Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

guys am in so much pain again
have to do exercises from physio for my knees, makes rls worse
just been told ive got the start of cataracts
feel pretty down

The down periods are really hard, aren't they? The more they happen, the more I hate them! I usually give into them eventually, knowing they will end, but initially I fight them very hard.

Here's hoping to relief very soon.

yeah I know what you mean

What about your meds. Do you have anything for 'especially' bad times.
What is your normal medication/s.

codeine ,but am trying to leave it a bit later as i'm not tired yet even tho i've to get up at six tomoz as I volunteer at the cat shelter.
It's all painful down the right leg mostly.
been doing so well for a couple of months

I could quite honestly scream.
hope your faring better

Well, it's 2am and I've been to bed and now up again. Sleep is hard to find most nights but better than it used to be.

Codeine isn't all that strong when it comes to dealing with WED Symptoms.
Perhaps you need to take it a little earlier in the day so it can take control before your symptoms get going.

MOONLIGHT, I wonder how come you try to save your codeines until later... if you won't take them when your legs are acting up, then when SHOULD you take them but then! And if you don't have enough, keep asking your doc until he relents. I CAN tell you a little something to make you feel better about your developing cataracts. My grandfather, my father, and my mother all had cataracts, and when they interfered with their vision, they finally went in and had a very easy sort of outpatient operation to remove them, and they could see very well again. I mean, nobody needs to hear they've got another health problem along with what they already got, but there IS hope after cataracts! And I know I've said this before, but if those legs get to bothering you, take a soak in a hot bath or put a heat pad or hot water bottle on those knees, eventually it helps. Also, an ordinary aspirin and stretching out your calves and pulling on some support hose or diabetic socks will make it a little easier to cope.

POLAR, on your sleep thing, I know you are expert on what helps the RLS situation, but there are a couple things that might help if you find you cannot fall asleep, just in case you missed one of these: Try taking each of your various meds at an earlier time than just before bedtime and see if it helps; do not eat any kind of meal or antihistimine a certain number of hours before you go to bed; exercise regularly; and get some knee-high support stockings and pull them on when sleep won't come; and lastly take extra meds and mention it to your doc next time.

Dogeyed, thank you for your interest.

With regard to sleep it is not WED that keeps me awake, it is insomnia. Maybe a side affect of the tramadol and ropinerole, also perhaps a learned habit, but it is usually 3 or 4 before I sleep, and until then I read, do suduko, go onto the PC etc. etc. My doc and I have had long conversations about this and I do have zopiclone as a sleeping aid.

''''POLAR, on your sleep thing, I know you are expert on what helps the RLS situation,'''''

Please be aware that I am not an expert on anything, including RLS/WED.
I am a member of this discussion board just like you ,and all I have to offer is years of my own experience of dealing with my own symptoms.
And perhaps remembering (hopefully) some information learned along the way.

Oh, well, insomnia, POLAR. Tramadol I have heard can keep some people a little amped up at night, too, altho could be you've had this since before that. I assumed it was the RLS, since that's what keep a lot of us awake. I went thru a period of insomnia, and back when I used to work, it made me mad, I heard about melatonin at the health food store, and it got me to sleep until one day it went away. I still don't know why I had it. Always, GG

Yes, I tried the melatonin also, from Dr.

Very glad that you no longer have to contend with insomnia

Hi there.....went off computer for a bit.
dogeyed...yes I am now taking the codeine during the day when I need it, the reason I hold off taking it till later is that it also helps me sleep
a fortunate side effect,but it gives me headaches so I try to keep to a very minimum.today dr was talking bout going onto something else if this doesnt ease up.
I find a hot bath makes it worse but a hot water bottle helps, strange eh?
Thanks for that info on cataracts, am not worrying as theres nothing I can do to stop the progress.

Moonlight, My optician also tells me I have the beginning of cataracts. Nothing that I am aware of and he says that it will be maybe 15 years before they will need attention.

Polar Bear, so sorry you suffer from insomnia. That is something that I've never had. All the years on Mirapex and now Tramadol, I don't have a problem falling asleep. Just my legs jerking keeps me awake when they act up. My husband has insomnia, but I think he has it because he can't turn off his brain. Thinking about stuff that he can't change, etc. I just go into fantasy mode and off I go. Thanks for being here. DEB

Yes Deb, insomnia is the pits. Now instead of being awake looking at the ceiling, I get up and go to the pc, there is no point in fighting it. I might be up for 1 or 2 hours. It's as if I can't nestle down to go to sleep unless I am on the point of collapse. Also I take a sleeping pill.
However........ I'd rather be awake with insomnia that awake with WED, tho neither is a great choice.

Moonlight--sorry it took so long to reply to your comment--Dog nocked my pcon the floor--killed it--now I have to go find one to borrow in order to get on here.
Ok, that aside---about the problem of headaches, just a reminder that they are often a result of too much medication for your system to deal with, or a lack of water to wash it out. I find that decreasing it for a few days until your body adjusts sometimes helps then increase it again to get the full effect also, keep really well hydrated after you take the codine helps a bunch. Just like a hangover--wash it out as best you can, so to speak. Good luck with it, hope this helps some.