I got a big smile when I saw this board. I'd like to share my (luckily) small experience with RLS. Flying back home for xmas 2000, I was taking a red eye for the first time, so I took a tylenol pm. I had never taken one before, and wasn't in any pain, but obviously wanted the sedative quality of it. I soon became sorry I took it so early in the flight. I developed MAJOR RLS, and in coach that ain't no fun. I then basically had this for the next 3 months or so, and my doctor didn't know what to tell me. What made it worse was for my job at the time, I primarily sat a desk or drove most of the day. Let me tell you, I was running 10 miles a day under that desk. As you all know, at night it was even worse trying to get to sleep. But, like I said, luckily it eventually stopped. I remember I had wisdom teeth surgery the end of march that year, and it was gone by then. All in all, it's hard to imagine that one tylenol pm did this to me, but its the only thing i had before it started...

Your experience with Tylenol PM is interesting. Tylenol PM helped me with my symptoms before I found out what it was. You're lucky that it was temporary. I am searching very hard for help. My doctor has me on Klonopin which made me very sedated until I got used to it. I thought it helped my symptoms but it was just that I was too knocked out to notice. Now I am getting used to klonopin(less sedation) and my symptoms are back as strong as ever. My description of the sensation is like building electrical surges. kind of like when the doctor tests your reflexes, that awful feeling that makes your leg jump. Well it is there all the time. It builds up and, unless I shake my arms or legs, my leg will jump. I really hate it. I have the feeling radiating out from the middle of my back right now down my legs and out my arms. My fingers even feel it. I plan to talk to my doctor but really want to try non-medicative treatments. About 10 years ago I had a doctor perform an MRI, nerve conduction tests.. the whole lot. Nothing came back as wrong with me. He acted like I was crazy. I was very hesitant to bring it up to another doctor but it has gotten worse. My doctor knew just what it was! Tylenol PM is, if I am correct, tylenol and benedryl. I will sometimes take this combination to sleep and not jerk. I just hate taking medicine every day.
thanks
ilovemywillow

I've been trying to explain to doctors for years what I was feeling in my joints/legs- like ant hills crawling and squirming. I always thought it was just part of my ADHD until last month when I thought to share it with my most recent counsellor-nurse practitioner who assured me that it is not a symptom of ADHD! Then a friend told me her sister had the same thing- they all shared a bed as children and she said it horrible to sleep with her sister- she could never lay still! She is who told me it actually has a name- RLS!!!-meme

The sedative quality of any of the OTC PM's, IMO--add fuel to RLS.

It took me a very very long time to realize that tylenol, and other otc really do make RLS worse, I cannot even take a tylenol for a headahce after about 6 pm, or I will be up all night.
I am now on mirapex, and hope that this helps

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ___ Do not take tylem=nol pm as a curative on a regular basis!! THis is a liver-toxic drug. Recently a friend of my daughter's went into liver failure after taking it nightly for a cold over a period of 2 weeks!! By the time the doctors figured out what the problem was, he was too far gone for a transplant, and died. He was only 25. PLEASE _ this is no urban legend. Use this med with great discretion and if the tylenol people want to sue me for saying this , bring it on!!!

If I take any kind of an antihistmine it really sets my legs off. Also if I take vicoden, cough suryp with codine it helps my legs but if I take tylenol with codine it makes them start up. The Dr. I see has me on Baclofen which I take at bedtime and it usually helps me sleep for 5 or 6 hrs. but then I feel kinda groggy during the day. Tried amitriptylin and neurontin but they didn't help. I have been on the Baclofen for about 6 months and have had to up the dose twice. This worries me. How long will it work? Vicoden and codine are addictive and I think you build a tolerance up to them pretty quickly. What is left?

Baclofen is an anti-spasmodic medication and will do little to control RLS.