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Is anyone taking anything for Restless Legs (and Limbs)

lcm27 profile image
13 Replies

I get dreadful restless legs, can be any time of day, though worse at night. It will stop me getting to sleep no matter how tired I am, so I get up and wait half an hour before going back to bed. I also get it on journeys. I am on Gabapentin for muscle spasms but now the doc has put me on ReQuip tritating the dose. Has anyone else been prescribed something separate for restless legs(limbs)?

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lcm27
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13 Replies
Cookie72 profile image
Cookie72

Hi there icm, I take gabapentin and it does help but sometimes they still go mad, but I also buy \magnesium tablets with Vit B in them, they help also, nothing helps much when I have a flare up, Im also on Tramadol and sertralin, also co-codamol as a back up if needed, I think they say Gabapentin is the best but what suits one doesn't necessarily suit another, what amount are you on.....gentle hugs ...Dee x

bettyboo01 profile image
bettyboo01 in reply to Cookie72

hi I take b complex and fish oils tipiramate oramoph sertraline hydroyqlorquine declophenic my hands and feet are the worst osteoarthritis in both as well as fybro inflame arthritis two now restless leg any help would be great or idears Teresa x

Glenys profile image
Glenys in reply to Cookie72

Hi. I swear by Magnesium Citrate as it absorbs a lot more than magnesium oxide into the body (around 90% as opposed to around 5%) and I swear by it. I have heard magnesium malate is even better, if that helps.

jess26 profile image
jess26

Hi I take pregabalin instead of gabapentin, I find this works better. Im also on pramepexole specifically for restless legs. Hope u find some relief x

Quinine is said to be effective for restless legs,quinine is a component of tonic water,you can also get tablets with a higher concentration of quinine! Vitamin B12 is also beneficial for restless,achy legs it certainly helps me as does Gabapentin,before I was prescribed Gabapentin my legs were very achy and restless,now I only get it if I'm having a particularly troublesome flare xxx

janlou profile image
janlou

Hi I drink indian tonic water, it does help however there are nights when I cannot sleep because of restless legs. I did a home sleep study few months ago, it showed I do not have a deep sleep. Going into hospital over night for another sleep study.

Jan x

ladymoth profile image
ladymoth

I've never been prescribed anything for restless legs, though I have found using cold packs is very helpful.

Recently, however, I have started taking Plaquenil for my rheumatoid arthritis, and the restless leg symptoms disappeared almost overnight! I don't know if this is a coincidence, or a side benefit of the drug - but it's very welcome! :)

Moffy x

bettyboo01 profile image
bettyboo01 in reply to ladymoth

Hello I am new on here not sure what im doing but il ask I have had fibro for two years now and other problems two but restless leg syndrome its really keeping me awake and making me fidgety im waiting for a kat scan for my memory at momemt as its very poor but I am on morphine oral at moment amd tipiramate which helps but restless leg not .

lcm27 profile image
lcm27

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies, its been very interesting seeing what everyone is taking. I'm on 400mg daily tramadol, trying to keep the paracetamol down to 4 a day. 400mg Gabapentin for spasms, 120mg fexofenadine for multi chemical sensitivities, 50mg hydroxyzine to aid sleep, Calcichew twice a day for bones, Methotrexate 10mg per week and 3 folic acid per week (for Psoriatic Arthritis) and now the Requip for restless legs up to 2mg per night which contains Ropinirole which is a Dopamine Agonist (normally used for Parkinnsons). Well so far so good, no restless legs, no fidgets makes me slightly sleepy so off to bed as soon as I start yawning. I haven't done a long journey, due to go to Kent in a couple of weeks (about 1and half hrs from me) so I shall see how I cope with the journey, I'm really hoping that this really helps as I've a four and half hr flight on hols in September and don't want to stomp up and down the plane like I normally do.

Seems these Dopamine thingys are responsible for our fidgets and thrashing legs and I don't know about you but if I got into bed and my legs started there was no way I could sleep no matter how tired I was, the only thing I could do was get up again, wander round the house and try going back after half an hour and so it went on. I often wondered if I should start the ironing when I was like that, but I drew the line under it and said no!!!! It seems to happen if my feet are either very hot or the soles are very dry, I've even tried spraying the soles of my feet during the night but once it started that was it. So I'm a happy bunny at the moment that at least this side of the fibro has been knocked on the head. Now having had 6 weeks of hydrotherapy at the local hospital, I'm on the waiting list for a pool about 10miles away, I really found this eased my joints but who would have thought that half an hour of exercises in a hot pool would knock me for 6 for the rest of the day, still this will be an evening session and you never know I might even get a decent nights sleep that night (here's hoping).

Gentle hugs to everyone and thanks for giving me an insight into how this part of fibro affects you xxx

Glenys profile image
Glenys in reply to lcm27

Hot feet! I know it's horrible isn't it? I have resorted to taking a cold water bottle to bed with me before now - and it always happens when it is cold and my feet cool down first, then go really hot really fast! Hope the journey goes well, as when you are travelling it is not that easy to jump out and have a walk round as it is to get out of bed. Earlier on, I was saying magnesium citrate has helped me, but gabapentin looks to be good. I tried that, but I never noticed if it worked as I was taking the magnesium still, and the gabapentin zonked me out too mush . XG

Sharonsspot profile image
Sharonsspot

As weird as this sounds..it works great for alot of people. I worked in a few nursing homes over the years and one thing that baffled me was that I would find soap under their fitted sheet, down in the foot area. I finally asked one of the ladies why and she said it stops her restless legs. Since I used to have the issue, keeping me up all night I gave it a try. I put a bar of soap (any kind and used even works) at the foot of my bed, then pulled on the fitted sheet. Your feet dont need to be on the soap, just in the general area. A month later the restless legs were gone. It works so well, that if they act up, I know my soap had slipped down off the end of the bed. Give it a try..its cheap and what have you got to lose, but the restless legs. :)

rushbrook86 profile image
rushbrook86

I have sleep apnoea and when I was assed at papworth hospital all wired up over twenty four hours I was found to have restless leg syndrome I was put on a drug for people with parkingsons the drugs name is pramipexole I live alone how do I know it works I don't kick quilt off by the way I do have sleep apnoea

mollyandmaisie profile image
mollyandmaisie

rupinerol is what has been prescribed for me, and it has worked so far.... soon as I forget to take them, the jerks and spasms are back.

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