Iron vs. Magnesium

[ViewsAskew]

Randy, I don't think any of that is true, but I don't know. Calcium and iron are for everyone. You need calcium just like I do to make teeth and bones strong. You need iron in your blood, too. Men can be anemic. Too much of some things aren't good, and iron and calcium are two of those things. Women can get kidney stones, too, although I do think that men are more prone - my dad had them and I seem to remember him saying that. Too much iron can cause hemachromotosis - you don't want to get it!

In this case, the iron is related to your stores of iron, called your ferritin. It should be tested for men and women. There is one man I know that had the iron transfusion and hasn't had RLS in a couple of years or more. Have that tested - it should be at least 50 for someone with RLS. If it is less, then you should take iron just like us girls, menses or not!

Oh, and magnesium is great for leg cramps. But some people do find it helps their RLS, too. Not all of us, but some. I guess the key is that low minerals do affect at least some RLSers and taking them can be helpful. Because some of them can build up, however, you should never take them without talking to your doctor, and in the case of iron, getting a ferritin test.

Ann

[SJ]

I sell vitamins. I can not take Vita-One. The brand of mutli-vitamins I sell. Just two days of taking it and I can't sleep well for a week. Even though I'm on that little "miracle drink" I also sell. I really wish I knew what vitamin or mineral or combination there-of causes this reaction. Is there a dietitian in this group? Does any one know why I would have this reaction to something that helps everyone else I know? I'm so convinced it's brain chemistry for me. I'd like to take a multi-vitamin but I'm afraid to try. I take A and E and Coral calcium because they have proven safe for me. SJ

[ksxroads]

Dear SJ...

Sorry that you had problems with the multi vitamin. That is why I do not start more than one new medication or supplement at a time. It allows me to time to discern how my body reacts.

Oddly enough, it is possible that you all ready have sufficient levels of certain ingredients... I do know from my own experiences that magnesium can interfere with iron absorbtion, or Vitamin E reduces oxygen absorption ie. when my daughter was in incubator they prescribed Vit E to prevent retina damage from the elevated oxygen levels... so an excess of one thing may cause problems in other areas ...

I only mention the following as I recently looked into coral calcium at the request of a friend. There are several reputable websites that monitor alternative medications and all of them state unanimously that people who need to consume extra calcium, purified calcium carbonate pills are safer and far less expensive than "coral calcium." I'm all for saving money!

Hazel

[jumping bean]

Does anyone have any suggestions for immediate relief...besides walking????!!! Last night, while I was jerking around, I thought, "this is not normal! A person shouldn't have to live like this!!" I'm so frustrated with this rls. I'm on requip (sp?) but haven't had much relief. I'm going to try the Magnessum (sp?) 600 mg and see what happens. At this point anything would be better than this. My dogs sleep better that I do...THAT AIN'T RIGHT...

[trevb]

randy,
i think men can take iron as well if theyre deficient.
yes youre right women are usually the sex who have low iron due to periods childbirth etc. but im sure (but not absolutely certain) men can take iron too
trev

[wilgglelegs]

I've read that excess iron in men can promote the development of coronary disease. Pre-menopausal women naturally have a way to lower their iron stores -- with men this isn't the case.

Men should have their iron (serum ferritin) blood levels determined by testing before taking any supplements. Sooo, check with your doc first!

[D]

I am trying vitamin and mineral therapy. one of my favorite books is the Perscription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch CNC. She mentions iron, copper, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, B complex and E as helpful. One of the problems from what I hear is that we can test positive for a normal amount of iron in the blood, but it isn't getting absorbed, some of us have a malabsorption problem. I find it better to take some of these as seperate pills, I read one book that said don't take the iron with the calcium, vitamin C with the iron increases the absorption by 30%.
I have read the Omega 3 Connection by Dr. Stoll's he really recommends Omega 3 fish oil for pregnant women, it is great for the baby and will protect you from the possibility of having postpartum depression due to being drained of Omega 3. I think they are putting Omega 3 in the baby formulas now too. Congratulations on expecting a baby, you will need as much sleep as possible so it's good to work on the issues now.
D

[psenechal]

I've been suffering with RLS for about the past 5 years. The first few years, I didn't even know what it was...I just thought I was becoming an insomniac. During one particularly bad bout, it plagued me every night for almost a month. I thought I was going to go insane from lack of sleep.

So far, I have tried almost every non-pharmeceutical idea out there. Increased iron, vitamins, cutting out caffeine and alcohol, exercise...you name it. There are 2 things I do when it occurs that help me get to sleep. The first is to lay on my stomach and hang my feet off the end of the bed. The pressure of the edge of the mattress where my leg meets my feet is sometimes enough to releive it long enough so I can fall asleep. If that doesn't work, I will massage my feet by putting a fair amount of pressure with my thumbs on the top and bottom of my feet and rubbing the full length...kind of like I'm squeezing the last little bit out of a tube of toothpaste. Again, sometimes this works long enough to fall asleep. If it doesn't, I'm in infommercial hell as the only thing that takes my mind off the twitching is watching TV.

I am about to start the calcium/magnesium idea to see if that works. If it doesn't, I'm going to try the pharmeceutical solutions. I have heard that many people have had luck with Gabapentin and Requip.

I'll let everyone know if I find something that works...at least for me

[infield83]

HI! I'm new to this website, and have enjoyed (doesn't that sound somewhat sadistic?) reading about other treatments. I am on 4 mg. of Requip and .5 mg. Klonopin. I've tried Sinemet and Mirapex. Mirapex worked well, but took a long time to start relief. Requip is working, and I get relief within 20-30 min. if my stomach is fairly empty.

Anyway, as to mineral treatments, I've read several posts about taking extra iron. I read somewhere that regular iron (ferris sulfate) is ineffective for most people, and that it is better to use Ferris Ferramate (not sure I spelled this correctly, but it is close). I don't remember why it is better. It is hard to find, but someone may benefit from trying it. I took it for a while, but I also didn't have the courage or wherewithall to discontinue my Rx medications. Therefore, I can't say if it helped or not. Someone with a good knowledge of biochemistry might be able to respond better than I. Anyway, I hope this helps someone.

[Sadiegirl]

I have had a terrible time with anxiety related to my RLS symptoms. I lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks. I started having twitching along with my regular symptoms which caused more anxiety. I decided I probably was not getting the vitamins and minerals my body needed. I took Ann's advise and bought some magnesium/calcium/zinc tabs. Amazingly, my anxiety has lessened 100% and my twitching has deminished by 80%. And I have gotten my appetite back. I still have RLS symptoms but my ability to handle them mentally has improved because of the supplements.

Thanks Ann for your advise.

Laura

[ksxroads]

Dear Sadie,

SO glad to hear GOOD news!!!

I too think that the addition of a daily multi vitamin and b complex has helped me with anxiety. For five years I was on antivan. The new GP wanted me to stop it for a while. So far I have been able to manage fairly well.

That and the wonderful support of this group!

It is a good day! So glad you shared! Hazel