Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

The u-shape is the Greek letter mu, used as an abbreviation for micro which means a millionth. You also see micrograms written as mcg sometimes. I found the conversion on the internet (be aware that different vitamins have different conversions):

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The vitamin-D content of a food is sometimes cited in micrograms of cholecalciferol, a form of the vitamin produced by the action of sunlight on skin. At other times, it is reported in International Units. There is an exact relationship between the two: one IU is equal to 0.025 micrograms of cholecalciferol. Hence:

· To convert IUs of vitamin D into micrograms: multiply the number of IUs by 0.025. The result is the number of micrograms in the food.

· To convert micrograms to IUs: multiply the number of micrograms by 40. The result is the number of IUs in the food.
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Thanks badnights: So 5ug = 200 IU.

yup

@Beth--What is the reason why a high ferritin level is more desirable than a lower ferritin level for WED? Was there a research study done, or is this accepted anecdotal evidence among those with WED that high ferritin levels reduce symptoms? My last ferritin level was 45 (low normal). I take a daily iron supplement (27 mg), but only because I am a blood donor and need the extra iron to compensate for blood loss.

Tim

P.S. How do I load a photo from my computer to use as an avatar? I tried and failed.

Tim:
I did a search and found a post of Squirming Susan giving details, this is a copy of her post.

This seems to be the easiest way to load a personal picture as an avatar:

Get a free account at Photobucket.com. Upload the picture you want to use. Photobucket has resizing sofware right there on their site. Make sure the Avatar is no bigger than 80x80 pixels.

Click the link that says "direct linking". If you click the link for email or any of the other 3 linking options it will not work. So, click the link that says "direct linking." The link is then automatically copied.

Go into your profile and scroll down to the Avatars section. Paste the link into the line that says "linking from another site" or something to that effect.

Click "Submit" which is a few lines down. Check to make sure your picture is in your profile.

I hope this helps.

TimG wrote:@Beth--What is the reason why a high ferritin level is more desirable than a lower ferritin level for WED? Was there a research study done, or is this accepted anecdotal evidence among those with WED that high ferritin levels reduce symptoms? My last ferritin level was 45 (low normal). I take a daily iron supplement (27 mg), but only because I am a blood donor and need the extra iron to compensate for blood loss.

Tim

P.S. How do I load a photo from my computer to use as an avatar? I tried and failed.

I am not sure if it's research or anecdotal, but it's coming from the specialists that it should be that high, not from the patients. So, either they've seen research or they notice that their patients with high ferritin do better.

I don't know of research, but the doctors have been saying for a few years that people with low ferritin shouldn't take the dopamine agonists as they have a much high risk of augmentation than those with high levels. One doctor suggested 50 was a minimum for taking a dopamine agonist, but that 100 we preferable. Since many of us are under 20, that means the dopamine agonists shouldn't be used immediately!

There was a paper published - at least 6 or 7 years ago - that suggested all RLS patients stop donating blood. I don't know the current status of that.

@PolarBear--Thanks for the information about uploading a photo. One of these days I may try to do that.

@Ann--Thanks for your reply about the ferritin levels. I was able to find a research paper online about that.

Tim

@Tim
The correlation between RLS severity and low ferritin is definitely not anecdotal, it's well-established.
I just posted this in another thread:

Frauscher et al., 2009. The severity range of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and augmentation in a prospective patient cohort: Association with ferritin levels. Sleep Medicine v. 10, p. 611
"There was an inverse correlation between RLS severity and ferritin levels. Patients with current
augmentation had the lowest ferritin levels. Our data further strengthen a putative role of low iron
stores as a potential aggravator of idiopathic RLS."

Hening, Buchfuhrer and Lee, 2008 (Clinical Management of Restless Legs Syndrome, p.199):
"RLS patients should have their serum ferritin level determined even when their hemoglobin and serum iron levels are normal. The serum ferritin level is the most accurate and sensitive test (other than a bone marrow evaluation) to determine whether iron stores are low. Serum ferritin levels <50 ug/mL (despite lab-reported normal levels of >10-20 ug/mL) have been associated with an increased severity of RLS, and treating these patients with supplemental iron may help their RLS."

This report about ferratin levels gives me a little more hope. My Ferratin levels were at 11, and as my Doctor at the time and I didn't know any better, she prescribed and I was only to glad to take Ropinirole. And of course I have augmented, as many of you will know from reading my many posts on here. And I gave up all hope of ever beating/controlling this curse when my Ferratin levels reached 53 and the augmentation is still there, as is the RLS. So when I read that I should be aiming higher and also aiming to get off the Ropinirole (which again many of you will know I'm battling to do) I am once again a little more hopeful that between stopping the Ropinirole and trying something else now my Ferratin levels are higher and getting the said Ferratin levels even higher again,I maybe just maybe can see something positive happening. The last 2 and a half years have been Hell. And can anyone tell me if eating a bowl of Ice Cream affects RLS? It sounds stupid, I admit, but I'm sure I read somewhere that RLS sufferers should avoid ice cream the same as they should avoid Caffeine etc. Well, I had a bowl tonight, and Oh Lord there is no let up, sure enough. Only 30 more minutes and the dreaded Ropinirole should kick in, and my hot bath is also waiting. Please let this not be one of those nights where the Ropinirole takes FOREVER to take effect....

Hopefully, Helen, you'll be off the ropinerole very soon.

Per the ice cream, it's anecdotal, but enough people say it that there must be something about it. Don't know what....but something.

I tried ice cream once and got bad RLS.

I was very surprised because, although I had heard other people saying it happened to them, I had a strong suspicion they were wrongly attributing random fluctuations in RLS to something they had coincidentally just eaten. I also might have just had a random fluctation, becuase I've never had the nerve to try it again! - except once when it wasn't close to bedtime and I didn't notice any ill effect.

Ice cream?!?!?! It's a cruel world.