Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

ViewsAskew and Chipmunk, thank you so much for your replies. What a great site this is! I think I will take your combined advice and take iron supplements for a while, under the supervision of my doctor and then get my ferritin levels tested fairly frequently, as you suggest, Chipmunk. Have you been...

Thank you ViewsAskew for your comments. In 1995 I found that ferrous sulphate tablets, prescribed for something else, also magically rid me of my RLS symptoms. My rather incompetent doctor (I changed him afterwards), advised me there was no danger, so I continued to take the iron supplement over a 2...

After finding out that my ferritin levels are not very high (25) I have put myself on a high iron diet always taken with vitimin C for better absorption. I alternate between red meats & offal, (variety meats), oily fish, dark turkey or chicken meat plus dark vegetables and lentils. I've been doi...

Definitely , when your body is over-stressed physically, it makes your EKD worse. I've experienced that myself, time and time again. But, I also suspect that regular, moderate exercise can help diminish EKD. For one thing, it keeps your weight under control and so reduces physical stress. I'm not a...

In my family, (in England), we have always known the the disorder as “Ekbom’s Syndrome”. My father suffered from it from the 1930s onwards and I have had it since the 1950s. It was only in the 1970s that the term “Restless Legs” came into common usage. I never did like that name! So, I am VERY glad,...

Poor Beth - I am so sorry to hear of all the hassle you are going through -enough to really spoil your Holidays. I hope you manage to get the doctor and the medication you need ASAP in the New Year. I'm English but I live in France, so I'm not really sure of how your system works in the USA, but cou...

It’s a pity you can’t find the reference, Ann, but never mind. Yes, taking dopamine agonists may also be aggravating the insomnia, as BettyVW pointed out “…one of the side affects of her Mirapex is-----INSOMNIA”. My Ropinirole also comes with the same warning in the leaflet. But in my case, symptoml...

Yes, I too hope these people get their funding and I hope the research inspires other institutes to also look into this apparently overlooked aspect of RLS. I’m a paid-up member of the French AFJSR (Association Française des Jambes sans Repos) and I’m rather hoping that, if and when this research go...

Do you also suffer from insomnia even when your RLS symptoms are absent? This subject came up in the thread: “New to RLS/New to site – Hello! About me and my recent experience of RLS drugs”. It seems, from those comments, that being unable to fall asleep or maintain sleep even when RLS symptoms are ...

Let’s hope your RLS symptoms don’t return. However, my Dad, who was a very extreme RLS sufferer for most of his life, observed, that if your body has some other physical trauma to deal with, like an accident or surgery, the RSL temporarily subsides. It’s a strange characteristic of this neurological...

Well, there we are again! You too, Polar Bear, are saying that, even when drugs have abated your RLS and PLM symptoms, you still have problems sleeping. Is this a whole aspect of the complaint that has so far been overlooked in research, I wonder? Definitions of the condition always refer to it as a...

Hello Brenda,
I'm so sorry to hear about your Mum. I hope she pulls through very soon. Good luck to you too, with your RLS. I think you deserve the coffee!
Best wishes, Christine

Oh dear, poor Betty, you really do seem to be in a mess. I do hope your new doctor can provide you with some relief. I guess I should be grateful that my own problems, as yet, are more controllable. If my legs and arms are all jerky, I can usually get it under control within 1 - 3 hours by getting o...

Well, my blood pressure was ultra normal this morning so I decided to treat myself to an early morning decaff coffee, but I didn’t enjoy it. So, coupled with what you have said, Beth, I think I’ll revert to my herbal infusions as my wake-up drink.

Hello Betty, It really is interesting, isn’t it, that three of us here are saying that even when RLS symptoms are not present, we still have difficulty sleeping. I’m no doctor (AT ALL), but it looks like the complaint isn’t just a just a question of dopamine levels and this whole, incredibly importa...