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Pregnancy

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 8:23 pm
by Pleo
I'm looking on here and finding quite a bit of information relating to pregnancy, but a lot of information is from more than 10 years ago. Anyone on here have recent effective tips that could help? I am staying away from any drugs, so all natural remedies are helpful. I have tried; warm bath, massage, walking & potassium supplements, but am still having sporadic bad nights.

Re: Pregnancy

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:46 pm
by Polar Bear
I did a search on "Pregnancy RLS" and found a recent thread.....turns out it was your own thread :)
I'm not aware of anyone currently posting on pregnancy.
There was a poster some 2 or 3 years ago who I believe had medication through her pregnancy, monitored by her doctor. She had a successful and happy delivery.
I can't remember her name - however you wish to use natural methods which can be very difficult, it's hard to find anything natural to work unless the symptoms are minor.

This is what was posted as advice on your previous thread - I'm assuming you've tried without success.

""""Pregnancy and RLS is pretty difficult.
You will I'm sure have done the walking bit, trying to walk off the symptoms until you can get back to sleep.

As for natural remedies, some of us get a little temporary relief from either a hot shower or bath. I actually found that icy cold water gave me a breathing space (prior to starting medication). Fill a bucket of water with really cold water and get the feet and legs into it, splashing the cold water up as far as possible. It would take about 15 - 20 minutes to achieve some relief which would sometimes be long enough to let me get back to sleep. This is counter stimulation.

Massage.
Leg stretches.
Wraps on the legs have helped some sufferers, also a TENS machine.
Heat using a hot water bottle or a heated blanket applied to the legs may help.
Mental activity may help some people as a distraction - it never helped me.
Also keep an eye on what you eat and drink, caffeine, sugar, ice cream, alcohol, nicotine have all been mentioned by some people as a trigger, but don't bother others.

Low iron can trigger symptoms so have this checked by your doctor and in particular Ferritin Serum Iron levels which is the iron stored in the brain. It should be up around 50/75, higher if you are on certain RLS medications. Doctors may consider 20 normal, but this is not so for an RLS sufferer.

We are a strange bunch, not everything helps everyone and it is very much a matter of trial and error.

If you put 'pregnant' into the search engine at the top right it will bring up a lot of posts. It is a very tedious task to wade your way through them.

Also consider any over the counter medication you are taking that could trigger symptoms, anti histamines, benedryl.

Anything mentioned above should be considered carefully as you are pregnant and if you have any doubts at all check with your doctor.
We are not medical folks, just fellow sufferers who want to help
"""""

Re: Pregnancy

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 3:37 pm
by Pleo
Thank you polar bear! I guess the only thing left is the cold therapy. Brrrr. I will give it a shot.

Re: Pregnancy

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 4:39 pm
by Polar Bear
It's not as bad as it sounds - once the first plunge is over !!

Some folks find that a warm bath helps whereas I found that my symptoms would often start just when I was nice and comfy among the bubbles.

Don't forget, get your Ferritin Serum level checked (iron stored in the brain).

Good luck.