My wife is losing a lot of sleep due to Restless Leg Syndrome , has anyone a solution ?

[toofworc]

My wife 2 years into a Parkinson's Disease diagnosis has this as a symptom. She has been given Quinine, no good.

[megannell]

" Hello to you toofworc...

I too suffer from restless leg syndrome..what I find helps me is a banana a day..sounds odd.. But

Its the magnesium in them that helps.... Hope if you try it. It work's for your wife.. good luck.. Megan..."

[Hidden]

Hi again toofworc,

Just like your wife and megannell below, I too suffer from restless leg syndrome from time to time, and have tried various remedies, none of which have helped very much. (I've never tried banana, so thanks for that megannell, I shall give it a try). I've tried some really weird recommendations through desperation, like sleeping with a bar of soap in the bed! (And I wouldn't really pass that on as a recommendation, but it's amazing what you'll try when desperate).

What I have found is that I do start to suffer, the moment I get overtired and also that the temperature of my legs is critical when it comes to setting it off. If my legs get too cold, or even a little too warm, it immediately starts. So you might like to experiment a little bit with temperature.

But given your earlier question about your wife's poor mood, it seems you are both suffering quite a lot due to her Parkinson's, and I wonder if you know that there is another group at HealthUnlocked especially for victims of the condition. You might also be able to get some helpful hints from the people who use that group too.

Very best wishes once again, and I hope you can find a solution to this and get your wife some relief from this very tiresome side-effect of her Parkinson's.

[toofworc in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou, very much

[MAS_Nurse]

Hi again,

Yes, restless legs syndrome is a secondary symptom of PD. Here's some information from Parkinson's UK charity which I hope you will find useful including their webpage and a pdf document that you can print off. Do give them a call as they can furnish you with a lot of information in printed format, and they are the experts in PD and can point you in the right direction for more help. I am presuming that you live in the UK, but if not, the info is still relevant and evidence-based wherever you live. In the US the main Parkinson's charity is called the Parkinson's Foundation (parkinson.org/).

Parkinson's UK - Restless legs syndrome: parkinsons.org.uk/sites/def...

Parkinson's UK - Restless legs syndrome pdf: parkinsons.org.uk/informati...

Hope this helps.

Take care,

MAS Nurse

[toofworc in reply to MAS_Nurse]

Many thanks I'm in s.w. Scotland

[MAS_Nurse in reply to toofworc]

Hi again,

The question of using quinine is questionable especially as your wife had PD and it is often secondary to PD. Do speak to her neurologist, because the dopamine agonist in PD medication e.g Ropinirole can help with restless legs. So it is worth giving them a call on Monday and discussing with her specialist team. Quinine is a prescription only medication and may be contraindicated with PD meds, so you can discuss this too. The links I gave you this morning do give helpful complementary tips on how to manage RLS, which are worth trying as well.

BW

MAS Nurse

[Hidden]

I have problems with muscles and nerves with fibromyalgia - I find using coconut oil for cooking, using epsom salts for baths or footbaths helps improve magnesium intake into the body as it is so stripped from Western diets and water. I also add some pink himalayan salt to my cooking instead of other salt as it helps with electrolytes. Eating saukraut and I make my own coleslaws with red cabbage and fennel and carrot all seem to help the gut function better. Eating beetroot is also really good for sorting you out when you are run down and ill. I make my own beetroot soups which are delicious with nice Kalo stock. Massively improves the mind, blood, muscles and nerves. Really helped my late father in law when he started suffering from dementia like symptoms. As soon as he had beetroot soup he was back to his old self again. Mixed unsalted nuts also help in terms of magnesium.

Cut down on caffeine as this blocks the bodies ability to absorb iron, vitamins and minerals. Massive problem across the World of Magnesium deficiency though. I find absorbing it through skin in bath (but I use quite a lot) helps get it to places most needed.

[karools16]

People might scoff the soap story, but I have 2 bars soap, any kind, in my bed, and never have restless legs.

[rosewine]

Sorry to hear about your wife's restless leg problems. Some people on the fibro forum have found that a magnesium spray has helped. Do hope that she can find a solution.x

[Uzula]

Apparently (from an article I read) the first port of call for RLS should be to check whether there is an iron deficiency and to get it corrected before anything else. Best Wishes.x