Hello! My name is Travis. I am new to the discussion board

[tshoaf715]

Hey!

Again, my name is Travis! I have had symptoms of RLS from infancy. I am now 23, and I have been to many doctors regarding this syndrome. I am looking to gain some more information from those who possess the syndrome.

I am still uncertain whether or not RLS is the condition I have. Some doctors have explored the idea of FAS and RMD; however, I do not have the very severe symptoms associated with FAS and RMD had always seemed to be very tame in comparison to the violence involved with the movements in my sleep.

I have been prescribed everything from Requip to Klonopin to assist with the symptoms and to help me, more importantly, to get some actual, restful sleep!

I would love to hear from people with the syndrome, their specific symptoms, and what I can look ahead to assuming that I do have RLS when referring to the long term effects.

I hope to hear from you all!

-Travis (FL)

[Polar Bear]

Hello Travis and welcome to our site.
We are just sorry that you think you may have RLS.

RLS can occur occasionally, or almost all of the time, depending on its severity. You probably know that there are 4 essential criteria that are all necessary for diagnosis:

1) A need to move the legs, usually accompanied or caused by uncomfortable, unpleasant sensations in the legs. Any kind of sensation may be a manifestation of RLS and a wide variety of descriptions have been used ranging from "painful" or "burning" to "Elvis legs". Sometimes the need to move is present without the uncomfortable sensations and sometimes the arms or other body parts are involved in addition to the legs.
2) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are exclusively present or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity such as lying or sitting
3) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are partially or totally relieved by movement such as walking or stretching at least as long as the activity continues.
4) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are generally worse or exclusively occur in the evening or night.

Many of us have difficulty in finding a natural solution to our symptoms however you may find some tips on how to cope on the RLS Rebel site. Here is the link:
http://members.cox.net/gunzel/index.html

Should you find yourself needing to attend your GP for treatment/medication, the Mayo Clinic Algorithm is a wonderful source of information for treatment and can be accessed via the link in my signature.

There is a great deal of information throughout the site and indeed I was desperate when I found this group. The information led me to treatment and to some semblence of normality.......

Please ask anything you like and we will try to help.
None of us are medical doctors but we do have a lot of experience of dealing with RLS, each in our own way.

Did the Requip or the Klonopin help your symptoms, has any of the medication helped.

I have been an rls sufferer for over 30 years, symptoms are now in arms and legs and it has now become 24/7. at present my meds are requip and tramadol, with zopiclone for sleep which only gives me a couple of hours.

I'm afraid my search for restful sleep continues, even without rls symptoms the insomnia takes over, tramadol can be energising and certain other meds do not help sleep issues.

There is quite a bit of information throughout the posts.

[sleepdancer]

Your comment about the violent movements in your sleep caught my attention. That word is sometimes used by those describing Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Mine became even more so when I was having augmentation on a dopamine agonist. Did you try different meds then quit or are you on meds now? If you note my prior posts, I use a TENS Unit for my PLMD. Not sure how that would translate to anyone using it for daytime RLS symptoms.

[tshoaf715]

Hey again!

Polar: The reason for me being, for the majority anyway, confident that I have RLS is that I have read the criteria before, and I had one of those cliche eureka moments. My symptoms are less severe during the day, but still pretty bad.

Any time I sit still I get a burning, almost "electrifying" sensation and sometimes pulse from the middle of my thighs to the soles of my feet in both legs. If I place myself in a position where my legs are unmovable, I do find myself trying to compensate for the constant movement with my arms.

Bed time is the absolute worst. Once I finally get outside my head and not pay attention to it, I can easuly fall asleep. The issue for me at least, arises when I wake up to VIOLENTLY swinging both of my legs side to side while in the middle of sleep. I don't even realize it until it wakes myself or wife!

2nd post (sorry forgot your handle while writing lol):

Yes, I forgot to mention that I have been diagnosed with PLMD along with the RLS. My wife, when we first started living together almost called an ambulance because she thought I was having a seizure!!! Along with the constant need to move my legs while asleep, I tend to have leg and arm "twitches" of an even more violent nature as well.

The Ropinorole (requip) did absolutely nothing to alleviate my symptoms. When I was extremely stressed it got exponentially worse, and my doctor decided to try the Klonopin.

I must admit, as far as the symptoms are concerned, Klonopin is amazing. I have a large problem with it however, being as it is habit forming and I have been taking it for a year and a half, I am now taking 4-6 2mg tablets daily to control the symptoms, which is right at the ceiling.

A huge drawback on the Klonopin is the sedation. As I am sure everyone here knows, sleep is a rare commodity, and the last thing I want to be is tired all the time. . .