Been reading a lot, Kind of freaked out

[EvilDonut]

Hi all, been reading here a bit seems like a nice community. I'm turning 36 in September. I've noticed for maybe the past year or so I've had a tendency to bounce my leg - mostly my right leg, sometimes my left. It started off a bit weird - sometimes I noticed that while sitting down, if I pressed on my leg midway between my hip and knee, on the top of the leg, if I hit the muscle right, I could get my leg to bounce. It was kind of odd, but interesting in that "Gee, the body sure can be weird..." kind of way. Sometimes I'd notice it would feel good to push that muscle... My leg wasn't cramped or crawly or itchy or such (the symptoms I've read here). I have found that the past month or so, I tend to bounce my leg a lot... my family has started to notice and keeps telling me to stop. I really don't notice any weird feelings, I just suddenly get an urge to bounce it. If I've been doing it a while pretty vigourosly (it doesn't look like I'm spastic, it just looks like I'm bouncing my leg kinda fast) and I stop, it tends to feel a little tingly - but I don't think that's terribly weird (do some exercise, you feel tingly too, right?)

I *can* tell you that:
1. I've been really stressed lately. My mother, who is in her 70's and lives with us, has had several joint surgeries. She had a shoulder replacement revision done a year ago, and got the unfortunate news it has to happen again due to dislocation. It was supposed to take place in July, but the prosthesis was recalled. So we're waiting. It's kind of "hanging" over us. She has to have a total knee revision done as well at some point, and probably her other shoulder. Yeah - lots of problems.
2. I've been having headaches more. I'm prone to migraines, but this weekend was so bad it made me cry and I got really depressed over it. I do take medication for mild depression, Paxil. I am seeing my doctor on Friday, as I think it needs to be adjusted. I've bounced around over the past 8 years or so between moderate and maximum doses.
3. I drink a lot of coffee. I drink 2 24Oz cups a day. Sometimes more in the form of Soda.
4. Exercise. What? Enough said.
5. Work has been stressfull, I just tend to get myself worked up. I'm in engineering, and I"m pretty easy going, but I tend to be a perfectionist and it's hard for me to deal with people who aren't the same. I don't freak out at them, I just internalize it and get pissed off.

Not sure what else to say. It doesn't seem to keep me up at night, I go to bed and it seems to go away. It just seems to be when I'm sitting down.

For all I know, it could be the higher stress levels doing it to me. I know the body can get weird when it's stressed out. The "conscious" stress goes away when sleeping, so maybe that's why things are better when I"m asleep. It does, however, feel good to bounce, but sometimes It just goes on for so long that it starts to hurt - somtimes my knee or hip can start to hurt.

I don't have any muscular cramps or other oddities like ankle redness /etc. (I thought I read that here somewhere).

I've thought about asking my doc about this when I see him Friday.

However, any thoughts or musings?

Thanks.

PS: I happened to hear about this site through work - I was standing at the printer waiting for my document and I saw that someone else had printed out the "what is RLS?" from this site. It started to make me think, at least enough to ask.

[ViewsAskew]

Hi Evil - welcome to our group. I'd love for you to stay, but maybe you won't need to. I have a couple of thoughts that may or may not mean anything.

Have you seen the criteria? They are in the "sticky" on managing RLS in the New to RLS? section. That may help you decide if it applies.

If you think it does apply, please know that drugs like Paxil can "cause" RLS or contribute to making it worse. All SSRIs are known to worsen RLS in people. It has to do with seratonin vs dopamine. So, if you have it, and the Paxil is causing it, and you need the Paxil . . .I guess you're stuck with it for now . If it starts to bother you, as in preventing you from sleeping or working, there are things you can take, but you can also try many of the things listed in that same sticky I sent you to above - such as cutting down/out caffeine, alcohol, getting iron/ferritin tested, etc.

Hope you find you don't need to be here - just because we're a great group doesn't mean we really want more company - we'd prefer no one needed us

[EvilDonut]

Hi Ann,

I did read up on the Criteria, which is why I was so confused... I couldn't really tell if my "bouncy leg" was really part of it. Unfortunately, I think I do need the Paxil. My father died about 8 years ago, and I had gotten depressed. I always had a short-fuse, but after that I seemed to get into a funk and my fuse got shorter... and shorter... and I started getting very terse with people. My doctor suggested Paxil and I was a little put off by taking it, but I did... it's helped a lot, but sometimes when I get very stressed, it tends to feel like it doesn't work and the dose needs to be bumped.

Anyway, I had noted the other things like caffiene and (lack of) exercise becuase I did find them in the stickies. I guess I should at least cut back on the tons of caffiene I ingest; I know it can really screw you over when you start to "come down", same with sugar crashes.

Hopefully it's just a combination of Stress + some anxiety + intake... Not the easiest things to manage, but I guess it *is* better than RLS - at least I can "fix" those things.

I think perhaps I was looking for validation or (as the hope would be) no validation!

By the way - do you know if to test iron levels in the blood if fasting is preferred beforehand?

Cheers!

EDonut.

[ViewsAskew]

I'm not sure. . .maybe someone else will know. I think I've had my blood tested at any old time. They need to test your ferritin levels; it's also good to test for anemia.

You might consider taking some vitamins and minerals. It does help many. A mega B-complex, some E, calcium, magensium. . . that is, if you don't already take them.

Sorry - wish I could be more definitive for you. Leg bouncing is a tough one - it doesn't alone mean RLS, though some of us with RLS do leg bounce. I find I don't bounce as much as wind, twist, turn, push and pull my ankles and calves while I'm sitting.

This test might help. The next time you are bouncing, stop yourself and just sit quietly. Most of us with RLS would find that something would build within out legs and feel like we would burst if we didn't move them.

[tazzer]

i bounce my legs alot, but i also rub my knuckles on top of my thighs till my knuckles are raw, plus the famous riding the invisible bicycle. ED I too have a very stressful job, i also have a short fuse, i think that adds alot to make my RLS worse. I know i need to stay away from caffeine, but i have to have my coffee in the a.m. or you couldn't stand to be around me. I would definately get your iron levels checked like Ann said. My iron levels tend to get low and i have to stop taking my sinemet so i can take iron caps. Even with my iron levels normal, my RLS still rages. My hubby and I work at the same place, and the doctor put him on Effexor. His anxiety level has sooooo mellowed out, and he quit dipping copenhagen (usually he is a bear when he does that) but with the effexor he has been really calm, i was amazed. Maybe you could ask your doc to try some of that.

dee

[sewthenurse]

I have had RLS for about 3 years. I take Miripex starting at .25 around 7:30pm then .50 to .75 as I go to bed. That wasn't working. My Doctor said to switch to Requip and that was a nightmare since I didn't know how to switch, had an awful night and took a Vicodin. I now am depressed and cry all the time at home. Started Wellbutrin and now am at 300 XL daily. That kind of worked for the legs and the crying but all returned. I got some Lunesta and had 3 nights of great sleep at 1.5 to 2 mgs. The RLS and flipping like a fish all night returned. My husband can't sleep in the same bed and I am so tired and depressed I can't see straight. My Internal Medicine MD is sending me to a Psychiatrist to put me on a better acting Antidepressant. I am trying to read all your information. Can you advise a direction? Do I need to see a Neurologist? My whole family has RLS and or the whole leg and arm movement syndrome.
Thanks Susan

[ctravel12]

Susan I am so sorry that you have rls, but glad that you found us. It is a wonderful and supportive group. Look at the forum "New to RLS" Managing rls. It is has a post there talking about the symptons that you have. I know I have rls for at least 20+ yrs and read as much as I can. It is very informative. I hope that you are feeling better and keep in contact with us. Please let us know how you are doing. Welcome to the group. I know other members will comment on your post too.

[jan3213]

Hey Susan

Welcome! I don't know if you have RLS or not--- I bounce my legs, always have. I also have the standard things: creepy crawly sensations, HAVE to move my legs, etc. My nephew bounces his leg but doesn't have the sensations. My brother has PLMD, but no sensations when he's awake. My son does have the occasional creepy crawly sensations. Everyone seems to be a little bit different--some more different than others.

You've been given great advice by the other members above. It sounds like ctravel has been reading a lot of our older post--that's always a good thing to do.

In any event, as Ann said, we're always sorry when someone has RLS and need this forum, but always happy to welcome new members to our family.

I wish you luck and peaceful rest.

Jan

[ViewsAskew]

I have had RLS for about 3 years. My Internal Medicine MD is sending me to a Psychiatrist to put me on a better acting Antidepressant. I am trying to read all your information. Can you advise a direction? Do I need to see a Neurologist? My whole family has RLS and or the whole leg and arm movement syndrome.
Thanks Susan

Hi Susan,

Couple of thoughts. Were your ferritin levels ever tested? They should be now if they haven't been. If you go to the New to RLS section and read the sticky about managing RLS, there is some great info in there about tests to take, drugs to avoid, etc.

How old were you when your RLS started - was it suddenly, over time, during a pregnancy, or ???? I only ask because you can have primary or secondary RLS. If it is secondary, you need to be treated for the primary problem. Celiac disease, many automimmune issues, back problems etc can cause RLS. When treated, they can help decrease or eliminate the RLS. There is info about that in the same thread I mentioned earlier. If your RLS is primary - usually inherited, but sometimes people have it without a known genetic link - then you just treat the RLS. The ferritin/iron level it especially important here.

MOST anti-depressants worsen RLS. In fact, they can CAUSE RLS to start in the first place. Many of us get depressed when we can't get enough sleep. Also, dopamine is involved in why we have RLS and any imbalance of brain chemicals can worsen mood, RLS, and lots of other things too!

Whatever you do, please try to make sure your "main" doctor really understands all of this. If you see a psych for the mood and a neuro for the RLS, and neither understands the other or what is going on in the total you, it can really make things worse. Sleep docs, neuros and PCPs are who most of us see - but we try to pick for their understanding and ability to try to help us, rather than just their title. One who is willing to learn or study RLS is much better than someone who says they know about it but doesn't listen when things aren't working.

Hope there was something in there to help.