Would appreciate some advice.

[Misheldeb]

Both my partner and I suffer with restless leg syndrome. He tends to suffer more than me. I have tried to speak to him about sleep patterns, not drinking caffeine or alcohol too late at night. He is being treated for depression/anxiety. He is in pergutry. Can anyone advise?

[involuntarydancer]

Is he/are you on any medications for your rls - or anything else? Some meds can make rls worse - also some over the counter products like benedryl and anti-histamines.

Most people find alcohol is bad for their rls. Ice cream can also be bad. Lots of people find giving up sugar and/or dairy and/or gluten helps them. There are lots of different diaetary suggestions.

There are medicines you can take. Products containing codeine sometimes help - eg solpadeine.

Warm baths, very cold water on the legs, applying a magnesium spray or rub, support stockings, yoga type stretches, elevating the legs, gentle exercise before bed etc etc.

There are loads of other suggestions on here is you look back through posts.

It is a good idea to get your serum ferritin checked as low iron levels (less than 100) can make the legs worse.

I hope you find a solution. It is best to learn as much as you can before going to see a doctor about it as they don’t know a lot about rls and can sometimes prescribe drugs that are not really advisable.

[Parminter]

Misheldeb, Purgatory is a good description, many of us spend a lot of time there.

The first thing is for your partner to know he is not alone, that we not only empathise with but also share his pain in very real ways, literally, every day.

Then he needs to know that there is lots of information available, and he needs to take ownership of his condition by starting to research - this is very empowering, and there are few things as disempowering as RLS when one is surrounded by poor information and ignorant professionals.

Depression, which is much more common amongst us than in the general population, makes this difficult, but even reading one or two articles will help him to understand all aspects of RLS. which includes the movement disorder, the insomnia, the anxiety and the depression. Been there, done that!

If he is on SSRIs for his depression, he needs to stop. They exacerbate RLS, except for Wellbutrin.

He needs to see a knowledgeable doctor or at least one that will listen with an open mind. I have come to rely upon my GP, not specialists, because he has an open mind and does not bring his ego to the office. I take evidence-based medical articles to him, (neatly filed in a blue ring-file!), he reads them and we act accordingly. He is not threatened by this at all, in fact, he is grateful and interested.

Because of his depression, you may have to assist him through the initial steps of researching, gathering the information together, and making an appointment, possibly with a sleep specialist who is well-versed in RLS - not all are.

(I have no sleep specialists within a hundred miles, and the GP route has been fine for me).

Amongst the best favours you could do for both him and yourself is to join the RLS Foundation, it is full of the latest scientific knowledge from researchers with impeccable credentials at the finest institutions. (I have very little money to spare, and the outlay was high for me, but it was one of the best things I have done in the service of my own health).

Triggers that worsen RLS include caffeine and alcohol. Your partner should attempt to limit his caffeine to early mornings only - the truth is, we do need a kick, it's in the brain chemistry. Here is a link -

rls.org/file/triggers-05201...

And here is a link to the depression problem in RLS -

rls.org/file/depression-052...

The fundamental problem of primary RLS is the inability of the RLS brain to store iron. Here is a link to a youtube video which comes from the RLS Foundation. (There are many such scientific presentations available to you if you become a member).

youtube.com/watch?v=VVlQKOO...(Not working as expected?)

The takeaway advice here is to get educated and thereby empowered to act. Depression (which I know well) is often the sense that one is unable to effect change, and that the situation is hopeless and will never end. I know. Many of us know. But the situation is not hopeless,

Just take the first step. Watch the youtube video, and depression is displaced by fascination, and gratitude that outstanding doctors like Professor Christopher Earley are working for us. There really is hope, both immediately and for the future, for the research is getting more and more targeted,

The e-dress is rls.org

[Mona23]

Does he just not want to know? If he knows he has RLS, he may be overwhelmed by trying to deal with depression and RLS - a difficult combo, but one that makes it even more important for him to seek dr’s who know how to help him manage both. Does he keep you awake at night? If not, maybe he needs to find his solution on his own. “You can lead a horse to water, but...”

[rsears57]

I TOO drink alot of caffine but 2 hydrocodone at night. Works well for me

[Eryl]

If you're into investigating diet as a treatment, you might like to try one of the low carb diets. Many people find relief with these diets. They men giving up most foods containing added sugar and cutting back on high starch foods. So chocolates. ice creams, biscuits, cakes etc. are out. It is believed that these foods feed gut microbes which produce neurotransmitters which give rise to neurological conditions like rls, ibs, fibromyalgia, migraine etc. including mood problems. The microbes can also reduce mineral and nutrient take up so can be responsible for low ferritin and vitamin b12 levels.

The raised blood sugar that these foods can cause can cause inflammation in the tissues, so after a few month on the diet it's not unusual for breathing to improve, which can reduce incidence of asthma and makes exercising easier.

Low vitamin d3 can also cause mood problems. These tend to show up in winter when we don't tend to get much sun, and once they start it's difficult to get motivation to get out and get more sun, so as well as taking stuff out of the diet it would be a good idea to take a specific vit b12 supplement (not a b complex) and a d3 supplement.

It's worked for me. No rls recently and my average power output on a bike ride up by 20%

[Grammieof4]

What antidepressant is he on. Pretty much all of them except for Wellbutrin are contraindicated when you have RLS.

[nightdancer]

The first thing to find out is the class of his antidepressants. SSRI's and tricyclics will make most of us , as in 99%, worse. That is where to start. Is he depressed because he is not sleeping, or was he depressed before the RLS? It is kind of like the chicken or the egg. Many doctors automatically think we are not sleeping because of depression, when it is the other way around, we would not be depressed if we had the RLS under control and could GET some sleep. A lot of people are not bothered by caffeine, but everyone is different to a point. Alcohol however is a big no no for people with RLS, It will relax you for a bit, but it will block the dopamine receptors in the brain and bring on RLS in a lot of people. You did not say if either of you are on any meds for RLS specifically, though. It is rough, we know!

[02061949]

I am 69 years old and have had restless legs syndrome for many years. I have found that "Sifrol" is the only medication that works for me. It is only on prescription. I take 2 tablets 1 hour before bed. I hope that this helps.