I am new to the site - do herbal medicines help?

[Ann104]

Hi, my name is Ann and I am new to the site. I have had restless legs for many years but recently it has been much worse. I had a knee operation recently, not sure if this could have anything to do with the restless legs getting worse. I have not seen a doctor about this before, I have mainly just put up with it and tried herbal medications. I have been taking 'Quiet Legs' from Simply Vital which is a blend of plant extracts. I am not sure if this is helping (and it is very expensive) and I wondered if anyone else has used it and whether anyone has found it beneficial? I have also tried Ginkgo Biloba - again I wonder if anyone has any opinion on whether this may help? I would really welcome any advice or suggestions.

[march1044]

Hi Ann,

The only herbal I have found that helps is kratom, which affects me like a mild opioid, i.e. it gets rid of the squirmy feeling for me, but only last two or three hours in the night. For me, there are no side effects. I buy it online at VelvetSoulNaturals.com. I buy the red Borneo strain, and I'd start out with a half or full tsp. first every few hours and see how you do with it. I like it best when it is dissolved in orange juice. It is illegal in some places--in about five U.S. states, and in England and Ireland, I think.

Good luck to you.

[Graham3196]

If you're looking for a non-pharmaceutical solution I suggest you consider a FODMAP diet. This is not a fad diet. It was developed by the Monash University in Australia for IBS sufferers. For some reason there seems to be a relationship between IBS and RLS. Several people have found the diet brings them great relief. Others have less luck and the relief is moderate to zero. If the FODMAP is not as successful as you want then then there is another Australian diet developed by the Royal prince Albert Hospital in Sydney Australia. Again developed for something else but it has been successfully applied to RLS. Its more effort than FODMAP but in my case has worked very successfully. I have had long periods of zero RLS symptoms.

To learn more just search this forum for FODMAP It costs almost nothing. There are a few books and a phone App you can buy or there are websites with details of the FODMAP diet.

Google the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for more info.

[DicCarlson]

Most herbal and vitamin therapies take weeks or months to prove their use. I have tried most every product out there - some are just combinations of items that do work. Step one is have your iron (ferritin) level checked. If it is in the low normal range you will benefit from supplementation. RLS should be grouped into 2 categories - RLS itself - the horrible - gotta walk around all night symptom; and the profound insomnia that might linger even after you have stopped RLS major symptoms. Here's the latest hopkinsmedicine.org/neurolo...

[involuntarydancer in reply to DicCarlson]

DicCarlson, you are so right about this - granted the squirmy rls symptoms are awful - so awful that one tends to dismiss the profound insomnia but the insomnia can be as destructive to normal life and is hugely resistant to the usual treatments for insomnia - as you know the only thing I have found to be effective is cannabis.

[involuntarydancer]

Hi Ann, I second what March 1044 says - Kratom is the only non-prescription med that I found to have an appreciable affect on rls - though raising iron levels is also very helpful in the majority (but not all) of cases. Kratom is illegal in my part of the world and I get it sent from Holland in anonymous packages. My efforts to find the optimal treatment for my rls have taken me very much to the dark side in terms of consuming illegal substances! It is a source of frustration that I have had more success with kratom and cannabis than with the scary prescription meds which my healthcare professionals put me on.