i am writing this on behalf of my wife , who has been diagnosed rls recently .. i feel so useless to help her and i was wandering if anyone can help her get some relief.. she is in the process of stopping her medication one by one as advised by specialist to eliminate if any of her tablets has caused this problem? i dont get this at all , because she suffers chronic back pain after two spine opps and needs some medication ? i have seen a product called vital calm for rls and would love to know if this really works as this illness is severely interfering with my wifes life and she is getting more dispondent each day ,,which is horrible .. thank you .
my wifes restless legs: i am writing... - Restless Legs Syn...
my wifes restless legs
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4plus4
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57 Replies
•
Hi 4plus4, can you say what medications she is taking. There could be one or more that might have caused your wife's RLS. I wouldnt recommend taking vitalcalm. There have been a few posts on here about vitalcalm. You can read them if you put vitalcalm in the search at the top of the page.
Altho for back problems pain meds are given, and they should help with RLS, not cause it.
4plus4• in reply to
hi elisse. thank you for your comments.. my wife has been on medication for a long time .. she has taken tramadol (no longer) current medication is gabbepentin , matrifen pain patches also anti depressants , cholestoral tablets , water tablets, and lanzerprazole for acid i believe .. she was also on hrt tabs far longer than she should have been (for her bones. hope this info helps .. now she is having to come of medication to see if its this thats causing her rls .. its total madness ..
• in reply to4plus4
Hi, what anti-depressant is she taking and how long has she been taking it, trying to work out if her RLS started around the same time as starting the ant-depressant. Most anti-depressants can make RLS worse.
4plus4• in reply to
thank you elisse.. she as been taking mirtazapine for about two years aiso amytriptiline and also matrifen transdermal ioo pain patches for about the same period .. she has been suffering all the symtoms of rls that are mentioned on this site for roughly 12 to 18 months now , and only recently got to see a specialist who now suspects she as got rls and as asked her doctor to weed her of all medication to see if this as caused it or not ..she is almost of anti depressants now and as got to see doctor in about a week to see how she is before he looks at other medication she takes .. its a living nightmare for her as she suffers chronic pain anyway and now she has something thats even worse to live with .. not very happy with doctors at all ..
• in reply to4plus4
I can understand the doctors trying to see if its the anti-depressants thats causing the RLS. But, if she had RLS before taking the anti-d's, then i cant see its those. Or, any idea if she has Primary RLS, that is where RLS runs in families. Then the anti-d''s could have triggered hers off. Most people have Primary RLS, then there are those who have Secondary RLS where there is an underlying condition which causes RLS. Example, certain meds, diabetes, low ferritin level.
• in reply to4plus4
Here is some info which might help you. Gives Primary and Secondary RLS explaination.
anti depressants can make rls worse not sure if they can be the cause though.
tramadol can help rls so some people have experienced.
my wife was on them for years but was taken of them because they stopped working for her ..
• in reply to4plus4
Hi , is the Amitriptyline new? This is the number one on the no, no list .For the vast majority it will send restless legs crazy! Did starting this medication coincide with start of symptoms?
So sorry your wife is having all those probs,I have back probs as well as rls I am on Tramodol 100mg it works well for me but not tonight. Tell your wife to write to us she can get it of her chest and chat when awake which I am sure is most of the time. You sound very careing it's hard to see someone in pain and can't help Give her a hug x
I strangly sugest that you look it up i think the healthunlock websight is quite good.
thank you for your usefull info .. will certainly look into this ..
Hi 4plus4,
I'm sorry to hear about your wife joining our "club" but wondered if the doctors are checking any physical factors that could cause the RLS to start.
What you describe as "stopping the medication one by one" sounds as though the specialist is seeing whether anything she is taking at the moment could be contributing to the start of the RLS.
Physical factors I have heard of include:
a) thighs getting too warm: I find that if my thighs get warm I get the jerks. I help prevent this by wearing clothing that does not get too hot. Also, in bed I use a mattress topper that has tiny tubes running through, and during the night water is pumped through to keep the bed cool. This really is bliss. I still need some medication, but this works in conjunction with it. Look up the firm call "Climsom" they make the one I use.
b) I've also heard about the use of Magnesium
This process of trying out your wife's medication may seem cumbersome, but she may find that she can treat the RLS by reducing medication rather than just dumping another pill on her. This specialist does sound as though they are being thorough.
I discovered that my RLS was mostly due to lower back issues, so when you mentioned that about your wife, I thought I'd tell you that an inversion table has given me great relief. Obviously your wife has much more serious back issues than I do, but it could well be that pressure on those nerves is what is causing a lot of it to start with. It was my husband that suggested I start using the inversion table every night, not just occasionally, and that has done absolute wonders for me. It was one of the best investments I've made in a long time, the Tempurpedic bed being the other one!
4plus4• in reply to
thank you for your comment.. what is the inversion tble please and what is the cost ..
• in reply to4plus4
Go to amazon.com and put inversion table into their search. A whole list of them will come up. They have clamps that go around your ankles, and they tip backward to bring your feet over your head. You can tip back as far as your are comfortable. They stretch out your spine, taking pressure off your lower back. They start at a little over $100 and can go to $500 or more. Just read reviews and get one people are satisfied with, assuming you choose to try one. You could try a used one, see if it helps at all, then go from there. You can also do an internet search for "rls and inversion table" and find sites with info.
Whitebuffalo• in reply to
Can you please tell me the brand name of your inversion table?
HI, 4plus4, save your money on the VitalCalm stuff. since they are taking your wife's meds away one by one. I would suggest that strongly that they look at the antidepressants, especially the amitriptyline, and and it is a tricyclic antidepressant that are well known to make RLS worse , or can even trigger it. How long has your wife been suffering from RLS and how long has she been on BOTH anti-depressants? 18 months, about the same time she has had RLS symproms. Look at the treatment page on rlshelp.org and see DRugs and Food to Avoid. I take Mirtazapine, it CAN bother some people. But, I would be looking HARD at the anti-d's, since the time line fits. Anything like the wrong med can and will set it off, and that is what it sounds like to me in my opinion. The only thing I see wrong with her meds are the antidepressants. Get rid of the tricyclic first, that drug drove me up a wall, literally.
• in reply tonightdancer
I'm with you about the antidepressants.. my evil was Paxil.. stopping it changed everything for me. You know of all people how miserable I was with RLS.. I was suicidal when Nightdancer and I first talked. The thing that stands out for me
is her pain.. pain is sometimes controlled by anti 'd so she needs a good substitute and pain pills are not an option with a medicine dump. I promise -
it's the last one to come back on the medication list.. she needs to feel pain
to know what medicines are giving her grief unless some brilliant doctor knows
their way around my last statement. I did a medicine dump 2 times over the past 3 years. It was always hard Nightdancer.. very. No OTC or HERBS could be added
unless the "dump doctor" knows .. or else you have to start all over.. like I did.
• in reply to
Try some cream of tar tar Techo loves it
nightdancer• in reply to
that is a new one! I have never heard of using Cream of Tartar before. How much and how often would one use this, if I was going to?
• in reply tonightdancer
I picked this up from another member who I now believe has dissapered So don't bank on it How can cream of tartar help servere RLS Sorry Night dancer My legs a f -ing killing me Nice to hear from you x
Magnesium can help SOME people, and there are certainly less side effects, BUT I would not be buying anything from Carolyn Dean "MD". She has a long history of disciplinary action, and has lost her right to practice in certain states and Canada. The National Magnesium Association is basically her "company" thru which she sells her products and books and "life lessons", none of which are cheap. The idea of magnesium is great, just not hers. 5 yrs ago she did not even believe RLS existed, but she has jumped on the money making bandwagon now. I have all the documentation on her "adventures" in medicine.
thank you for that info .. will give this a go ,, i have heard a oil or spray is best as tablets can cause diariah.. thanks again night dancer
I tried mag oil spray and salts for the bath I don't really think they helped as the pain was still awfull
I posted this info so people would stay away from her. She has lost her medical license in many states and in Canada. I was not posting it so people would buy her over hyped and over priced inventory. Like I said she did not even believe RLS existed until she figured out it was not going to go away , so now she is all about making money off of desperate people. please read what I write about her, Magnesium, itself, is always a good idea to try, but please don't give her any business. Have been dealing with her and the disciplinary actions against her for the last 9 years.
Also, when being investigated, they pulled random file after random file from her patients, and every single one had the same diagnosis of Candidas (yeast infections), charged the patinets 200 bucks for blood tests that were never sent to the lab, and so on and so on. that was in Canada, where she went to school and first got her medical license. Patients complained and she was investigated, and it is way more complicated than what I have time for. not sure what you mean, bigleg by her site not having medical science, since you are the one who quoted her in the first place. I did not post her site, you did. I am just confused at your reply to me.
I bought one of her books about 3 months ago ,it was not in my reading couldn't understand it it went in the BIN
will do .. thanks again
Most of us suffered years before we got a handle on it. Some never get relief. It is clearly a genetic caused condition that attacks certain ethnic groups. if she has a genetic connection to Eastern European Jewish, Icelandic, Cajun, Apalachian Plateau, or French Canadian, she has the genetic past that are most likely to have RLS.
She is right to remove Meds and start over with the dopamine enhancing meds that Parkinsons patients use and go from there with close supervision by a Neurologist.
Hello...maybe my husband's chain of events might help you. He has always had PMLD (kicking his legs during his sleep but no pain and he could sleep the whole night) but only after he had a shoulder operation did he develop severe RLS. We have heard RLS can come about after an operation where anesthesia is administered. ..especially the anti-nausea drug. Did your wife's RLS coincide with an operation? His RLS is now well under control (after several months of trial and error medications) using a 3 mg Neupro patch. It has been a miracle for him. The odd thing is all was fine for months until one attack several nights ago. That seems to have been caused by having had his eyes dilated! Once the veins retracted, he was fine the following night and has been fine since. My point is: it is very difficult to figure out what triggers RLS. My husband takes a lot of other medications, but his RLS was definitely caused by his shoulder operation and we assume the anti-nausea drug...and then exacerbated by the drops used to dilate his eyes.
But the 3 mg Neupro patch has been wonderful. Hope your wife finds her magic potion.
Hi ,, not sure if your wife has tried a drug called mirapex yet but if she hasn't I would strongly recommend it. I have severe RLS and the only thing that works is mirapex which is a drug used in the treatment of Parkinsons. I don't know what I would do without it .
Unfortunately, Mirapex is not a drug that helps everyone with RLS. Maybe one day, there will be one ting that helps, but not yet.............
Hiya photomkr does t mirapex work straight away I have had Rls for years on tramadol but its not working proper now
Hi,if mirapex is going to work for you it should work from the first dose.Works for some but not others,You can only try it.Keep dose low though no more than 2x 0.088 tablets ,if that dos work it is not the right med for you,You need to keep dose low to try to help avoid augmentation which is where the med can make symptoms worse,Signs of augmentation are symptoms coming on earlier in the day and spreading usually to the arms,
i use the mirapex family too for my rls the only truoble with them is that if you decide not to take them or ran out before u can get more you have Augmentation which can occur if you are using the Dopamine Agonist medications .
The most common ones used for rls are mirapex(Pramipexole),Requip(Ropinerole),and Neupro patch. so ask your docter 1st if your goign to take them.
• in reply toannakalia
If you run out of Dopamine meds or decide not to take them the worsening of symptoms is withdrawal from the dopamine.The dopamine receptors are screaming out for dopamine and reacting.This is a different process to augmentation .
• in reply to
I agree p1pp1ins, augmentation happens when the dopamine meds turn against us and make the symptoms worse.
I do think the Dopamine tabs work but not for long,I have had Ropinerole Requip Xl Gabapentin Pramapixal but the best I have had is Tramodol. This forum is great if you have a prob ask someone will get to you what ever you do NEVER give up. We all hope for a good nights sleep
• in reply tobeady3
Iv had the lot too did nothing for me But Tramodol is morpheme so it a pian killer not a Brian drug And you can get sickness from them I'm on Prgabilin 75 mg They make you Zombiefide , Butt we all Zobies any way now That's the life we lead My legs are hell so being a Zobie is a bonus
Thankyou for correcting me p1pp1ns. thats what i was trying to say lol sorry been a long couple of days between my R.L.S. and my eye injury.
• in reply toannakalia
Strongly disagree.. many kept telling me that Paxil was the reason for my RLS.
They were correct. 95% correct. RLS started when I took the meds and ended
when I painfully quit ...it was during the weaning process that I noticed a huge drop in the amount of episodes. Now it's a wonder if it is RLS that I get in my back and neck.. the legs are okay 99% of the time.
The ol' medication dump... eh' just to see if she really 'Needs" the medicines
that she is on or not.. No one likes this one. It can take several months to
come to conclusions.. once they do find out what your body needs to run
full throttle, it will have been so worth it. Pain medicines are usually the last
to be given back because supposedly pain isn't the worst problem and it's
unlikely to kill you.. (its a symptom rather than a disease)
You can try that medicine, I've not heard or read anything about it good yet..
some people on other forums tried it too.. some said yay and some nay..
If it's truly a great medicine or a secret discovery, it's probably going to be
on national television News..
• in reply to
Your a foram Junky ha ha
• in reply to
Forum junkie? Oh, that is mild coming from you and people have called me worse.. lol . you are getting a little cocky or lippy as we say in Wisconsin..=)
• in reply to
I thought that would make you laugh Yes. I can be cocky sometimes but not for a LONG time : )
• in reply to
Go eat an Oreo cookie. Laughs.
• in reply to
Iv seen two of them a while ago they looked tasty I know sometimes they can be a bit hard x
Don't add a single thing without consulting the doctor.. not over the counter, not vitamin or herbs because you might have to start all over with the medicine dump. I've seen this happen already including to yours truly.. Massage and heat, ice but especially massage
is going to help her. Physical therapy can stretch and relax her muscles releasing endorphins that stop pain. If she wakes up in severe pain.. you can also help her
by massaging her back.. yay, I know. =)
• in reply to
You help every one Angel Glad your still around : )
• in reply to
You know that l have a secret. I'm hiding well Erona. I packed away my wings for months. I was reading the story of the caterpillar that made a cacoon, then one day after it struggled alone to emerge; out came the most beautiful butterfly that anyone ever saw....including Frog who witnessed the whole process.
• in reply to
Then the old crow came along and ate it all up and turned into a swan : )
That is my point! No science backing up her stuff at all. I hope you do not think I am "backing" her at ALL. I told what "DR" Deans's history is, so obviously I do not agree with her, since she did not even believe RLS existed until she figured out she could make money off of desperate people. I have all the court papers, as I stated and I posted her stuff to make sure people know she is a fraud in the eyes of the courts in the US and Canada. So if you see no science backing her up, why did you quote her?? VERY confusing.
She broke the law, that is why. also, if you are referring to health.com, they reference information from the US RLS Foundation, and they should know like the RLS UK Foundation that has this group. The health.com web site is, as I said, a collection of RLS stories by many people I know, and I don't see the problem with that web site at all. It is people telling their experiences, like
on here. Do YOU have RLS??? I would like to hear your story. I never said it was "scientific site", but if you need some, I will be happy to help you.
There are no products being sold by health.com, every web site gets ads placed there by Yahoo or Google that match the web site. The ads are never part of the web sites like that one. I would never be associated with anyone trying to sell a cure for disease that has no cure yet, to make that crystal clear. I am adamantly opposed to the selling of "information" or questionable products.
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