Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Hello,

Figure I will introduce myself. I’m oozz, 31 y/o male. I can say I’ve officially had RLS for a little over a year straight. Not sure when it started, but I have always had poor sleeping habits. I typically get it around 3:30-4:30 am every night. It’s mainly in one of my legs, but it’s not uncommon to get it In my left arm.

Overall, I’ve always been a very healthy person, highly disciplined with diet and exercise. However, over the past year, RLS has sapped the energy out of me. What’s worse, is that I got injured lifting weights and haven’t been able to recover. I think this is largely due to the lack of sleep associated with RLS.

I’ve tried several drugs, but none have worked out l/t. I just got my first RX of ropinerole, but I’m hesitant to take it because neupro was making me go crazy. My doctor also wrote me an RX for Relaxis, which I will be ordering soon. I’m using a vibrating massage ball to manage flare ups now, so, hopefully, this will work better.

One thing about my RLS is that it usually clears up during vacation. Even if it Is just a weekend, my rls will go away entirely. Right now I am trying to better understand why this occurs. My initial thoughts are stresss or food.

On the food side, I just tried eliminating lactose and nuts for a week and a half, but it didnt seem to have any effect. I typically eat higher fat/protein, so I’m switching to a higher carb diet as this is usually how I eat on vacation.

On the stress side I’ve picked up mmj and mediation. I’m also trying to find a fulfilling hobby which I think will also help keep the stress at bay.

As of this point, I really think the RLS is a result of diet and lifestyle. I think, for each one of us, there is something in our environment is the underlying cause. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to figure out what that trigger is. It takes many sacrifices, many trials, and errors. I have high hopes that I will have this condition under control by the end of the year.

Welcome. I like your positive attitude.

how was Neupro making you go crazy?

What are your RLS/WED symptoms like? It's unusual for them to be worst at 3-4 AM if you're on a normal sleep-wake schedule - that's a little later than normal.

I know what you mean about lack of sleep preventing recovery from soft-tissue injuries brought on by weights and other gym activities. I've struggles with that myself. Even getting injuries - I Think I get them more frequently because I don't get enough sleep. Minor tears don't have time to heal and become major tears - maybe.

Stress is a biggie.

And I think food can be a biggie for some of us, but it takes work or luck to find which foods are bad. What made you try eliminating lactose and nuts? The GAPS diet might be better, or some general elimination diet in which all common food allergens/irritants are eliminated then brought back in one at a time. I was able to drop my medication dose to 1/3 of what it was by eliminating gluten, dairy, highly processed food, and added sugar. But it was 3 months before I was able to drop at all, a year to get to 1/2, and another couple of years since to get to 1/3, during which time other factors may have contributed to the improvement.

If you want to hold off on the ropinirole, you might want to try kratom (a herb with opioid-like properties that is available on the internet and legal in I Think most states) meantime.

It would make good sense to find out your serum ferritin level and not starting ropinirole unless your ferritin is over 100ng/ml - or at the very least, 75. I augmented in a few days on ropinirole, and so did viewsaskew and others here, so don't let anyone tell you it takes years. It can take mere days.