No sleep again.

[Linda_pink]

After a period of relatively calm legs, have been sleeping OK till last 3 nights. the aching, twitching and jumping has been awful. not on any meds from doctor as side effects put me off, just been using iron and Magnesium supplements. hopefully this is just a blip and it settles down again x

[Madlegs1]

See my answer to Connie below .

There are many rls triggers- esch individual has their own collection .

[LoisTonya]

Linda - This sounds exactly the same as my experience. My legs had settled down so much that I was considering reducing my Ropinrole, then suddenly things have deteriorated so much that I increased last nights dose. I had run out of my iron and magnesium so had not beentaking them for more than a week. Now I'm taking them again so live in hopes of returning to that good interlude.

[Whitebuffalo in reply to LoisTonya]

Lois what form of iron do you take and what time of day do you take it? I've only tried the ferrous bisglycinate but I found that it does not stop my RLS if I take it in the morning only if I take it at night and pretty much when I feel the RLS starting. There are some nights when the RLS does not start so I do not take it. I think stopping the melatonin was important and possibly the apple cider vinegar I have been taking for another condition is helping somewhat but I wouldn't run out and try the ACV unless you have an enlarged prostate.

[LoisTonya in reply to Whitebuffalo]

Whitebuffalow - I usually take Spatone, a naturally high iron water from Wales. Whatever iron supplement you take it is important to take it on an empty stomach and with Vitamin C. Not so much as a cup of tea for a couple of hours before and after the iron.

When I went away and forgot to take my Spatone I was advised by a pharmacist to take Ferrograd Folic Tablets. Blood tests didn't show me as anaemic. It is your ferritin that needs boosting. I take these occasionally if I've neglcted to take the Spatone.

I hope this is helpful. My rls varies from time to time but there is no consistency so what improves, or makes it worse, is all guesswork.

[Whitebuffalo in reply to LoisTonya]

Keep up guessing what improves your RLS. You will find answers. I feel like I did. I know for sure I cannot take calcium channel blockers - all day RLS. I'm pretty positive I cannot take melatonin. And I'm starting to believe that apple cider vinegar help a little in the long run. Remember those brain autopsies Johns Hopkins talked about and how all the brains lacked brain iron, not really body iron? They took a second look at 6 those 9 brains and 5 had very high histamine levels. What that means I do not know but the article indicated that it may contribute to the RLS or at the very least it may contribute to the insomnia that is often associated with RLS. I don't believe that the brain histamine is caused by allergies per article. Allergies cause H2 histamine release from mast cells and the brain histamine was H3. So I'm thinking that maybe the apple cider vinegar has some affect on that histamine?

So I wouldn't necessarily assume that the body level of ferritin affects RLS as much as the lack of brain iron. According to DicCarlson and some other people on here, the ferrous bisglycinate is one of the few, maybe the only form, that crosses the blood brain barrier. But even if it crosses it supposedly it can't hold on to it so that's why I take it at night - and yes, always on an empty stomach.

[Hidden]

There can be many reasons for bad nights. Triggers which have caused your RLS to act up, as in food or drink. Meds, even OTC meds can make things worse. RLS is progressive so thats another thing to think about. I hope its just a blib and it settles down. Did your doctor give you a ferritin level test, is that why you are taking iron pills. ?

[Linda_pink in reply to Hidden]

Just taking iron because it was suggested on this forum. have lost all faith in docs as they seem to think it's in my head and want to treat me for anxiety

[jimindigo]

I've been using a 'Tens Unit' behind the knees,but recently have

still had small twitches which still wake me.