Restiffic and Relaxis Information

[ViewsAskew]

There are many studies that show a correlation between smoking and RLS (same as obesity) but none that I know of that prove the relationship. Do you smoke because you are anxious and jumpy, for example? Does smoking deplete something that makes RLS more likely to worsen? No one knows, as far as I know. But, I haven't reviewed that literature in several years.

[Madmom02]

I looked at some research this afternoon but didn't see anything. I'm glad I quit though, just in case.

[JTDoran2]

I have experienced mixed results with Restiffic foot pads. At $ 300+, the wraps are way over-priced and may not be durable enough for long-term use. Inserting one's foot in the pad is problematic. I never know if the ball of my foot is correctly positioned in the pad. Color coding the part of the pad that should hit the ball of the foot would be helpful. On the positive side, the pad has proven some relief from tingling in my sole during daytime naps. Not sure, I would want that amount of pressure on my feet all night long. The manufacturer does offer a 30-day money back guarantee so there is no downside in giving them a vigorous trial before paying the high price.

[badnights]

Is the 300+ price for one wrap or a pair?

You need a prescription to get them (at least it seemed so when I researched them), which puzzles me. Why restrict access like that? Do they think they can charge more because insurance will pay part?

[JimmyLegs44]

I've ordered the Restiffic foot wraps as well...$300 is for the pair. I agree they are overpriced, especially considering they indicate they should be replaced every six months. They may last longer than that, but they are only warrantied for 6 months.

I've had issues trying to correctly place the ball of the foot on the pad too. The biggest issue for me though is comfort. I only get symptoms during sleep, and can't stand having these things on my feet when I'm sleeping. I can get about an hour or so of sleep before I have to take them off. They say you're not supposed to walk on them (which makes sense), so every time you get out of bed, you need to take them off. I've had mixed results also. I plan on returning mine. I might try the Relaxis Pad next.

[Madmom02]

So good to hear from people who've tried either the Restiffic or the Relaxis. Hope to hear more! Thanks, all, for sharing your experiences!

[kcrowley]

My daughter is 8 and has been dealing with severe symptoms of her RLS since she was 2. (400mg gabapentin, 0.1mg clonidine, and melatonin at night and 100mg gabapentin during school) Over the course of the last 3 years I can count on two hands the amount of times she slept past 4:30AM before the symptoms became unbearable.

My husband and I made the decision to try Relaxis and her amazing neurologist was on board. It was expensive and it is not covered by insurance but for us, we felt the potential benefits outweighed the financial ones. Like the post by Notwoways, Customer support has been outstanding (for us) and very proactive with our rep touching base with us upwards of twice a week "just to check in." I can also attest the product is extremely easy to use (we have a refurbished (not that I could tell it looked brand new) one and one that is rechargeable so we can take it in the car). I will admit that I was nervous and skeptical at first, especially to discover that she is one of the youngest users with a prescription for Relaxis. But the results have been amazing for her as well. In as little as a week she has been able to sit on the couch for extended periods of time without having to get up and walk. She has reduced the number of times she needs to get up in school (and yes she does take it to school as needed and the school is working with us to ensure she has access to it as needed during the school day). Most importantly she has slept through the night for the last 7 days without any severe symptoms. Her anxiety has lessened, her happiness has increased ten fold (she is smiling for real, not because we forced her), and her sleep pattern is normalizing (9pm bed vs. 11- 11:30PM bed) and went from 4- 6 hours to 9 - 11 hours uninterrupted. For a child who could not sit still for more than 10 minutes at dinner before she had to move, our success with Relaxis has been so tremendous we are already in early conversations about step-down of medication and have eliminated the need for the supplemental (daily) melatonin. I can not speak for how this would work for anyone else but for us thus far, Relaxis has really had a life altering impact on my daughter and our family.

[Madmom02]

Wow! This makes me tear up a little. Im so glad your daughter is getting relief but so sad she has to deal with RLS. Thank you for posting!

[ViewsAskew]

Thank you so much for sharing, kcrowley!

[badnights]

wow! Thanks for this good news!

[Polar Bear]

kcrowley - I feel quite emotional reading your post. Your daughter is the same age as my granddaughter and to imagine an 8 year old trying to cope with the really horrible symptoms of RLS is heartbreaking.
Thank you for sharing your positive progress.

[kcrowley]

Thank you all for your touching words. While no one ever wants to see their child in pain we consider ourselves blessed that we have doctors that care and treatments that help her deal with her symptoms. I just hope that the more we share our daughters story the more other parents will get the help they need for their own child. As I type she's laying on her relaxis pad and reading a book. Something she never used to be able to do. I can't speak enough praise for this device. I truly believe it's worth a try.

[badnights]

:)

[sammylola]

Hi all,

I want to share my experience with the Restiffic footwraps. First, a little about my restless legs. I've had RLS for the past 6 years and it's gotten progressively worse with this past year being pretty unbearable. I went on ropinerole briefly, but thanks to this forum was scared off of it after 4 days.

This summer into fall, I would classify my RLS as moderate to severe, and when I saw the Restiffic claims and the 30 day money back, I figured there really isn't a risk to give them a try. I've been wearing the Restiffic footwraps nightly for the past 2 months. I hate them, but continue to wear them.

I hate them because they hurt. The directions say to loosen the straps if they cause any numbness, which isn't exactly my issue. I don't use the outer wrap cover, it's unnecessary, and if you get up multiple times a night (like most RLS sufferers do), it's a PIA to take them on and off repeatedly with the extra cover. Apparently, my feet swell in the night and even though I have the straps on quite loosely, in the middle of the night the wraps really start to hurt so I rip them off.

As soon as I take them off the RLS fires up, so I put them back on. Let me note at this point, the wraps only work when my RLS is mild. I will still have moderate or severe legs with the wraps on. The wraps are especially good for me when I first lay down, and between bouts - when there is just the tingle or preliminary feeling like there's going to be a problem. That's when the wraps work for me.

I'm a little over a month gluten free and have seen significant improvement. I still have issues, though nothing like this past summer. Last night, I wore the wraps all night, then had a 2:30am bout and a 3:30am bout and otherwise was fine! There is finally hope in my world and it includes not having to wear the damn foot wraps, because I do really hate them even though they help on some level.

[legsbestill]

Thanks a lot for detailed feedback. It's great to get some idea how these devices work and you describe it really well. I hope you continue to improve and with luck the foot wraps are rendered unnecessary.