Pregnancy and RLS

RLS occurs more frequently in certain populations, including people with end-stage renal disease, women during pregnancy, and people with iron deficiency. Also, RLS/WED in the elderly and children brings other challenges. Sharing your experiences may be extraordinarily helpful to others.
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ViewsAskew
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Pregnancy and RLS

Post by ViewsAskew »

I went through some of the past threads looking for pregnancy info. Here are some web pages that deal specifically with pregnancy and RLS:

Info from the Foundation on pregnancy and RLS:
http://www.rls.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?&id=10

Info from the So Cal Support Group:
http://www.rlshelp.org/rlsrx.htm#Pregnancy

General information on pregnancy and risks associated with meds:http://www.motherisk.org/

Info from We Move on pregnancy and meds and RLS:
http://www.mdvu.org/library/disease/rls/rls_mptp.html


These are posts that come from several sections of the board.
These are general information, including tips, discussions, meds, etc.

http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=824

http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=691

http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=679&h ... =pregnancy

http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=249

http://bb.rls.orgviewtopic.php?t=44

These posts were specifically related to meds and pregnancy:

http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=1150

http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=249

http://bb.rls.org//viewtopic.php?t=411& ... =pregnancy
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

A reply from Dr Buchfurer to someone who wants to get pregnant:

"There are two RLS medications which are safe (category B) for use in pregnancy. They are methadone and Dostinex. Most RLS specialists should know how to use these drugs but it is likely that most other doctors will not feel comfortable prescribing them."

This is from www.rlshelp.org, patient letters, page 61. I'd have to guess that some of the RLS specialists wouldn't know how to use them, however. A person would probably need to ask the prospective specialist his or her views before ageeing to be treated. For example, one neuro I saw, who writes about RLS and gives lectures, says he doesn't believe in prescibing methadone. I doubt he'd give it, yet he is an expert.

Ann
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

ksxroads
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Location: Kansas

Post by ksxroads »

RLShelp patient letter Dr. B reply April 30, 2006

The two drugs of choice for pregnant RLS patients are the narcotics methadone and oxycodone (low dose). Both are available generically so should be covered and not too expensive. My preference is methadone as it has been used a lot (in much higher doses) for pregnant heroin addicts and seems to be reasonably safe.

If one of these narcotics does not completely resolve your RLS symptoms (which is very unlikely as they really work great to relieve RLS symptoms) then you can add Ambien (which is not yet generic so may not be covered as well) to help you sleep.

All the above drugs are pregnancy category B drugs which are considered reasonably safe for pregnancy.
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation.

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badnights
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Study links low folic acid to WED/RLS during pregnancy

Post by badnights »

A recent study published by Northwestern Universi, IL links WED/RLS during pregnancy to low folic acid in the pregnant woman's blood. It has not been shown if low folic acid causes WED, if WED causes low folic acid, or if both WED and low folic acid arise from some other cause.

Title is Serum folic acid level and its relationship to gestational willis ekbom disease (Restless legs syndrome): A Pilot study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between folic acid levels and restless legs syndrome (RLS) in pregnancy (gestational RLS [gRLS]).

STUDY DESIGN: We checked folic acid levels during scheduled clinic visits at 24-28 weeks of gestation. We conducted a brief clinical interview to determine who met the International RLS Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria for gRLS. Those with moderate or severe RLS (IRLSSG severity scale of >10) and with symptoms occurring >3 days a week were included in the +gRLS group. The rest were included in the-gRLS (comparison) group.

RESULTS: We demonstrated a significant difference (p<0.05) in mean folic acid levels in women who were in the +gRLS group vs. those in the -gRLS (control) group: 27.3±12.9 ng/mL (median, 25 ng/mL) vs. 32.2±20.6 ng/mL (median, 28 ng/mL), respectively (p<0.03 on two-sample independent t test).

CONCLUSION: Folic acid levels can be easily and inexpensively checked or supplemental folic acid can be given to women with moderate to severe gRLS. In the future we hope to build on this work with a larger comprehensive trial looking at other biomarkers and their association with folic acid levels and gRLS.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

legsbestill
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Location: Dublin Ireland

Re: Pregnancy and RLS

Post by legsbestill »

I took folic acid religiously through my pregnancies but I was still afflicted with rls in each. It resolved once the baby was born in each pregnancy except the last and I am still suffering from that after 15 years. I sometimes wonder if it was because I became very ill with double pneumonia, a collapsed lung and pleurisy which lasted for several months during the pregnancy. Perhaps I failed also to look after my iron levels.

badnights
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Re: Pregnancy and RLS

Post by badnights »

legsbe, most likely it was none of those. It's fairly common for the WED to stick after multiple pregnancies.

Funny I dont recall being bothered by it any more than usual (mild) when I was pregnant.

If it was as easy as giving folic acid... ha
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

badnights
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Re: Pregnancy and RLS - resources

Post by badnights »

Not new, but collecting into one place:

A paper entitled "Consensus clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease during pregnancy and lactation" at
http://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?ur ... i=scholarr

A Foundation brochure called "Pregnancy and RLS", accessible to members only (but membership is pretty cheap, and if you can't afford it, you can email the Foundation to explain your situation):
at https://www.rls.org/member-portal/publications, scroll down to "Information for Healthcare Providers" near the bottom.

A webinar for members entitled "Treatment of RLS during pregnancy" - go to https://www.rls.org/member-portal/webinars and scroll to the very bottom.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

badnights
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Differences in the brain in recently pregnant women vs controls

Post by badnights »

Paper title
Phenotypical predictors of pregnancy-related restless legs syndrome and their association with basal ganglia and the limbic circuits
Abstract
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) in pregnancy is a common disorder with a multifactorial etiology. A neurological and obstetrical cohort of 308 postpartum women was screened for RLS within 1 to 6 days of childbirth and 12 weeks postpartum. Of the 308 young mothers, 57 (prevalence rate 19%) were identified as having been affected by RLS symptoms in the recently completed pregnancy. Structural and functional MRI was obtained from 25 of these 57 participants. A multivariate two-window algorithm was employed to systematically chart the relationship between brain structures and phenotypical predictors of RLS. A decreased volume of the parietal, orbitofrontal and frontal areas shortly after delivery was found to be linked to persistent RLS symptoms up to 12 weeks postpartum, the symptoms' severity and intensity in the most recent pregnancy, and a history of RLS in previous pregnancies. The same negative relationship was observed between brain volume and not being married, not receiving any iron supplement and higher numbers of stressful life events. High cortisol levels, being married and receiving iron supplements, on the other hand, were found to be associated with increased volumes in the bilateral striatum. Investigating RLS symptoms in pregnancy within a brain-phenotype framework may help shed light on the heterogeneity of the condition.
Link to full paper
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-89360-8
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

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