headaches and dry eyes

[edelman2]

Hi,

I get headaches at the base of my scull and am not sure if it is due to lack of sleep or due to dry eyes. Has anyone else experienced this
side effect of RLS?.

[ViewsAskew]

A lot of us here have headaches - are they part of RLS/WED? I doubt it, but not sure how we'd know.

Mine, I've learned, are of two types. I do get traditional migraines - but not often, thankfully. The regular headaches I now know are caused by what is called myofascial trigger points. And those seem to be indirectly caused by RLS - for me, they are MUCH worse when I have poor sleep. My husband has them, too, but in different locations than I - he also finds his are worse with poor sleep. That's not a lot of data - but it's a pattern that has stayed consistent for many years.

[Rustsmith]

I get migraines and have identified three different trigger for my headaches, one of which is nasal allergies that trigger sinus issues.

There is quite a bit of research that has shown a statistical relationship between migraines and RLS. I have not seen any discussions of a mechanism for the link, just that the linkage is there. But the fact that a link exists does not seem fetched. There are so many neurochemical issues that we still do not understand about RLS, for example the Johns Hopkins research into glutamates and the recent paper on the function of histamines in the brain. Migraines are related to improper activation of a specific nerve, so why shouldn't we be more susceptible?

The good news is that gabapentin is effective in helping prevent or reduce the severity of migraines in many people. The justification I had for starting gabapentin was to replace another anticonvulsant med that had too many unacceptable side effects. The fact that it did double duty with my RLS was just a bonus, but speaks to some sort of relationship.

[edelman2]

So how do people with3-4 hours of sleep manage the headaches?

[Rustsmith]

I am one of those 3-4 hrs of sleep RLS patients. I manage the headaches with gabapentin to help prevent and/or reduce the severity of my headaches. When they do occur, I use sumatriptan at the first sign of a headache to keep them from going nuclear on me.

[Polar Bear]

I am also one of those who operate on 3 - 4 hours sleep per night.
I wake up with a headache most mornings but not sure of the cause as I also have long standing trouble with my shoulder/neck.
Generally if I tolerate the headache it will have gone within a half hour. If it's really sore I'll take ibuprofen.
However, I used to take horrendous migraine headaches, they stopped about 14 years ago, no idea why. Might get the occasional one but not 2 per week like it was once upon a time.

[ViewsAskew]

For me, I have to get more sleep. Otherwise it's lots of NSAIDS, massage, and pain.

The key for me truly is keeping my RLS drugs working. If you can work on that, you may find you are in better shape.

[edelman2]

Polar Bear and Rustsmith

Did you always need 3-4 hours of sleep a night or is it due to RLS that your sleep time was reduced?

[Rustsmith]

I needed 7 to 8 hrs each night until I started on my current DA. I cannot say that it's due to the medication just yet, but may find out following my doctor's appointment next week.

[edelman2]

Please let me know. Is'nt there a concept of super-alertness with RLS, could that be that? Also which DA are you using?

[Rustsmith]

I am currently using Neupro following augmentation on pramipexole. I have been on Neupro for 15 months and was gradually increased from the 2 to the 4mg patch.

As for super-alertness, you will find quite a few discussions of hyperalterness with RLS, particularly when treated by opiates. I may have seen some of that prior to using Neupro. Around bedtime my mind would suddenly shift into overdrive so that getting to sleep was frequently impossible until I got up and did something that required concentrating for an hour or more. Now, I can go to sleep normally, but wake up in the early AM or even at midnight and cannot go back to sleep. It isn't that my mind is racing, it is that my body has decided that it is time to get up.

With respect to the commends yesterday on depression. I just saw a paper that Dr Allen at Johns Hopkins wrote last year. He was studying the cognitive function of RLS patients comparing those receiving treatment vs those not being treated. He did not find any difference in cognitive function but did find that depression was much more prevalent in those who were not receiving treatment.

[Polar Bear]

edelman2 - There was a time when I slept normally but many years have passed since then.
And yes, this would have been around the time that I started taking ropinerole, followed in later years with the addition of Tramadol SR and Cocodamol.
Prior to any medication it would have been because of RLS symptoms - difficulty getting to sleep but managing to sleep once I got over with now and again, no sleep at all.

With medication I still have the occasional all-nighter but usually it is 3 or 4 or 5 hours of broken sleep.
An all-nighter now may be because of RLS/WED symptoms but very often I am 'just awake', no symptoms but wide awake or hyper alert.
Whether it is the disease or the medication, perhaps a combination.