Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Ok...so my new doc is installing one of these machines in his office and since I have such trouble with my depression meds exacerbating my RLS and PLMW movement, he suggested I give it a try. I'm always afraid new meds/treatments might make things worse, but what the heck, I'm already crazy from the nightly torture...if it fries my brain, I'm still ahead of the game.

Anyone try it with success? I did a search but found no posts on the subject.

Can't say I've heard about it in conjunction with RLS....are you interested in being a guinea pig?

Does he hope it will help the depression or the RLS?

bethf wrote:Does he hope it will help the depression or the RLS?

I think he is hoping it will help with both. Depression meds make my movement extremely bad, but I can't do without them. I haven't tried the treatment yet though. I keep worrying about the possibility that it could make things worse....drugs are bad enough, but you can go off of them if needed....once you undergo this kind of treatment, if there's damage, I'm afraid it's done, you know?

ViewsAskew wrote:Can't say I've heard about it in conjunction with RLS....are you interested in being a guinea pig?

LOL...no, not really! Can't remember where I read something about how onset of sleep can cause some part of the brain when it begins to relax to 'misfire' into thinking 'flight' instead. But I don't see how TMS could possibly pinpoint anything specific, unlike deep brain stimulation, which, IMO, though more risky, seems more promising. I just don't know if anyone will do DBS for RLS/PLMW. It's been used for tourettes, but truth be told, my PLMW looks just like tourettes...I call it nocturnal tourettes

That's interesting. One of my friends is convinced that I have a verbal tic, she calls it mini-tourette's but properly it would be mini-coprolalia, which is only occasionally a part of Tourette's. However, it seems coprolalia is expressed outside of emotional context, whereas I say things almost entirely when I feel strong emotions. But I come up with phrases of interesting complexity that I simply can't create when I'm not upset, and that I can't remember afterwards. They just come out of the blue. Coprolalia is a rare symptom of other neurological disorders too. So I still wonder a little bit. I would NEVER EVER mention it seriously to a doctor tho!

I remember a post - I think it was a letter to Dr B - from a guy with Tourette's, saying he had been reading about RLS/PLM and it sounded a lot like Tourette's; he asked if there was a link and Dr B said none known.

PS sorry I have nothing to say, yea or nay, on the TMS. It's a hard decision to make, I wish you luck with it.

Hi Kimberly,
by any chance did you go forward with the TMS? Just wondering as it sounds like some of the recent studies have shown it works for some people with RLS.
Looking forward to hearing if you took advantage of this! Mel

Magnetic stimulation is going to have a similar mechanism to tDCS.

From what I can find, targeting the brain doesn't help RLS. However, I know an account of someone having magnetic treatment (PEMF) on their legs and it helped.

I use tDCS in AC mode on my legs and it stops symptoms when they happen, but doesn't seem to prevent other areas developing. It could depend on what causes your RLS. If you have trigger points and physical treatments work, it will help.

The mechanism in your legs is similar to the effect on the brain as it excites nerves, or neurons, and changes their function.

I have also used my tDCS for the inevitable depression from RLS and lack of sleep, and it has been fantastic. So I definitely recommend you try the TMS from your doctor for depression.

Thanks for the update!

XenMan wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 28, 2023 1:30 am

From what I can find, targeting the brain doesn't help RLS. However, I know an account of someone having magnetic treatment (PEMF) on their legs and it helped.

There is a paper evidencing that repetitive transcranial direct stimulation of the motor cortex alleviated RLS symptoms. There are also studies for Parkinson’s patients w/RLS showing deep brain stimulation improved RLS.

I actually am getting my money on this as the future. It won’t be medication.

This was actually the paper I was referring to, I must have misinterpreted where they put the electrodes.

Oozz wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 05, 2023 11:31 pm

This was actually the paper I was referring to, I must have misinterpreted where they put the electrodes.

A lot of technical information to store and recall. It is easy to make mistakes.

There are a few things I don't like about using magnetic or current stimulation for RLS. The first is that you don't get anything for nothing and if you change one part of the brain, another part is impacted as well, often to the detriment. For other uses of stimulation it isn't an issue as you work the area and get neuron growth or strengthening that carries over when treatment stops.

Also, the areas targeted for RLS are going to be rather important for other tasks as well which may be reduced as you are seeking reduced brain activity.

However, it is an easy choice to give up other abilities when you are so greatly impacted by RLS symptoms.

It will also depend on whether, or how strong the physical element is, to how to benefit from stimulation. Also, if increased activity in the brain is causing the RLS symptoms or is a result of a reaction to create the symptoms.

It is complex, and has been seen with much of the RLS science, it will be badly done and come to the wrong conclusions.

My experimentation continues...

Another issue to contend with is that the portion of the brain where RLS originates is deep. So any external treatment has to either go through other areas with the potential side effects they might cause or else you will need to use many electrodes that focus on the right area and electrode placement without guidance from some other means could end up hitting the wrong spot. When DBS has been tried for RLS (as opposed to Parkinsons), there is still debate about where to place the electrode and DBS surgery is done with continual radiography to guide the neurosurgeon PLUS the patient is partially awake to help respond whether there is any improvement as the electrodes are put into place.