Soapy legs

[Twerkinglegs]

I tried this soap remedy over the past 2 nights in desperation. It does not work. Well not for me. I need help. What can I do to stop this agony?

[involuntarydancer]

Yes, the soap remedy has not been crowned with success for many.

Are you taking any medication for rls?

Many on here swear by restrictive diets - usually involving at a minimum the elimination of sugar, dairy and gluten.

Gentle stretching is very often helpful and a diverting activity is surprisingly successful. It has to be very diverting - reading or watching TV is rarely sufficient but playing a computer game or crochet can be very effective and for example I get nearly two hours symptom free from online chess.

Some people find the application of heat or cold to the legs helps.

There is a strong link between low iron levels and rls in a majority of sufferers and raising iron levels can result in improved symptoms for many (far more than are helped by soap). You should get your serum ferritin levels checked by your GP before embarking on iron and make sure the surgery gives you the actual figure - they usually try to tell you you are 'normal' but normal for us is very different - we need to be over 100 ideally whereas in the general public it can be as low as 20 which is far too low for rls.

Many also find help from taking magnesium or soaking in an epsom salts bath.

If you are in the states you could try kratom (legal in many states) and/or cannabis if it is legal where you live (or even if it isn't if you are feeling daring/desperate).

Resist any attempt by your GP to start on a dopamine agonist such as requip (ropinerole), mirapexin (pramipexole/siffrol) or rotigotine (neupro) patches. These medicines can work very well initially but ultimately they start to feed the condition in a phenomenon known as augmentation. If you do decide to take them (many, many doctors do not know much or anything about rls and continue to prescribe them at way above the recommended dose), be sure to keep the dose to the absolute minimum and find another drug to supplement them if they stop being effective against your symptoms.

You will find many more suggestions posted on here if you scroll down through the posts. Good luck.

[ELLSBELLS]

I read recently that it must be lavender soap, presumably because lavender is used as a sleep aid ie pillow sprays. Oh if it were only that easy.

[Hidden]

But did you spin it 569 degrees anticlockwise followed by hoping on you left leg while holding the soap firmly against your right temple. You must hop 3" high although research has suggested a hight of 5" might be necessary.

OK, sorry I had to take the p**s a little as I hate the soap thing and really hate the shysters who have been selling 'special' flat lavender soap that is designed to fit between the sheets! I get between the sheets and I am not a small specimen so any bar of soap will fit. Still people are conned into buying special soap with no medical value.

Involuntarydaner has put a great post with some top notch advice, I have little to add other than could you be taking any medications that could be exacerbating things? Drugs such as antihistamines are notoriously bad and there are a whole host of drugs that can make things worse.

I really feel for you, this is a terrible condition made worse by peoples lack of understanding. There is light at the end of the tunnel - I've had it from birth, well from before I can remember and more recently its been my whole body that was restless. I went vegan and gluten free and after a few weeks my body was silent. I managed to stop taking two drugs and was delighted that I could sit on the sofa with my wife and lie in bed without having to kick and twist. So I would push for my approach as it is doable and effective.

Hope you get relief soon.

[involuntarydancer in reply to Hidden]

I’m sure I read that a 5” jump can be counter productive - anything over 4” and the effects start to wane. Do your research Raffs.

[Hidden in reply to involuntarydancer]

Damn, I didn't realise they changed that. My sincere apologies at recommending something like that. I once jumped 6" and my fallopian tubes and uterus fell out - not an approach to take lightly!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Nice to see your humour back on here raffs, i didn think you would pass by the soap post. But where is your Irish side kick, madlegs, who usually joins in with you. Must be asleep. But you got ID who is just as funny.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Its been a big time in the south with the 'Repeal the 8th' vote, likely still hung over!

Who or what is ID? This some Freudian thing?

I don't understand why you think I was joking - I wasn't It was pretty traumatic although I have fashioned my tubes into a nice new belt that goes really well with my new trousers.

I am without my uterus and fallopian tubes what happens now if I want to have a child? Well thankfully I have teenagers so I want no more children, in fact I am looking into late term abortions but apparently once they are born the powers that be think the child is viable - will have to have a back street abortion for the eldest, (I'm still hoping the youngest wont turn into a teen as we are using a multitude of drugs to prevent them growing).

I hear they are going to drop a cadre of mopy teens into the middle east in order to wipe out ISIS. They reckon that an hour of their 'music' and attitude will be enough to make them disband and forsake the west.

I think in order to stamp out the whole soap business drastic action is called for. I propose that we add nuclear waste to the water supply. Think about it - who in their right mind would want to bathe in radioactive water? No one that's the answer and if no one is bathing then there is no need for soap and hey presto when there is no more soap there are no more people putting it in their beds - pure genius if you ask me. Now, where'd I put that plutonium?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Alot of rambling going on raffs,. ID is my short version to not having to type the full screen name of Involuntarydancer. Life is too short.

[involuntarydancer in reply to Hidden]

And also you forgot to mention that the hopping had to be on the left leg and in the light of a gibbous moon.

[Hidden in reply to involuntarydancer]

Yeah, it was full moon last night so no soap for me.

[involuntarydancer in reply to Hidden]

Just so long as there are no immaculate conceptions requiring you to avail of our newly liberalised abortion laws.

[Hidden in reply to involuntarydancer]

Well considering Leo & the rest are saying up to 12 weeks I'll says up I'd be unlikely to get my kids past it and if I ever got a woman in the position she needed an abortion I could always pay for a luxurious week in London with the money I'd get from selling my spleen that the wife would have ripped out!

[Hidden]

My Doc said to try a table spoon full of mustard (I think the yellow kind)... ? Not sure if it works or not

[LotteM in reply to Hidden]

Mustard! That is a new one, to my knowledge. I vote for it to go the ‘soaproute’. But it wouldn’t hurt to try (although I won’t; I eat it frequently enough as I like mustard).

[Hidden in reply to LotteM]

I think it has to be right before you go to bed, although you might have hot dogs before bed too - ha ha

[LotteM in reply to Hidden]

Not if you’re on a GF and vegan diet 😭

[involuntarydancer in reply to Hidden]

Maybe you should smear the soap with the mustard ... and then send it to your doctor to try. I suspect it will be as much use for your rls if he eats it as if you do.

Do let us know if it works ... I would be only too glad to have my cynicism proved wrong.

[Hidden]

why dont you try what i use balneum superplus cream . even if it is for skin complaints i find it great to help me - i recommend you try it