Having RLS/PLM makes me crazy at times

[debbluebird]

It irritates me so much that good chocolate messes me up. I only got three hours of interrupted sleep last night, because of a brownie in the afternoon. Then this afternoon when I got sleepy, my leg only allowed me to rest for a short period. I am hoping tonight will be better.

[ViewsAskew]

That would make me crazy, I think. I am so sorry it does that to you - truly!

[debbluebird]

I had a surgical procedure done this last Friday. Of course the nurses always go over your drugs. They asked me why I was taking Methadone and I told them. It gave me an opportunity to educate a couple of nurses. Then the anesthesiologist came in and heard us talking about RLS. He asked me if I tried Magnesium. I said yes, about 20 years ago when I first was trying different things. He couldn't understand why it didn't work. It was like he didn't believe me and how bad my legs are. Then my husband starts telling about the time after my first total knee replacement and that my leg was jumping a foot off the bed. I don't think he believed us. It is so hard for me to believe how many medical personnel are so uninformed. Oh, by the way, the procedure went well.

[figflower]

The doctor is right. There is just something to magnesium that can't be ignored. Way too many people are helped. First off, I think it will only work if you're not on DAs or opiates and if you are than at best it might give some marginal improvement or delay augmentation the way iron infusions do. I was taking magnesium every night for IBS and it NEVER helped the RLS which was triggered by my nightly intake of melatonin and sometimes Tagamet and Benedryl. The only thing that provided immediate and sustained relief from the horrors of the melatonin was iron. Anyways, about 7 or 8 years ago is when I started the melatonin and about 3 or 4 years ago I stopped the melatonin. So my RLS went quiet. I continued to take the daily magnesium for two years thereafter but it never seemed to do much for the IBS, even at high doses, so I stopped taking it about two years ago. In the past one or two years my RLS is triggered sooooooooo much more easily than ever before. Half a Tagamet or one Benedryl (and the recommended dose is two) will trigger RLS. I have been chalking it up to my getting older. But maybe the magnesium was up-regulating my receptors??? It's easy enough to figure out. I will re-start the magnesium and see if my RLS is continues to be triggered as easily. If the magnesium is a dopamine ANTAGONIST as I am labeling it because I read that it actually "inhibits" the release of dopamine then I will take it in the morning. Don't feel like interfering with my brain's release of dopamine at night.

[ViewsAskew]

Deb - glad it went well. I was wondering about it.

Magnesium never helped me, either, and that was LONG before I tried any medications. Just my opinion, but the doctor was inappropriate to act as if he didn't believe you.

[debbluebird]

I tried the magnesium long before I was on any opioids or DA's. It never helped. Plus weren't even bad like they are now.

[Yankiwi]

Magnesium never helped me either, and I tried long before I started on DAs.
Luckily my anesthesiologist believed me last year but I had a nasty spell during surgery long before I even knew I had RLS so I couldn't tell the doctor ahead of time.

[ViewsAskew]

Magnesium never helped me either, and I tried long before I started on DAs.
Luckily my anesthesiologist believed me last year but I had a nasty spell during surgery long before I even knew I had RLS so I couldn't tell the doctor ahead of time.

I remember the first time the PLMs happened in a medical setting. I was about 25 and getting my impacted wisdom teeth removed. The doctor likely used Benadryl with the sedative. In the surgery, my legs started kicking. The doctor quickly brought me out of sedation and asked if I had epilepsy. I giggled and said I had jumpy legs. At the time, I didn't even know I had PLMs, so thought it was the occasional RLS that was acting up.

Not sure if he believed me - and not much to do at that point, anyway, as I didn't know the meds could cause it and they were already administered. The poor oral surgeon called me at home that night, worried about me. I scared him half to death.

[Yankiwi]

That's funny in hindsight. I remember seeing a new doctor who specialized in women's medicine. She was an M.D. but sort of quirky and I only saw her once.
We were sitting across from each other and both of us were tapping our toes and wiggling our legs. I said that I had RLS and she said she did too.

[ViewsAskew]

That's funny in hindsight. I remember seeing a new doctor who specialized in women's medicine. She was an M.D. but sort of quirky and I only saw her once.
We were sitting across from each other and both of us were tapping our toes and wiggling our legs. I said that I had RLS and she said she did too.

That doesn't happen nearly enough!