new study suggests cause - Restless Leg Syndrome Message Board

jewells107 · 07-01-2003, 09:46 PM

I have had RLS all my life and it runs in my family as well. I am 43. I have always been able to find some relief by taking aspirin. Only recently did I discover that other people have it too, but I haven't noticed any posts about aspirin helping.
More background: I am also very sensitive to noises, have terrible short-term memory, I'm on my second bout with adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder). I had it once before but on the other shoulder. Very bad PMS sufferer. Also have more energy than most anybody I know. I am always skinny. I am tall. I have never broken a bone either. Just curious if there is a typical type of person who gets this.

I am on Vicodin, but it doesn't help the RLS which I can't get relief from because I can't take aspirin which conficts with the Relafin (sp?) I take for my shoulder problem. Does alcohol help?

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 08-24-2003).]

jitterbug · 07-02-2003, 02:05 PM

Jewels,

First of all, Alcohol will probably make your situation worse.
Secondly, I don't know if there is a typical profile for people with RLS. I've often wondered that as well. Personally I feel that RLS somehow gets triggered by other pains in the body, such as your shoulder pain. I have knee problems and possibly endometriosis, so I'm in a lot of pain. Since that started, I've developed RLS. I also wonder if there is some association with Thyroid disease or blood sugar irregularities. I've noticed that during the day if I get sleepy my legs will start jumping, so it really prevents me from taking much of a nap. You might try Iron supplements (Ferrous Sulfate once a day), Folic Acid (1/day), also Evening Primrose Oil which helps relax muscles.
Drug companies REALLY REALLY need to find a cure for this because it is about as annoying as a bladder infection.
Good luck.

alientmorphette · 07-03-2003, 02:56 AM

Thanks for sharing the article. It is promising compared to the help I get from my doctor which so far is none. Hopefully they will have this thing wired within our lifetime. I am 27 at this point. The comment about asprin was interesting becuase I take asprin everday and started doing so a few years ago due to constant headaches. Now that you mention it, my RLS is much less severe since that time, but I still get it bad every now and then. I have never considere that asprin could be helping. Thanks! I read somewhere that Valium and other benzodiazapenes (Xanex, Restoril,Roofies etc.) will suppress the discomfort and alleviate the twitching. I've tried Valium and Restoril independently and they work until the meds wear off. Then you are worse off then if you had not taken the drugs at all. Every person on one side of my family has RLS and we have two known family remedies : put your feet in a bathtub with cold water and leave them there until you can hardly stand it. The colder, the better. The other is to run in place furiously for a few minutes. I find the second method works best when holding a heavy object in each hand such as barbells or a big text book to increase the impact of the exercise. This is no fun when you are dead tired and obviously its hard to explain to anyone who catches you doing it. Anyway, good luck!

Zazzaz · 08-24-2003, 12:13 PM

Just wanted to call attention to this post again. If Dr. Connor's work stands up to further study (and I hope it does), it should suggest more effective treatments for RLS/PLMD.

There's another, more detailed story on Dr. Connors research "August 11, 2003 - Study Links Restless Legs Syndrome to Poor Iron Uptake in the Brain".

What I wonder is, how important is the blood ferratin level? Some have concluded from Dr. Connors work that the problem is with iron-transport or iron-reception into the mid-brain - which suggests that even if you have sufficient iron in your bloodstream, it just can't get to the midbrain.

How many of you have lower than normal ferratin levels, and have you found relief of RLS/PLMD after iron supplimentation?

~ Z

[This message has been edited by Zazzaz (edited 08-24-2003).]

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 08-24-2003).]

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