Newbie here wanting some help 🤔.

[Millie09]

Hello everyone, I am new here, well , couple of weeks . Have been reading all the posts with great interest!

So .. a bit about myself in summary, chronic liver disease, diagnosed with two prolapsed discs middle to lower back in December last year, with osteopenia in my hip . Not allowed strong pain killers so I don't take any for the pain as paracetamol does not work

Dr put me on gabapentin in June, did not agree with me at all , was on 100 mg x3 per day.

So was referred to pain management clinic, had my first appt in Nov this year, was given pregabalin, dose was upped to 75mg 1 x per day , .. done nothing!! . but my legs have gotten worse .. I cant keep them still , night time is just awful, my poor cat don't understand why she can't sit on my lap any more, I get burning, crawling like sensation , I actually feel like pulling my legs off 😐.my legs ache sooo much due to the muscle tension.. can someone tell me if this is a symptom of RLS ? .Or just another part of neuropathy? Many thanks in advance.

Linda xx

[involuntarydancer]

If they have worsened spontaneously it may be something you are taking which exacerbated the legs so consult the list on the Earls website of counter-indicated substances (eg Benedryl, piraton, amytriptiline, melatonin etc). Though do note some of these are ok for some people. Also get your serum ferritin checked as a drop in iron can exacerbate symptoms. If your figure is below 100 start an iron supplement.

[Millie09 in reply to involuntarydancer]

Hi involuntarydancer ,

Thank you for your reply, I am not taking any other meds apart from vitamin b12 and sertraline, but I will do as you suggested, it's only been the last week really that they the symtoms are very bad , will keep you posted!

[rls_optimist in reply to Millie09]

Hi and welcome, Millie! Just a note on antidepressants. Most of those aggravate RLS symptoms. You say you're taking Sertraline (a.k.a Zoloft). That is among the ones not recommended for RLS sufferers. There are a few that are okay for us, such as Trazadone. Check out the very helpful RLShelp.org website, which lists effective and ineffective treatments, as well as which antidepressants are okay and which ones aggravate RLS. Good luck!

[Millie09 in reply to rls_optimist]

Thank you! .. rls_optimist ,

I have been on sertraline now for nearly 2 years, my RLS has been extremely bad in the last two weeks, I will be going to see my GP any way as I need to review the pregabalin I am taking, will mention this to him 🤔.. crazy isn't it , that any thing can cause the conditon to worsen , or even diet can affect it will keep all posted

Many thanks for your help and reply

Linda 😊

[Eryl]

The combination of rls and liver disease indicates to me that your blood sugar is raised. One of the functions of the liver is to store a surplus of energy for the lean periods which we had millions of years ago when man was a hunter/gatherer. It does this by storing excess blood sugar in the form of fat which is a cause of liver disease.

Sugar is inflammatory and excess blood sugar can cause inflammation of many cells in the body, including nerve cells. This can fanifest itself as m.s. fibromyalgia, migraine, rls etc and long term is probably a cause of alzheimer's. Sugar also affects the gut microbiome, which produces neurotransmitters, which i'ch can be another cause of rls.

The answer is a ketogenic diet which can be low carb, paleo, fodmap o'r some other variety. The important thing is that they all cut out sugars and limit carbohydrate intake.

I have cut out all sweetened foods for the last year and have been free of rls most of the time. The exceptions being times when I have let the diet slip, like a small portion of Christmas pudding and a glass of wine.

[janland in reply to Eryl]

Hi..

I do think that you've hit the nail on the head here.

Very interesting comments and all makes sense to me.

Thank you so much and I hope that other people with rls have taken note of your letter and facts.

I had rls very badly about 8 months ago.. driving me mad with lack of sleep etc.

Now watching my sugar intake..on iron tablets due to lowish ferritin levels and having probiotics or kefir yogurt etc as much as possible..

Dare I say it....rls practically gone.

Oh.. plus I take b vitamins..the whole range and try to stick to natural diet.

Best wishes

Jan

[Millie09 in reply to janland]

Hi Jan

Glad to hear your rls has gone!

driving me mad!! .. will now change my diet and stop all the rubbish snacks.

Keep you posted

Linda x

[Millie09 in reply to Eryl]

Hi eryl ,

What a very very informative reply ,

My diet has not been it's best now for a while, due to my mobility issues , I used to cook all my meals from scratch due to having a low sodium diet, my sugar intake is not good .

Thank you so very much for bringing this to light, will take this on board 🙂.

[Eryl in reply to Millie09]

Glad that you've both appreciated my comments, most people discount them as rubbish. If you're interested in learning more, look on youtube.com for talks by Dr Georgia Ede who is a psychiatrist and teats patients with the diet, and Dr Terry Wahls who has cured herself of M.S. with the diet.

[Millie09 in reply to Eryl]

Oh totally ! Always thankful for any insight, oh that's great! I will do that , I do go on you tube 😊. Once again many thanks Eryl , wishing you a prosperous New year .

[janland in reply to Eryl]

Thank you very much once again Eryle.

Much appreciated advice.

I'll look at you tube article.

I've been constantly research Inc what could be the cause of restless ls.

I understand the blood /ferritin problem is connected plus the nerve system in the brain plus dopomine and good diet.

We are so far removed from stone age way of life..I do wonder sometimes was rls suffered by humans down through the ages?

Or only when our diets deviated from natural.?

I admit I do have sugar occasionally..eg piece of cake now and again.. rich fruit usually..and a glass of pure no chemicals lager..but also glad to say..I don't take any medication for rls just iron, and magnesium tablet at night.

Best wishes to you.jan.

[Eryl in reply to janland]

Although ferritin is important, it is more of a marker, showing that the microbiome is out of balance. Many people supplement it, but it doesn't stop the rls. On the diet the ferritin should return to normal. Oh- if you're interested in learning more about the microbiome, there's an informative and an quite humorous book called 'Gut' by Guilia Enders.

[LotteM in reply to Eryl]

I SO wish it were as you say. I am afraid it is not. But I have taken your opinion on board and will research it and keep it in mind as an intoad. Some youtube thing isn’t enough to convince me, however. But that doesn’t stop me from researching.

[Eryl in reply to LotteM]

It may be that you have another trigger as well. Artificial preservative E202 also triggers it for me, but for you it could be different, like glutamate which acts as a neurotransmitter, or something else like salicylate (natural pesticide found in plants).

[Eryl in reply to Millie09]

By the way, you may notice a few month down the line, some other effects, like improved breathing and better figure due to the reduction in inflammation and the increased growth of good bacteria in your gut. The nice thing about the diet is that you don't starve yourself, you just need to adjust to not getting taste by making foods sweet. I like spice, so I get my taste hit with home made curries.

[Millie09 in reply to Eryl]

Oh i do hope so ! I know I have mobility issues with regards to prolapsed discs middle to lower back and osteopenia in right hip , but I don't sit around all day , I do still remain as active as I can be, I used to make all my curry from scratch , mainly using sweet potato and spinach.. I relish the new year with open arms .

Thank you Eryl .

[Eryl in reply to Millie09]

The diet may reduce your back and hip pain by removing one of the sources of inflammation.

[Millie09 in reply to Eryl]

Good thinking! .. I really hope so!!