My name is James and I am a lifetime sufferer (hate that word but can't think of a better one right now) of RLS/WED. I'm now 26 and have experienced RLS basically every night of my life. Up until about 12 months ago I never had a name for it, but my parents used to call it the "wriggle worm" when I was a kid, which I think is a perfectly fitting description!
My partner and I bought our first house earlier this year, and since sharing a bed with her I have really started to feel the effects of not sleeping well. My work performance dropped off dramatically (I am an Exercise Physiologist), I started noticing more low mood and low motivation episodes, and just felt tired ALL the time. My diet is quite good and balanced, and I work out at least 4 times a week. We decided I needed help, and saw a great sleep physician in our town. Since then we have tried the entire gamut of medications:
Gabapentin:
- Started at 100mg, worked up to 900mg. Noticed a definite improvement in sleep quality, but side effects outweighed the benefits
- Blurry vision, trouble focusing, stumbling over my words etc.
Clonazepam:
- Worked well on and off, but missed a dose one night and had a mini withdrawal attack (blood pressure through the roof, heavy feeling limbs, dizziness) which scared me off it
Belsomra:
- Rubbish. Stayed awake tossing and turning until 3am most night
Seroquel:
- Made RLS 10x worse!
Lyrica: (currently still on this)
- 50mg dose seems to make my sleep architecture better, but I get slight blurry vision and just feel not quite 100%
- Have heard some horror stories which plays on my mind
Armodafinil: (Take on and off for big work days)
- Sometimes see a 20% improvement in alertness/energy, but usually just feel slightly twitchy/headachey/nausea
I have been recommended to try Magnesium oil, which I plan to take once I've trialled the Lyrica for long enough (it's been 4 weeks), but am feeling close to the end of my tether. My work performance and motivation to push through challenges is close to zero, which I hate as I am traditionally a very motivated and driven person. It sometimes feels like a hopeless situation, and I'm hoping through this forum I will find a few more answers that will give me my life back. I feel far too young to not have energy.
Thanks for reading

James