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more questions....

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 6:33 am
by abrobinson
as i've been browsing around here i'm having more ???'s come up.

does extra weight contribute to rls symptoms? which really sux cuz i have to eat before i take a hydrocodone or i get nautious. and i've gained 40 lbs in the last couple years.

i've seen many drugs listed here. can someone list the drug choices that help the rls? it seems like some make some things better while others aggravate other symptoms. and the ones that help to sleep too. (other than straight sleeping pills)

i've seen "rls drs" mentioned. what kind of a dr is that? rheumatologist? neuro? ???

does increased physical exercise, even walking, seem to make it worse?

is there a particular type of mattress, other than the standard kind, that seems to help alleviate symptoms?

does anyone else get relief from the creepycrawlies and still have the pain??? is the pain a part of it?

i'm sure i'll have many more questions as i get further into this. i thought it was under control with the requip but i think not. so i think i need to educate myself more and get to a "rls" dr....

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:53 pm
by ksxroads
Dear A

In the New to RLS section there are lists of medications which have proven to be helpful to RLS... check out the Mayo Clinic Algorithm. There is also a listing of medications know to cause worsening of RLS.

If you need more help finding this information, let me know. Hazel

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:42 am
by ViewsAskew
I second what Hazel said - I think many of your questions - and more - will be answered in the "sticky" about managing RLS in the New to RLS section.

Per the mattress - it's on here somewhere, but not there! No mattress really helps the RLS itself. That said, it sure does help just to be comfortable and it can help to have certain mattresses because they limit movement, making it more comfy for your partner. Here's a post about them: http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=1725& ... t=mattress

Per the weight, I've never heard that losing it helps. . .some of us are on the heavy-side. The newest theory is that sleep disorders contribute to weight gain.

As you read the posts, you'll find many people talk about pain. In fact, I think a couple of us responded to you about it: http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?p=17000 ... ght=#17000 . Yes, as said in this thread, pain is a part of it. And, some drugs relieve the creepy feeling, but not the pain.

I think you mentioned before that you were going to see a neuro. Did you change your mind? All of us see different docs. The ones most likely to know something are neuros or sleep docs. That said, not all of them really know much. So, we tend to find docs that we can educate and who understand - or who understand and know something. The understanding is most important.

Re: more questions....

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:19 pm
by jrowley
abrobinson wrote:as i've been browsing around here i'm having more ???'s come up.

does extra weight contribute to rls symptoms? which really sux cuz i have to eat before i take a hydrocodone or i get nautious. and i've gained 40 lbs in the last couple years.

I gaind weight but my rls is not any worse that it was when I was 60lbs lighter. So for me no it did not make things worse my symptoms are the same whether I am 135lbs or 185lbs.

i've seen many drugs listed here. can someone list the drug choices that help the rls? it seems like some make some things better while others aggravate other symptoms. and the ones that help to sleep too. (other than straight sleeping pills)

You can not give a exact answer to this ? due to we are all different in what works for each of us. Some ppl find relief in requip while other find relief in requip, neurotin, and klonopin. Then you have other ppl who need combinations of medications. Then you have ppl like me who have yet to find a relief from their rls. So its basiclly a trial and error with you and your doctor.

i've seen "rls drs" mentioned. what kind of a dr is that? rheumatologist? neuro? ???

Neuroligist and or a sleep professionally which is typ. a pulmonoligist.

does increased physical exercise, even walking, seem to make it worse?

For some it does but it is always encouraged to do as much exercise as possible with any disorder you have. Even if it means just lifting some weights from your chair. Exercise may make it worse but it may also help aleviate the symptoms for a time period. But never stop exercise if you can help it.

is there a particular type of mattress, other than the standard kind, that seems to help alleviate symptoms?

Some ppl get relief from the memory foam mattress while others get no relief at all from a mattress. Then you have some that may not know if relief is there due to the cost in trial and error of mattress's

does anyone else get relief from the creepycrawlies and still have the pain??? is the pain a part of it?



i'm sure i'll have many more questions as i get further into this. i thought it was under control with the requip but i think not. so i think i need to educate myself more and get to a "rls" dr....



Well I would suggust you see a doctor that specializes in rls You can do a search from this site to find one that is in your area. Good luck to you and ask all the questions you want thats the only way to learn.

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:25 pm
by abrobinson
fortunately i did get in with a great neuro. he was educated and helpful and talked with me a long while. he was kind and offered many options for treatment. he is also doing tests for polymyalgia and arthritis to rule those out since my mom has poly and both parents have rheumatoid arthritis. i feel very fortunate that i got a good one on the first try. i realize now that the treatment is rather trial and error. there are so many different combinations of drugs for treatment which i didn't realize before.

this site has been so great for gathering info. thanks for all the help folks.

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:37 pm
by jrowley
wonderful that is great you found a good doctor. good luck to you and i hope you dont have either of the autoimune diseases. although they can run hand in hand with rls.