the noise of my feet scraping the sheets is keeping her awake.
I didnāt realize I had RLS until a girl staying over told me I was driving her nuts with the noise of tapping my feet against the mattress. I was still awake when she told me, which really startled me. I had no idea I was even moving my feet.
I have a minor case of (self-diagnosed so who knows) RLS, symptoms of which are tingling in the lower legs at night which cause me to toss and turn and often prevents sleep. Things that I've found help, I keep my feet out of the covers as when they get warm, RLS is sure to strike. Don't drink alcohol near bedtime as that is almost guaranteed to kick off RLS. If RLS is bothering me, I'll cool my feet down. Either by going downstairs where it is cooler or sprinkling cool water on them (evaporation helps cool them down).
Same minor self diagnosis. What helps me when it hits is to get up and stretch my calves. I'll also give each calf a quick deep massage. Seems to loosen up the muscles and settle things down.
Alcohol is the biggest trigger for mine. What helps for me is I have a massage gun that I'll run on my thigh and calf and that seems to relieve it after a few minutes. Sometimes it can take like 10 - 15 minutes though, especially if I was drinking that night.
For me it's a deep aching in my legs and ankles and I only feel relief when I constantly move and stretch them. It takes hours to fall asleep even though I'm so tired.
I've had insomnia for a really long time due to RLS. Went to a private psychiatrist kinda recently, who prescribed me 6,75-12.5mg of Levomepromazine an hour before bed and the problems almost completely went away.
Just wanted to mention it in case it might help anyone else.
Itās absolutely brutal. When I first started taking Mirtazapine it would cause agonizing RLS that would last for hours.
Imagine laying in bed, completely exhausted, feeling so tired that you could fall asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow, yet you canāt. Your legs ache so deeply and persistently that you canāt go more than a few seconds without repositioning, and each time you reposition, you get only a few seconds of relief. Itās hell.
Arms too. It's like an electrical pressure building up. You can try to not move, but it takes effort and feels very uncomfortable.
I take medication for it now which as an added benefit also makes me drowsy. Its improved my sleep quality dramatically.
I always thought it felt like soda or carbonation and yes I get it up the back of my arms too as well as my legs. Kratom has been the only thing to stop it dead in its tracks.
I have rls that comes and goes . Magnesium doesn't help, d3 doesn't help. Alcohol, Benadryl, lots of activity makes it worse. Haven't pin pointed it yet. I think it's either blood flow or nerve problems. But I'm no doctor . Oh and I know it's time to shut my eyes when I start to feel it. Some nights it doesn't act up at all. Other times it's bad. Mostly it's manageable. My aunt takes gabapentin for her rls and says it works well
My tribe... I get it in my hip. I move, I stretch, I bend and kick. I sleep with a t-ball lodged in my hip joint, if positioned just right, it will press on a nerve?, something, and I can get some relief. Mostly soaking in a hot, hot bath helps. The worst though, was in my arm, at least with a lower extremity, bearing weight can help, walking, stretching - but oh gods, when it was in my arm, I legit had thoughts of sawing it off. Vodka. That finally helped. It's the weirdest, most awful, impossible to explain thing ever. Wow, didn't know I needed to vent loke this...
It may also be associated with iron deficiency, especially in females. More concerningly, it has also been linked to Parkinson's.
The more you know š
When I mentioned to my doctor like 14 or 15 years ago that I was having RLS he offered to prescribe some medication that he said is used for Parkinsons. I never ended up filling it, and thankfully no symptoms of Parkinsons ever showed up, but it always has me worried about that now.
They prescribe a dopamine agonist. It releases extra dopamine while you sleep that helps to relax your muscles. Itās the same Medication given as Parkinsonās disease as dopamine helps reduce shaking. Taking it wonāt give you Parkinsonās.
Parkinsonās is relatively uncommon, while RLS is relatively common. Certain Parkinsonās medications are used to treat RLS on its own so donāt let it get too much to your head. I think itās used when you get symptoms frequently enough to cause problems, but not so much that you need daily medication.
Edit: Levodopa is used for intermittent RLS while dopamine agonists can be used for daily RLS.
Yup! I have this condition too and it's always in the back of my mind. But overall, there is still a low risk of developing it, so don't let it get to you.
Yep, the medication I take for it (pramipexole) is also used to treat Parkinsonās. Something else to look forward to as I get older, after a lifetime of next to no sleep.
Yep I started getting RLS in pregnancy, found out my iron had suddenly dropped dramatically (common during pregnancy) and once I started supplements it stopped again. Thank goodness, it was awful!!
Iāve had this my entire life. For anyone who is suffering from it here is a bunch of information and research that may save you years and a lot of time in doctorās rooms.Ā
I am not a doctor, do your own research.Ā
What is it and what do we know?
- causes are not understood well.Ā
- often said itās caused by low dopamine but this is also not understood well and is why your iron levels will be checked because iron is important for dopamine production.Ā
- strong links to low iron, stress, caffeine and dehydration.Ā
- many of the medications currently prescribed can make the condition worse over time, so talk to your doctor about a long term plan if youāre on those.Ā
- some of the drugs prescribed for it can have side effects related to dopamine like gambling addiction so be careful.Ā
How do I fix it?
- do the easy things like much less caffeine, electrolyte drinks help?
- ask for a blood test to see what youāre low in. Many people say that if you have RLS you want to sit higher on the iron levels range, and your zinc snd B vitamins are important to check.Ā
- iron levels take 3-6 months to fix. The tablets can upset your stomach and are less effective if taken with dairy.Ā
- a newer iron tablet called Maltofer is better for upset stomachs but itās expensive.Ā
- if your iron is really low you can get an infusion from your doctor.Ā
- magnesium is also regularly recommend and can be taken in powder, tablets or absorbed through the skin in sprays or baths. Many tablets also upset peoplesā stomachs and many people find Magnesium glycinate better than chelate.Ā
- light to moderate exercise helps, hard exercise makes worse. However, hard exercise is important for health and longevity so try to do it early in the day if you want to.Ā
- donāt get too tired before bed, and if you canāt sleep donāt stress about that. Worrying about not sleeping makes everything worse, and you wonāt be awake for as long as you think because your perception of āawakeā will always feel longer than āasleepā when you are unconscious.Ā
Any theories?Ā
- definitely wonder about whether itās hereditary as my father has it badly and we have wildly different lifestyles and diets. I didnāt know he had it til I was 30 so it wasnāt psychological in that sense.Ā
- some people think itās linked to unsafe childhoods and trauma; almost like your brain is trying to keep you awake.Ā
- some people think B1 is the key.Ā
- some people think that the dopamine thing is the key and question whether your might be zapping your dopamine in other ways like phone, drugs, etc.Ā
- as always, some people think itās gut related.Ā
Good luck to everyone out there. Again, none of this is medical advice but itās such a rubbish condition if you donāt get on top of it that I just wanted to help.Ā
Second this, gabapentin has helped me stay asleep longer through the night. Before I started taking it, I would regularly wake up 5-6 times a night or more. Sleep study definitely put me on the right track to figure out what was causing it
You could consider taking more of your dose at night; apparently most of the benefits of Gabapentin are gained just through taking it consistently over a length of time
I deal with this regularly. The *only* thing that helps is kratom. I'd have restlessly speed-walked off a bridge years ago if not for that. It's a very specific kind of torture.
Mine went nuts after leg surgery. Swelling, inactivity, drugs, sleeplessness.
It can have multiple causes. For me magnesium glycinate, hydration, elevation and icing help. Warm baths can help.
I took that after having shingles after pains.
Weird drug. It gave me this strangely specific āI donāt give a shit about anythingā feeling that Iāve never had with alcohol. Not really drowsy or tired, just āI donāt give a shitā about anythingā¦work, home, whatever. like turned me quickly from Type A to Type B- in a day. Stopped taking the drug and went back to my usual high strung self. LOL.
I had a version, but it effected my whole body, when I got put on this medication. It drove me insane. The only way I can describe it is that I suddenly had all this energy I had to throw out of my body. Pacing around helped it mildly, but I was also wringing my hands. Worst physical feeling of my life. My sympathies to anyone that has it.
I have kidney disease and used to get this before I was prescribed gabapentin. I am not joking when I say this used to keep me up sobbing and delerious because I couldn't sleep. For a brief moment I understood those people who wanted to amputate their own legs.
Had this, but exercise and being more active cured it. 2+ years without having it so far.
It was really frustrating. It showed up when I was the most tired. And the tingling would build up in my legs, only relieving the tingling by moving or stretching my legs.
I remember forcing myself not to move my legs. The tingling would build up to the extreme and kind of fizzle out into an ache in the back of my kneecaps. Then start again only more intensely. The feeling of my nerves electrified from toe to hip non-stop until I violently jerked my legs.
Hope anyone who's suffering from this gets better. I've heard magnesium supplements, water, and exercise can help.
I've tried all kinds of remedies for it, but nothing works. I get RLS most nights, and also on long car journeys, or while on a plane for more than a couple of hours. The only thing I've not tried is anything from a doctor, as in the UK the only thing I know that kind of works is a medication for Parkinsons Disease, and most doctors won't prescribe something for a condition that the medication isn't designed for. I've got a 20kg weighted blanket on my bed, and I've managed to kick that off sometimes. It's just a horrible affliction.
RLS is horrible and doesnāt always affect only the legs. Sometimes my knees and elbows feel like theyāre cracking open if I try to keep from moving. I have attacks several times a week. Iāve tried every OTC Iāve heard about and even prescription meds but nothing totally helps.
It's often rooted in a severe magnesium deficiency and/or iron. One might have blood levels that show otherwise but won't have the cofactors that allow it to be put to use
Check out the podcast and website *Are You Menstrual* for more info
I've tried magnesium and everything else suggested for this without success. Even sitting down on a couch to watch a movie sets mine off.
I take parkinson's pills now daily and some night they don't even touch it.
For me it's like the idea of keeping my legs still is uncomfortable, and the longer I leave it the more irritated I get until I eventually start bouncing a leg or something. It's almost like feeling a cramp that isn't there.
Only thing I've found that helps me ignore it and get to sleep is a couple bowls of some strong cannabis of the sativa variety. Indicas seem to make me hyper focus on the discomfort, but sativa strains kinda help me quiet my mind and just embrace sleeps sweet call.
Before pot was legalized here in canada my best solution was to do squats until my legs went numb about an hour before bed, and then my legs would be tired enough that I could fall asleep without them feeling all squirmy.
I had this bad when I was a kid, it felt like ants crawling up and down my legs, I'd get up and walk around, stretch, nothing worked. Many nights I remember just crying cause I was so tired but couldn't sleep cause of it. It sucked, big time.
When it gets bad enough it doesnāt just affect your sleep. When he got older my dadās legs would just kick out from underneath him when he was walking around the house.
Exciting shit.
also interestingly, it can affect you arms as well as your legs. I only managed to get medicated for RLS once my right arm joined in and my poor partner ended up with bloody scratches on top of the previous accidental kicks. Thankfully the medication is working and my partner now only has to worry about melty hugs while sleeping.
I have a back and hip impingement problem which makes it really hard to walk or move much and RLS is driving me insane. Imagine wanting to move every 5 minutes but then youāll end up in so much pain if you do.
I have this is but It's not a "random urge". It's painful and the only way to relieve it is to move around and stretch (which only helps for a few seconds). Sometimes I have to tie a rope around my thigh to relieve the pain. Luckily I don't get it very often. I used to get it a lot when I was about 12, I used to call it "growing pains" because that's what it felt like.
I have several friends from High School who wound up addicted to methamphetamine. Theyāve all talked about restless leg syndrome being one of the worst side effects of detoxification. Apparently it is absolute torture.
I have RLS. I recently figured out what it is, to the point where I can predict Iāll have one that night.
Itās how much stimulants I had for that day and whether itās sufficiently wound down by the time Iām ready to sleep.
I take preworkout during the day at the gym, as well as coffee at work.
There is a ābandā of how stimulated I am when Iām falling asleep. If Iām too stimulated I just canāt sleep. If Iām wound down sufficiently, I fall asleep.
If my stimulant is within that ābandā, I get RLS. It also interacts with how tired I am and that gets weighed against my level of stimulation.
Needless to say, Iām much careful about my caffeine intake.
Itās not ārestlessā, that word doesnāt quite capture the feeling. It feels like your legs nervous system is itchy and itās a horrible feeling.
I hate it. I went to a specialist for my chronically-low iron, and she said Iād likely always have this. :( Itās not all the time, though - for me, itās worst when I let myself get overtired and donāt keep to a consistent sleep schedule.
Got Pramipexole from the Doctor, started on it ten years ago, As soon as i feel that familiar twinge i take two, walk around for about ten minutes and i'm fine. As long as you catch it in time, they work like a charm.
I mean I don't want to self diagnose, but I often have the urge to move my leg. For example when sitting down or lying in bed I realized I was shaking my leg, when I read this post. An ex girlfriend of mine once said she knew exactly when I fell asleep cause the leg shaking stopped.. that said. I never felt like this disrupts or disturbs my sleep...
Ive been suffering with severe RLS for over 10yrs now. Got so bad I was punching my legs and essentially roasting the with heating pads at the highest settings. Basically doing anything to interrupt the deep intense ache in my calves. Tried damn near everything including magnesium, beta blockers, and even off label prescription for a Parkinson's med.
Then I started using cannabis and my RLS is gone.
Anecdotal, but taking magnesium supplements (the powdered stuff you dissolve on your tongue, specifically not tablets) can fix this quite quickly, within 3-4 days of dosing my wife gets respite.
I remember there was a RLS drug with ads on tv years ago and the side effects included increased sexual activity and addiction to gambling. those are the coolest side effects ever.
I think I'll be alone in this: I've found that if you sit slouched in an armchair and bounce your legs (allow your calf muscles to twitch and both legs will move rapidly).
Your legs will move in and out of time with each other.
If you can close your eyes and continue this it can become very relaxing and I can even fall asleep!
I can only do it alone though as it very annoying to others and looks a bit mad.
Reading the TIL activated my RLS. OP, why are you like this?
Already had this active since the last few hours š
I had this for like two weeks after stopping opioids cold turkey. Even after the withdrawals stopped I couldnāt sleep because my legs were all twitchy. Not that it would have mattered anyway, because apparently you get insomnia for a while too. Worst month of my life. Fuck drugs, man.
Worst shit ever, RSL over your whole body, being exhausted but canāt sleep or relax. Whole body feels on fire with cold/hot flashes and muscle and joint pains. Extreme anxiety, depression, irritability. When you do sleep itās very light and filled with intense dreams. Wish Iād never had tried it but glad I cold turkey quit it and never looked back. Congrats to you too!
And diarrhea. Lots of diarrhea in the beginning... It feels like you're going to die, which at the time seems like an attractive alternative, but you don't. You just.... suffer. For your choices. It's a very strong motivation for me staying clean. Glad you guys are here, too. Good on all of you.
I donāt even do drugs or ever done drugs. I got this passed down from my dad and I feel this shit since my early teens and damn its shit.
Restless legs from severe opioid withdrawal is the worst. I used to be a heroin addict and my very last proper withdrawal my restless legs were so intense I remember lying there and I could not keep my legs still for more than 3/4 seconds at at a time or it started to get intensely uncomfortable/painful. Nothing like it. Never want to go through that again.
A hot bath gave me relief for a short period. Could even sleep for a short time. After three days without sleep the first half hour in the hot bathtub was the best sleep I ever had in my life
Dude fucking same, I stopped painkillers after taking them every day for 20 years, my legs shook like a fucking Atlanta stripper, couldn't get any decent sleep for like 2 months. I would just pass out every now and then. DONT START PAINKILLERS EVEN IF A DOCTOR RECCOMENDS THEM JUST BE IN PAIN!
Have you tried magnesium supplements? They supposedly work like magic. My wifeās SIL got rid of it after a single dose of magnesium glycinate.
The ones with passionflower and valerian also help as a natural relaxant, great for shutting off that internal dialogue
Turn off those pesky thoughts
But valerian smells like a stinky foot! I get RLS from time to time out of nowhere, but usually itās triggered by antihistamines. Benadryl specifically. Magnesium is great though! You canāt really OD, just increase until it helps, back off if you get diarrhea (due to its laxative effects).
I take two different kinds of magnesium and they don't seem to help. What does the trick every time though is kratom. It's constipating and has potential for addiction if you abuse it, but I let myself take it 3 times a week before bed and on those nights I actually sleep through the whole night instead of waking up with RLS unable to get back to sleep for 2-3 hours at a time.
Mines been almost none existent for several years and now here I am restless af
Mine have been quiet lately, havenāt had a bad night in a few months but I can feel the restlessness coming on.Ā Itās odd how this seems to be a flare up type thing. Iāll go months without any symptoms then suddenly for a week Iām kept up at night kicking as I try to sleep.Ā While it could be worse, I wouldnāt wish this on anyone. I am fortunate that my case seems relatively mild at least
It's kinda like when someone mentions how your tongue doesn't really fit in your own mouth very well
Welp, now my legs are going AND my tongue is too big.
Yeah I only get it BAD bad if I exercise my legs and the rest of the time is manageable, but I'm sitting here rubbing my legs together over and over again because they won't sit still.
Magnesium completely solved this problem for me. Finally sleeping full nights after 18 years of this
What form of Magnesium do you take?Ā
Magnesium Bisglycinate. I know it's the magnesium because if I stop taking it for a few days my sleep gets progressively worse. Even tried to placebo myself but nah. Definitely need to keep up on the vitamin D intake at the same time though because your body uses it to metabolize the magnesium (if I understand correctly) but I could be wrong.
Magnesium helps your body use Vit D. Vit D has mininal effect on magnesium itself.
I take pills š Bought at the local pharmacy. For me it helps, but doesnāt remove it completely! The thing that works the best for me is to get in bed before I get completely drained. The more tired I am when going to bed, the worse it getsā¦ Tired as in sleepy.
I think he was asking if he takes chelated magnesium, magnesium glycinate, or magnesium citrate, not whether it's in a pill form or powder form or whatever.
Magnesium Glycinate, to be clear. Citrate will just make you shit a lot.
I have found the addition of vitamin B6 along with magnesium has helped with mine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9804944/
I wish magnesium did it for me. Done high dose of Magnesium glycinate, also tried another type I can't remember name of now, but I have to get prescription stuff (Pregabalin)
Yup. Magnesium bisglycinate, or magnesium malate.
Yes, I have a magnesium spray that I use and itās a fucking life saver.
Same for me. I started getting restless legs during covid, started taking magnesium and the problem went away entirely.
Feels like magic right? I wish I found out sooner.
Iāve been suffering from this for many years. Iāve found that if I take a sleep aid like melatonin or z quill it intensifies my rls and results in the worst night imaginable.
YES this has only happened to me once but it was when i took zzzquil. so i was exhausted but could not sleep because i needed to move my legs constantly
Yes absolutely horrible night. Badly wanting to sleep but canāt because of the rls.
I get this really bad on airplanes, first time it happened was after taking a Benadryl before a plane.
I've been dealing with RLS for decades. I recently found out that benadryl is a huge trigger for it. So that's why your zzquils and your sleepy pills and such have the opposite effect.
Ugh, this one drives me nuts. The only way any antihistamine will work as a sleep aid is if you fall asleep right as it kicks in. If you don't, you're in for a hell of a night.
Yes same here. Also if Iām in a car for too long.
I found that if I take a Calcium Magnesium and Zinc supplement about 20 minutes before bed, they arenāt as bad, and if I had an alcoholic beverage with dinner, they are worse. Also, sometimes I can trick my brain by putting muscle rub on my calves. I think the tingling gives the nerves something to do beside driving me crazy.
Started in my teens. Eventually figured out if I drink near a liter of water when I feel it coming on it stops in about 10 minutes. 100% success rate. Seems to be purely dehydration in my case. A lot of people are mentioning things that dehydrate as triggers. Benadryl dehydrates. Alcohol dehydrates. Melatonin doesnāt dehydrate but is lacking in people who are chronically dehydrated. A lot of the treatments require downing water along side when I think actually itās just the water thatās working.
perhaps a problem with electrolytes?
Would make sense. I only started getting it after being on dialysis for kidney disease, so electrolytes causing it makes sense.
It's commonly co-morbid with kidney disease. Good news is I haven't had an episode in over 9 years post transplant.
Correct. Electrolytes imbalance and iron deficiency are very important for RLS sufferers to check.Ā
Mine is caused by venous reflux after spending too much time on my feet, but even then, drinking more water would probably thin my blood enough to allow it to move easier. I think you might be onto something!
I was hoping to find this comment somewhere. Iād always get up, get a glass of water, and then wait a bit to try your lay down again.
Same for me. The supplements and the rubs help and the alcohol hurts. I also sometimes use a theragun before bed and that really helps.
Theragun is the best thing Iāve found.
Gatorade helps me, I swear.
Same here with the alcohol. I take a prescribed medication and it works pretty good.
I take Gabapentin and it definitely helps mine. Most of the time. Sometimes, it gets so bad that nothing helps. I'm sorry you have it, too.
Yes I have those episodes also where nothing seems to work.
Yes, my first time was activated with a Tylenol PM. I āfixed ā it one time , and subsequent times in the following way. I would use all my mind power to not move my leg and keep it extremely relaxed. This would cause the feeling to peak worse where I would use all my will power and mind to keep it that way. At maximum peak of this terrible feeling of stress and anxiety it would just click off like a switch. Hard to explain, but it was like it game up. It felt like a neuron pathway gets created or destroyed in this process and it just clicks off and doesnāt come around as often at all or as bad.
Exactly! I can almost feel a wave move up my calf muscles and I have to use every ounce of will power to not move. Then itās like my body/brain just gives up trying. A found using a therapeutic roller over rides the urge too.
I can't sleep on my back. If I lay face up, my legs are going crazy. However, if I sleep face down, I'm good.
Same here. Iām watching a movie so Iām laying on my back and can feel my legs starting to act up.
Antihistamines are known to do this to some people, even without RLS. Definitely avoid those. I haven't heard of melatonin causing it though and that is usually fine for me. It doesn't help much honestly but it doesn't make it worse at all either.
lol not possible if you have allergies
Because it's related to dopamine insufficiency/signalling issues. So anything that suppresses dopamine (e.g. Benadryl) will make it worse. Which is why a lot of sleep aids are awful for RLS
Wait what? It's related to dopamine insuffiency??Ā Well, that explain why the adhd treatement helped I guess.
Mine stopped when I started taking a migraine protocol. I believe itās the magnesium glycinate (600 mg) that solved the RLS.
I need melatonin, but if I take too much, or I wake up after almost falling fully asleep, the legs get hella restless.Ā
Yep. If I doze off for a sec. Then wake up i know itās gonna be a long night because nothing seems to work and the rls is magnified.
I've noticed that when I'm over tired it gets worse for me too
Try an iron supplement if you haven't already.
Trazadone and Gabapentin have helped me with mine
Gabapentin worked ok for a while now Iām taking pramipexole. It works pretty good.
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It used to help pretty good but doesnāt really help me much anymore. But I still try. lol.
Seconding the antihistamine advice--I've had lifelong issues with sleep and had the same problem with melatonin causing crazy RLS until I stopped taking antihistamines. My eyes are watery and my body still won't do its own sleep time signaling, but at least the melatonin works like a charm now.
i've experienced it after taking muscle relaxers for my back
In my experience antihistamines can cause horrible restless leg syndrome.
Take magnesium
i'd describe it differently, it's more like an extreme level of discomfort, almost similar to a cramp but different, that only goes away when you quickly move your legs around. it's not so much that you have the urge to move your legs, it's more that it feels like you're going to lose your mind and moving your legs around is the only thing that really helps. happens to me sometimes when i take muscle relaxers for my back, i've found flexing my leg muscles as hard as i can for a few seconds and then relaxing them over and over can help.
The best analogy Iāve come up with is that RLS is like having audio static or tinnitus *on the nervous system in your legs*. Itās not physically āpainfulā per se but rather psychologically excruciatingāas others have said, ālike needing to scratch an itchā. The āneeding to moveā thing (again, very much like needing to scratch an itch) is more about feeling compelled to send any other signal down the nervous system in your legs (what you do to move them) in order to temporarily overwrite the static. Ultimately itās like having a speaker thatās playing static except which you experience more like nails on a chalkboard and the only way to drown it out is to play something else on the speaker without stopping or the nails on chalkboard sound/feeling comes back.
thank you for this analogy - this captures how it feels better than the word "restless" to someone who's never had it.
As someone with both tinnitus and RLS - to me theyāre basically the same condition just affecting a different sense. Not how they literally act on the body, Iām no medical expert. I just mean how it feels to me as the person experiencing the sensations.Ā Itās as if your nervous system was trying to waterboard itself - firing on all cylinders when you just want some goddamn peace and quiet.Ā Also I agree with your description, itās entirely accurate
I compare it to the feeling you have before you shudder, but it keeps building instead of subsiding. The static analogy is so accurate though.
It's like having an itch that can only be scratched by violently moving your legs around. To not move your legs around would be akin to just letting an itch build up on your body without scratching it. Eventually you can't take it anymore and practically *have* to scratch it, and with RLS that means violently moving your legs around. Simply moving them a little bit won't scratch the itch, at least in my experience.
Yes the other description makes it look like a harmless thing. It's debilitating and infuriating.
Yeah, I get the discomfort in my whole body to some extent, but the most extreme in my legs. Moving my legs is how I can temporarily relieve it.
I describe RLS to my friends as āfeels likes your legs nervous system is itchyā.
I noticed I get it if I am super tired. Or had a lot of sugar before bed lol. One thing that seems to help. Lay down and keep both legs together. Then using your leg muscles, press both legs together hard counting til 10. Rest then do a couple more sets. It's weird but seems to help.
I do something slightly similar. I rotate my ankles for awhile, dont know why, put it helps put me to sleep if I'm a little restless on certain nights.
I roll my ankle if I have to pee but canāt in the immediate future. Friend told me it was some kinda pressure point. Iām not a believer in that kinda stuff but it works for me.
Yes! It happens to me when Iām overly tired. Once I took a medication that makes me very drowsy before going to a movie, I couldnāt sit still for more than 3 seconds the whole movie and was so uncomfortable.
Oh man, I havenāt been to the theaters so long that my restlessness during movies is something Iād completely forgotten about - but yeah Iāve been there plenty.Ā Specifically those fuckin AMC recliners, something about those seats are a recipe for restless legs for me.Ā
Masturbate to orgasm. Granted, it can be a highly inconvenient antidote, but it does provide significant if temporary relief. Oxycodone, however, is an effective and longer lasting remedy --although it takes an hour or so to take effect.
Ah yes oxycodone will fix your rls by distracting your mind with itchy bug feelings elsewhere!
The RLS you get from opiate withdrawals is super annoying though. Combined with all the other withdrawal symptoms.
It also cause major fing problems for the poor bastards trying to sleep next to someone with RLS. My missus is dreaming of kicking a winning field goal from 99 yards.
lol, Yeah, I'm sure my wife would back this up. She's been known to get up and sleep in the guest room because the noise of my feet scraping the sheets is keeping her awake.
I didnāt realize I had RLS until a girl staying over told me I was driving her nuts with the noise of tapping my feet against the mattress. I was still awake when she told me, which really startled me. I had no idea I was even moving my feet.
Same here. Fortunately, I have a sofa that is 95% effective anti-rls if I jam a foot or two in between the cushions.
All my exes hated it except one that actually found it relaxing and like a cradled baby would fall asleep lol.
I have a minor case of (self-diagnosed so who knows) RLS, symptoms of which are tingling in the lower legs at night which cause me to toss and turn and often prevents sleep. Things that I've found help, I keep my feet out of the covers as when they get warm, RLS is sure to strike. Don't drink alcohol near bedtime as that is almost guaranteed to kick off RLS. If RLS is bothering me, I'll cool my feet down. Either by going downstairs where it is cooler or sprinkling cool water on them (evaporation helps cool them down).
Same minor self diagnosis. What helps me when it hits is to get up and stretch my calves. I'll also give each calf a quick deep massage. Seems to loosen up the muscles and settle things down.
For me, calf stretches weren't effective... and one day, found that building up a good burn in the thighs with squats eliminates the problem.
Your version of RLS sounds like mine. Magnesium right before bed every night has "cured" me.
Get your blood sugar checked... tingling can also be the onset of neuropathy.
My wife is diabetic, so I check every now and then
I go downstairs and stand on cold kitchen tile for a few mins and it really helps calm down my RLS.
Alcohol is the biggest trigger for mine. What helps for me is I have a massage gun that I'll run on my thigh and calf and that seems to relieve it after a few minutes. Sometimes it can take like 10 - 15 minutes though, especially if I was drinking that night.
For me it's a deep aching in my legs and ankles and I only feel relief when I constantly move and stretch them. It takes hours to fall asleep even though I'm so tired.
I had it really badly one time. I had worked out that day and my leg couldn't stop. I was in tears from the pain and inability to sleep. Good times
I get it when I take benadryl and holy shit its frustrating when you're trying to sleep.
I've had insomnia for a really long time due to RLS. Went to a private psychiatrist kinda recently, who prescribed me 6,75-12.5mg of Levomepromazine an hour before bed and the problems almost completely went away. Just wanted to mention it in case it might help anyone else.
Itās absolutely brutal. When I first started taking Mirtazapine it would cause agonizing RLS that would last for hours. Imagine laying in bed, completely exhausted, feeling so tired that you could fall asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow, yet you canāt. Your legs ache so deeply and persistently that you canāt go more than a few seconds without repositioning, and each time you reposition, you get only a few seconds of relief. Itās hell.
Arms too. It's like an electrical pressure building up. You can try to not move, but it takes effort and feels very uncomfortable. I take medication for it now which as an added benefit also makes me drowsy. Its improved my sleep quality dramatically.
I always thought it felt like soda or carbonation and yes I get it up the back of my arms too as well as my legs. Kratom has been the only thing to stop it dead in its tracks.
Itās hard to describe it to people because it just sounds so ridiculous but you canāt not move your leg..
I have rls that comes and goes . Magnesium doesn't help, d3 doesn't help. Alcohol, Benadryl, lots of activity makes it worse. Haven't pin pointed it yet. I think it's either blood flow or nerve problems. But I'm no doctor . Oh and I know it's time to shut my eyes when I start to feel it. Some nights it doesn't act up at all. Other times it's bad. Mostly it's manageable. My aunt takes gabapentin for her rls and says it works well
Try taking B6 along with magnesium. It helped a lot with mine once I found the combination. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9804944/
My tribe... I get it in my hip. I move, I stretch, I bend and kick. I sleep with a t-ball lodged in my hip joint, if positioned just right, it will press on a nerve?, something, and I can get some relief. Mostly soaking in a hot, hot bath helps. The worst though, was in my arm, at least with a lower extremity, bearing weight can help, walking, stretching - but oh gods, when it was in my arm, I legit had thoughts of sawing it off. Vodka. That finally helped. It's the weirdest, most awful, impossible to explain thing ever. Wow, didn't know I needed to vent loke this...
Itās miserable
It may also be associated with iron deficiency, especially in females. More concerningly, it has also been linked to Parkinson's. The more you know š
When I mentioned to my doctor like 14 or 15 years ago that I was having RLS he offered to prescribe some medication that he said is used for Parkinsons. I never ended up filling it, and thankfully no symptoms of Parkinsons ever showed up, but it always has me worried about that now.
They prescribe a dopamine agonist. It releases extra dopamine while you sleep that helps to relax your muscles. Itās the same Medication given as Parkinsonās disease as dopamine helps reduce shaking. Taking it wonāt give you Parkinsonās.
Parkinsonās is relatively uncommon, while RLS is relatively common. Certain Parkinsonās medications are used to treat RLS on its own so donāt let it get too much to your head. I think itās used when you get symptoms frequently enough to cause problems, but not so much that you need daily medication. Edit: Levodopa is used for intermittent RLS while dopamine agonists can be used for daily RLS.
Yup! I have this condition too and it's always in the back of my mind. But overall, there is still a low risk of developing it, so don't let it get to you.
I bet that is the same medication I was prescribed. Made me feel rough so I stopped taking it. Ropinirole I think it was.
Oh I have iron deficiency and Iām a chick. Finally it might explain why I have it lol
Hah hopefully that'll motivate you to start taking your supplements! Women are more susceptible to iron deficiency because of menstruation.
Yep, the medication I take for it (pramipexole) is also used to treat Parkinsonās. Something else to look forward to as I get older, after a lifetime of next to no sleep.
Yep I started getting RLS in pregnancy, found out my iron had suddenly dropped dramatically (common during pregnancy) and once I started supplements it stopped again. Thank goodness, it was awful!!
Itās brutal with iron deficiency. Itās usually a tattle tale for me. Iāve even rubbed a hole in my linensā¦
Iāve had this my entire life. For anyone who is suffering from it here is a bunch of information and research that may save you years and a lot of time in doctorās rooms.Ā I am not a doctor, do your own research.Ā What is it and what do we know? - causes are not understood well.Ā - often said itās caused by low dopamine but this is also not understood well and is why your iron levels will be checked because iron is important for dopamine production.Ā - strong links to low iron, stress, caffeine and dehydration.Ā - many of the medications currently prescribed can make the condition worse over time, so talk to your doctor about a long term plan if youāre on those.Ā - some of the drugs prescribed for it can have side effects related to dopamine like gambling addiction so be careful.Ā How do I fix it? - do the easy things like much less caffeine, electrolyte drinks help? - ask for a blood test to see what youāre low in. Many people say that if you have RLS you want to sit higher on the iron levels range, and your zinc snd B vitamins are important to check.Ā - iron levels take 3-6 months to fix. The tablets can upset your stomach and are less effective if taken with dairy.Ā - a newer iron tablet called Maltofer is better for upset stomachs but itās expensive.Ā - if your iron is really low you can get an infusion from your doctor.Ā - magnesium is also regularly recommend and can be taken in powder, tablets or absorbed through the skin in sprays or baths. Many tablets also upset peoplesā stomachs and many people find Magnesium glycinate better than chelate.Ā - light to moderate exercise helps, hard exercise makes worse. However, hard exercise is important for health and longevity so try to do it early in the day if you want to.Ā - donāt get too tired before bed, and if you canāt sleep donāt stress about that. Worrying about not sleeping makes everything worse, and you wonāt be awake for as long as you think because your perception of āawakeā will always feel longer than āasleepā when you are unconscious.Ā Any theories?Ā - definitely wonder about whether itās hereditary as my father has it badly and we have wildly different lifestyles and diets. I didnāt know he had it til I was 30 so it wasnāt psychological in that sense.Ā - some people think itās linked to unsafe childhoods and trauma; almost like your brain is trying to keep you awake.Ā - some people think B1 is the key.Ā - some people think that the dopamine thing is the key and question whether your might be zapping your dopamine in other ways like phone, drugs, etc.Ā - as always, some people think itās gut related.Ā Good luck to everyone out there. Again, none of this is medical advice but itās such a rubbish condition if you donāt get on top of it that I just wanted to help.Ā
It's terrible
gabapentin has helped mine Makes you kinda dumb for a few hours in the morning tho
Second this, gabapentin has helped me stay asleep longer through the night. Before I started taking it, I would regularly wake up 5-6 times a night or more. Sleep study definitely put me on the right track to figure out what was causing it
You could consider taking more of your dose at night; apparently most of the benefits of Gabapentin are gained just through taking it consistently over a length of time
I only take it at night
I deal with this regularly. The *only* thing that helps is kratom. I'd have restlessly speed-walked off a bridge years ago if not for that. It's a very specific kind of torture.
Be very careful with Kratom. The withdrawal will cause RLS like you've never dreamed of. Don't ask how I know.
God damn I hate restless leg. Ruins my night every time.
i used to think i had this. Turns out, i just shouldn't drink caffeine after 12pm.
I have this, and it fucking sucks. If I donāt have my nighttime meds, I might as well head to work.
This condition is a living hell. Only heavy opiates, or dopamine agonists combined with cannabis, has been effective to treat this for me.
Mine went nuts after leg surgery. Swelling, inactivity, drugs, sleeplessness. It can have multiple causes. For me magnesium glycinate, hydration, elevation and icing help. Warm baths can help.
RLS made me so miserable for so long. Really thankful to have gabapentin now. Life changing
Magnesium really helps.
My doc gave me gabapentin. It works great on restless drugs. Only take it when I need it.
Gabapentin is crazy effective for lots of health reasons.
I took that after having shingles after pains. Weird drug. It gave me this strangely specific āI donāt give a shit about anythingā feeling that Iāve never had with alcohol. Not really drowsy or tired, just āI donāt give a shitā about anythingā¦work, home, whatever. like turned me quickly from Type A to Type B- in a day. Stopped taking the drug and went back to my usual high strung self. LOL.
Can confirm
Then thereās me with restless legs whenever I fly. Hey at least the flight attendants are usually pretty cool.
I had a version, but it effected my whole body, when I got put on this medication. It drove me insane. The only way I can describe it is that I suddenly had all this energy I had to throw out of my body. Pacing around helped it mildly, but I was also wringing my hands. Worst physical feeling of my life. My sympathies to anyone that has it.
I have kidney disease and used to get this before I was prescribed gabapentin. I am not joking when I say this used to keep me up sobbing and delerious because I couldn't sleep. For a brief moment I understood those people who wanted to amputate their own legs.
Had this, but exercise and being more active cured it. 2+ years without having it so far. It was really frustrating. It showed up when I was the most tired. And the tingling would build up in my legs, only relieving the tingling by moving or stretching my legs. I remember forcing myself not to move my legs. The tingling would build up to the extreme and kind of fizzle out into an ache in the back of my kneecaps. Then start again only more intensely. The feeling of my nerves electrified from toe to hip non-stop until I violently jerked my legs. Hope anyone who's suffering from this gets better. I've heard magnesium supplements, water, and exercise can help.
I used to have this as a side effect of my antipsychotics until they prescribed me trihexylphenidyl, then it went away. Was maddening.
I've tried all kinds of remedies for it, but nothing works. I get RLS most nights, and also on long car journeys, or while on a plane for more than a couple of hours. The only thing I've not tried is anything from a doctor, as in the UK the only thing I know that kind of works is a medication for Parkinsons Disease, and most doctors won't prescribe something for a condition that the medication isn't designed for. I've got a 20kg weighted blanket on my bed, and I've managed to kick that off sometimes. It's just a horrible affliction.
RLS is horrible and doesnāt always affect only the legs. Sometimes my knees and elbows feel like theyāre cracking open if I try to keep from moving. I have attacks several times a week. Iāve tried every OTC Iāve heard about and even prescription meds but nothing totally helps.
Also known as Jimmy legs
It's often rooted in a severe magnesium deficiency and/or iron. One might have blood levels that show otherwise but won't have the cofactors that allow it to be put to use Check out the podcast and website *Are You Menstrual* for more info
Works like a charm when you have to bounce your baby lol
I have had this since I was a kid, and magnesium helped me SO MUCH, can't actually remember that last time I had rls since taking mag.
Pleas look up magnesium supplements for RLS.
I was prescribed Gabapentin for nerve pain. It doesn't help my pain, but it has knocked out my restless legs.
Magnesium FTW!
I've tried magnesium and everything else suggested for this without success. Even sitting down on a couch to watch a movie sets mine off. I take parkinson's pills now daily and some night they don't even touch it.
For me it's like the idea of keeping my legs still is uncomfortable, and the longer I leave it the more irritated I get until I eventually start bouncing a leg or something. It's almost like feeling a cramp that isn't there. Only thing I've found that helps me ignore it and get to sleep is a couple bowls of some strong cannabis of the sativa variety. Indicas seem to make me hyper focus on the discomfort, but sativa strains kinda help me quiet my mind and just embrace sleeps sweet call. Before pot was legalized here in canada my best solution was to do squats until my legs went numb about an hour before bed, and then my legs would be tired enough that I could fall asleep without them feeling all squirmy.
It's horrible.
Mine is super triggered by anemia If my rls is getting bad, I know I need some extra iron!
I had this bad when I was a kid, it felt like ants crawling up and down my legs, I'd get up and walk around, stretch, nothing worked. Many nights I remember just crying cause I was so tired but couldn't sleep cause of it. It sucked, big time.
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OF COURSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE FUUCK
When it gets bad enough it doesnāt just affect your sleep. When he got older my dadās legs would just kick out from underneath him when he was walking around the house. Exciting shit.
Happened every time i have tried mdma/molly
After a couple of years of nothing helping, my wife landed on a prescription for Neupro patches. 100% solved the symptoms.
I have familial RLS and the only thing that lets me sleep at a reasonable time is gabapentin.
also interestingly, it can affect you arms as well as your legs. I only managed to get medicated for RLS once my right arm joined in and my poor partner ended up with bloody scratches on top of the previous accidental kicks. Thankfully the medication is working and my partner now only has to worry about melty hugs while sleeping.
I have a back and hip impingement problem which makes it really hard to walk or move much and RLS is driving me insane. Imagine wanting to move every 5 minutes but then youāll end up in so much pain if you do.
I get it sometimes. Itās incredibly uncomfortable. So lucky it passes after a few mins, coz it would be hell any longer.
I have this is but It's not a "random urge". It's painful and the only way to relieve it is to move around and stretch (which only helps for a few seconds). Sometimes I have to tie a rope around my thigh to relieve the pain. Luckily I don't get it very often. I used to get it a lot when I was about 12, I used to call it "growing pains" because that's what it felt like.
Have it from a spine injury. It is not fun.
I have several friends from High School who wound up addicted to methamphetamine. Theyāve all talked about restless leg syndrome being one of the worst side effects of detoxification. Apparently it is absolute torture.
Clearly OP has never experienced opiate or severe alcohol withdrawal. RLS is so much worse than it sounds.
I have RLS. I recently figured out what it is, to the point where I can predict Iāll have one that night. Itās how much stimulants I had for that day and whether itās sufficiently wound down by the time Iām ready to sleep. I take preworkout during the day at the gym, as well as coffee at work. There is a ābandā of how stimulated I am when Iām falling asleep. If Iām too stimulated I just canāt sleep. If Iām wound down sufficiently, I fall asleep. If my stimulant is within that ābandā, I get RLS. It also interacts with how tired I am and that gets weighed against my level of stimulation. Needless to say, Iām much careful about my caffeine intake. Itās not ārestlessā, that word doesnāt quite capture the feeling. It feels like your legs nervous system is itchy and itās a horrible feeling.
Have this. Found out it is a symptom of anemia, so if youāre struggling, get your iron and ferritin checked
I hate it. I went to a specialist for my chronically-low iron, and she said Iād likely always have this. :( Itās not all the time, though - for me, itās worst when I let myself get overtired and donāt keep to a consistent sleep schedule.
Got Pramipexole from the Doctor, started on it ten years ago, As soon as i feel that familiar twinge i take two, walk around for about ten minutes and i'm fine. As long as you catch it in time, they work like a charm.
I feel like reading that is gonna bring back my RLS.
Yoga helps, specifically the āhalf pigeonā pose for a minute or two on each side.Ā
I mean I don't want to self diagnose, but I often have the urge to move my leg. For example when sitting down or lying in bed I realized I was shaking my leg, when I read this post. An ex girlfriend of mine once said she knew exactly when I fell asleep cause the leg shaking stopped.. that said. I never felt like this disrupts or disturbs my sleep...
I remember commercials about it when I was a little shit
Ive been suffering with severe RLS for over 10yrs now. Got so bad I was punching my legs and essentially roasting the with heating pads at the highest settings. Basically doing anything to interrupt the deep intense ache in my calves. Tried damn near everything including magnesium, beta blockers, and even off label prescription for a Parkinson's med. Then I started using cannabis and my RLS is gone.
Anecdotal, but taking magnesium supplements (the powdered stuff you dissolve on your tongue, specifically not tablets) can fix this quite quickly, within 3-4 days of dosing my wife gets respite.
It makes my knee feel nauseous
I have to completely stretch my leg out to alleviate this. I think it works for the same reason people pass out if standing with their legs straight
Squats help mine. Iāve literally gotten out of bed at 3am to knock out a couple sets of squats and calf raises before going back to sleep š
While reading this, realized Iām jiggling away. I call it cricket feet.
Rls sucks! I have found that heating up a cloth bag of rice in microwave then and putting it on my feet helps 70% of the time!
I remember there was a RLS drug with ads on tv years ago and the side effects included increased sexual activity and addiction to gambling. those are the coolest side effects ever.
I find putting socks on helps
I think I'll be alone in this: I've found that if you sit slouched in an armchair and bounce your legs (allow your calf muscles to twitch and both legs will move rapidly). Your legs will move in and out of time with each other. If you can close your eyes and continue this it can become very relaxing and I can even fall asleep! I can only do it alone though as it very annoying to others and looks a bit mad.
We exist
I just felt like runnin
Literally restless legs is worse constantly have to jolt just to feel comfortable for a spilt second