I take a low dose of Tramadol, but I still get rls during the night quite often. The things I do which help me are as follows:
I take a high potency vitamin B Complex, (I use extra high potency "100" by Solgar, but I'm sure there are others) I take it about an hour before bed every night. It definitely works in decreasing the symptoms even though it doesn't eradicate them completely.
When ever I get out during the night for a wee, I always rub the back of my legs hard with Magnesium cream, working it well into the muscle even if at that point I don't have rls. I get mine from Holland and Barrett, it by a company called 'BetterYou' and is 30% magnesium oil. I rub it hard into the muscle, and go back to bed, it seems to help fend rls off long enough to get back to sleep.
If the above fail, and I still get rls, I stand with my toes on a step, and pull down hard on my heels so it stretches the backs of my legs, that sometimes helps, as does placing a hard ball under the soles of my feet and applying pressure so it stretches the tendons in the soles.
Sometimes none of the above work, and I put my earphones in and play some music on my mp3 player that I really enjoy in the hope it will give me a dopamine rush.
Failing that I get up and make a cup of tea!
All the above are relatively cheap or free, and if just one of them helps someone it will have been worth posting.
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Gmc54
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Thanks for posting this Gmc54. I can relate to feeling the need to stretch and work the muscles in my legs when they get super bad. And love a good cup of tea!
I have a cup of Chamomile tea every night before bed. Seems to help with several issues I have. I also found something called Restful Legs made be Hyland's. They are melt in your mouth pills (you take 3) and as soon as I feel RLS coming on at night. I take them and I swear they really help. Got them the first time at a health food store, but then I found them at my local market in the Pharmacy area. Hope that will help some of you as well.
Thanks for sharing that info. I also try stretching and massaging my calves and feet in the hope it will stop the RLS and if nothing works I watch a Netflix/Amazon/Now TV series. Funny how many you can get through in the dark hours when everyone else is asleep. The only thing I haven't tried is the Magnesium cream, so I'll pop into Holland & Barrett tomorrow.
Hi, I reduced my Tramadol and stopped it three weeks ago. RLS was unbearable for a while (pacing the house, and three hot baths a night) until I discovered Velvet Bean (mucuna pruriens) herbal tea and tablets. I can now sleep straight through the night, and have so much more energy in the day. I tried the magnesium oil but it only had a very tiny effect. I do take iron tabs for anaemia too.
The mucuna pruriens tabs are £2.50 for 30 tabs on eBay. Worth a try? Tramadol is great, but after nine years I had had enough.
I'm going to look into the Velvet Bean, for sleep, esp. Sometimes, tho my RLS is under control with iron, calcium and chiropractic care, I still have insomnia. Thanks for the info!
Just a note about Hylands Restless legs pills. A couple of years ago the company that produces them was sued by the Advertising Agency in the UK for false advertising as there is nothing in them to help RLS. They now have to display on their packaging "this is not a restless legs syndrome treatment, if you think that you may have restless legs please consult your doctor "
I of course bought some many years ago and tried them in desperation but they didn't work at all for me.
However the placebo effect can be very strong and if they help some people then that is great
I still have a few bottles, should anyone like them message me your addressand I will post them om. This should be ok as they are not medication and can be bought without a prescription.
Kaarina if that is not ok please delete that part of my post!
You could look into taking iron, also. And calcium. A good iron is Solgar's iron bisglycinate , 25 mg. which is non-constipating and easy on the stomach. There are other people on this site who have found it very helpful, as well. Iron helps bring oxygen to all parts of the body.
Calcium is helpful to relax the nerves. My chiropractor, who also treats RLS from the standpoint of the spine (if it is out of alignment it presses on the nerves and makes RLS so much worse) recommended calcium. I use Jarrow's Bone Up which has calcium, magnesium, zinc,etc. AND the all important Vit K, in the form of mk 7, which helps keep the calcium from building up in your arteries (look this up elsewhere as it is not pertinent for RLS.)
I have found that these 3 things - iron, calcium, chiropractic - as well as several stretching exercises I do (Miranda Esmonde-White's Essentrics and some yoga) really help to keep my RLS in check. I have had it since a child and I have had it very bad at times. What I am doing now has knocked it down to almost not there. Sometimes I may feel it a bit, but just a change in position can make it go almost or all the way away.
So on a scale of 1 to 10 - at times I had it at 15-ready-to-jump-out-the-window! Now, with the above protocol it is at about 1/2 to 2. Much more livable. I also do a stretch, as needed, similar to yours. Only I lay in the bed, put one leg straight up in the air and pull it down toward my face. This stretches out the lower spine.
I am glad to hear that other people are using some non-drug approaches, even if they still need a small amount of a drug as well. I think the two can work together.
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Fingers crossed I can get off the Tramadol. 
UPDATE: RLS, magnesium, calcium and hard water
Drastically improved my RLS by doing 3 things
RLS in legs and arms
