Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

I've had RLS since birth. My poor husband of 31 years is experiencing it for the first time. He has been on dialysis for about 4 months and is now feeling my pain. Though, he's always been very helpful and supportive.
I'm wondering if anyone else has RLS because of dialysis? If one med works better than another? If there are any tricks to alleviate his torture because it is from a medical reason?
Any info would helpful...
Thanks everyone!
Sweet dreams to all!!!

RLS is a common side effect for people undergoing dialysis. He needs to work on getting his iron levels up. The key parameter as far as RLS is the ferritin count, which is not part of a normal blood count. Ferritin levels need to be specifically requested by his doctor.

Raising his iron levels can be done through the use of oral iron by taking iron sulfate pills along with vitamin C. The vitamin C is needed to help the body adsorb the iron. The iron sulfate and vitamin C also need to be taken on an empty stomach to maximize adsorption. Unfortunately, using oral iron sulfate takes time (weeks) and it also tends to upset the stomach.

The alternative is an iron infusion by IV. This results in an immediate increase in iron, but most doctors are also not familiar with this technique. It generally requires a referral to a hematologist, who is the doctor who actually handles the infusion.

Since all of this is a common side effect of the dialysis, his first step should probably be to talk with the dialysis clinic or the doctor responsible for that part of his treatment. Hopefully, they will have some experience with treating secondary RLS for dialysis patients and can direct him to the proper treatment.

If I remember correctly, something like 70-80% of those with kidney disease have RLS. Great advice by Steve.

I will add a little bit to this: the treatment for RLS/WED secondary to kidney disease is the same as for primary RLS/WED, I am fairy certain. Raising his ferritin will be key to handling the symptoms with as little increase in his medication load as possible. Good luck!