Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

19 February 2024

Welcome today to

Vivace who can’t sit still and some nights can’t sleep at all.

Is your doctor treating your RLS symptoms and have your had your Ferritin Serum level checked. This needs to be up around 100 and not just 'normal' which can be anything from 20+. If you have any questions please post, giving us details of your current treatment and we will do our best to guide you,.

Monday, February 19

Welcome to

janewolf, whose RLS has changed her life. She was diagnosed 17 years ago and is trying to figure out her augmentation.

You can learn about augmentation from our Augmentation form or from reading the document that the link in my signature points to. And if you need an opioid to control your RLS after you get off of the dopamine, you can learn about that from this article: https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... X/fulltext

20 February 2024

Welcome today to

janjewiz who has RLS. New medications have resulted in real frustration and dreadful nights. janjewiz wants to increase knowledge.

If new medications are causing frustration you need to speak with your doctor. What are the new meds. Are you taking a DA such as ropinerole or pramipexole and if so have you had to keep increasing these. Perhaps you have changed to a different medication and haven't yet achieved the right dose for you. If you will make a post giving details of your treatment regime we will try to help you. You can join a relevant existing thread or better, create your own thread.

21 February 2024

Welcome today to

Treshca who has had RLS over 50 years now. Started in teens. Treshca developed augmentation after being prescribed 3 different DA medications. Currently on 100 mg of Tramadol a night. Still experiencing daytime RLS symptoms which affects work at times. Treshca says years of sleepless nights have a horrible effect on our bodies and mood and is looking for information and support with regards to Tramadol and augmentation.

You say you are still experiencing daytime RLS symptoms. The pain relief from ordinary Tramadol only lasts for about 4 - 6 hours. Extended Release Tramadol should last up to 24 hours and may be more suitable for you.
Augmentaton is horrible. Please make a post and ask questions. Provide details of your medications. Tell us also how long since you finished taking any DA medications. We will do our best to help.

Saturday, February 24

Welcome to

dodieoncrystal, whose son has had RLS since he was in his 30's and is now 59. He's been subscribed all effective medicines - They work for a few years then no more. ..even prescribed opoids - They work but cannot be forever. He has very severe pain, loses many nights of sleep and spends entire nights pacing. She is interested in this forum to see how others handle RLS and if there's any new medications or ways to handle RLS.

Fortunately, opioids will work "forever" so long as he can continue to have a relationship with a doctor that is willing to prescribe them. There are RLS patients who have taken opioids for 20 years without having to increase their dose or have them lose effectiveness. For those of us who take them, our greatest fear isn't that they will stop working like the other meds did, it is that our doctor will retire and that we won't be able to find a doctor to continue our treatment with an opioid. As for new meds, there isn't anything in the pipeline right now, but some research a few years ago has suggested a new type of class of drugs to treat RLS. The initial studies were promising, but it could be as long as 10 years before anything becomes available.

However, a new type of treatment was approved by the FDA last year that uses something like a TENS unit that is applied just below the knee. If you search for TOMAC, you can read through their literature.

To learn about all of the types of treatment that are currently recommended, read the document that the link in my signature points to.

And feel free to post a question. We are always eager to help others by sharing our experiences, both good and bad.

Monday 26 February 2024

Welcome today to

jpss1 who can't get a good nights sleep and sick of the annoyance.

Sleep is what sends most rls sufferers to seek help. Annoyance is putting it mildly. There's a lot of information in the Just Joined Forum. If you have any questions please post either by joining a relevant thread or starting your own thread and we will do our best to help.

Monday, February 26

Welcome to

CalmLegsJL, who is looking to learn more about RLS and is interested in natural remedies.

You can find quite a bit about non-prescription treatments for RLS in our forum on Non-Prescription Meds, Supplements, etc. Unfortunately, most natural treatments are not very effective. Iron supplements are beneficial if your ferritin level is below 100, but you should only take these with a doctor's guidance since too much iron can cause organ damage. Another treatment that works for many but only for about 20 minutes is soaking your legs in very hot water. This seems to shut down the need to move long enough for you to get into bed.

You can find many products on the market that appear to be RLS treatments, but be sure to carefully read the label. Almost all of them have a statement in the fine print that says "Not to be used to treat Restless Legs Syndrome".

If you cannot find what you are looking for, all you need to do is post a note with any questions that you have. We would be happy to provide any answers that we can.

27 February 2024

Welcome today to

Vickis who has had RLS for as long as she can remember. She is now 60 yo and it has gotten terrible over last several years . Vicki has it every night and has tried everything. She is at her wits end and very frustrated.

We are all sufferers here and we understand your frustration. You will glean a good deal of information here and perhaps start with the Just Joined Forum. Have you been prescribed a DA such as Requip or Pramepexole which may have caused augmentation. If you take a look at the Augmentation Forum you may see if this strikes a chord.
Please feel free to make a post and ask questions so that we may try to help you.

Wednesday, February 28

Welcome to

Robin66, who is newly diagnosed, is having difficulty sleeping and staying active. She is worried about the progression of the disease.

Generally, the severity of RLS will get worse with age. How fast it progresses varies. However, treatment can be 95+% effective even after it has progressed to the very severe stage. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them. That is why we are here.