Good day to all!! I have amazing news. For the first time in forever, if not ever, I have had complete relief of my RLS symptoms when going to bed. Last night, was night number 12. Prior to bed, I did have a few flair ups a couple times, but I just got up and did something, it was day time..
Now my RLS is not the painful type, and I remember being around 8 years old when it started. I was 25 when I was diagnosed and was prescribed Sinemet. I took it for maybe a month, learned about augmentation so I stopped. That is it. I have researched the piriformis and sciatic nerve causes. Have had many blood tests done and drs have said everything is good. Ferritin levels are fine, blah blah blah. I tried magnesium lotion, made from the crystals, and water. Didn't help. Tried magnesium, calcium, D3. Didn't help.
I also suffer from sleep apnea, and a spine that is very twisted so sleeping is not my forte, lol. Three weeks ago, for some reason I stopped at the vitamin area of walmart and grabbed a bottle of 500 mg magnesium tablets. Looked around for any other sleep things. I found Valerian. Thought, why not. I also grabbed a bottle of Stresstabs, a b complex with copper, zinc, selenium, lyposene as well. No help. But I figured I would continue. Then, 12 days ago, I went to Superstore, (I never go to Superstore), and ended up in the organic section, which has homeopathic supplements. I looked around and found a box called Rest well. I looked at the ingredients....... Valerian, Passion flower, and something else but I stopped at Passion flower. Looked around and found a tincture. I bought it and came home, tried it and IT WORKED!!! 12 Days Straight!!!!
Because of my spine being the way it is, I take Celebrex for Osteoarthritis. So....in the morning I take the Celebrex and Stresstabs, and and hour before bed I take the magnesium and Valerian. Then 20 min before bed I take the passion flower tincture. I will try to update after a month with what I hope is promising.
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Birdman70
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That's great! I really hope your relief continues. Unfortunately I recently read in NICE Clinical Knowledge articles that Valerian particularly is identifed as not being recommended for RLS. I can't recall why.
Please carry on but beware of placebo effect.
Having said that, even if it just placebo effect, it's still working!
I have two suggestions..... Have your neck x-rayed, and just google the "benefits of Passion flower". I suggest the neck x-ray because there have been links between tremors and the Atlas vertabrae being in the wrong angle. Our spinal cord exits the skull at a 31 degree angle so the Atlas should be sitting at 31 degrees as well. Any deviation from that angle, puts pressure on the spinal cord and causes dis-ease of the nerve that is in the pressure area.
Very informative, thanks, but unfortunately I have almost every PD symptom...Just gleaned Passion Flower, will look at it further later, it sounds like it's worth trying.
It seems the passion flower has a short window of relief time. If I am too wired still from my day, back is aching and can't sleep, It does wear off and I have had to take again, after a couple hrs I'd say.
Hello RLS world. As promised, I'm updating my success with ridding myself of my symptoms using Passion flower. I have for the month of Feb, been RLS free, other than a couple nights I needed to retake. 😁
I have also put more pieces together to explain my RLS. As I have mentioned in the past, mine started around 8 yrs old. 40 yrs ago. I had had periods during those 40 yrs where my symptoms weren't as bad or were gone, but the last 15 yrs it's slowly gotten worse.
My RLS is caused by a leaky gut. Which I have probably had, off and on, all my life. STRESS!!! I grew up in a very traumatic environment. When stress is experienced, the brain releases a chemical called CRF (corticotropin releasing factor). CRF triggers a cascade of other chemicals which cause the release of cortisol, from the adrenal glands, but, CRF receptors are also found in the gut, meaning CRF directly impacts the gut.
Through the effects of CRF on the gut, stress can result in changes in intestinal motility, sensitivity, inflammation and alter intestinal impermeability allowing various substances to pass through the gut wall. Leaky gut, can contribute to a state of chronic low grade inflammation. Low grade inflammation also makes the Blood Brain Barrier leaky, and it loses control over what enters the brain.
According to The latest John Hopkins university study I read, RLS suffers have elevated levels of Glutamate in their motor cortex area. Glutamate is the excitatory neurotransmitter. GABA is the Inhibitory neurotransmitter. They need to be balanced. Leaky BBB can allow to much glutamate to enter our brains, causing more nerve activity and muscles that feel like the want to move. GABA is given to suffers to help balance the extra Glutamate.
So with all that, the combination of Magnesium, Valerian and Passion flower are aiding in GABA production. So next, I will now work on healing my Candida overgrowth, and see if Symptoms change again.
It's all very interesting that you write..and I also believe the gut is connected to brain so to speak..and if not healthy causes leaky gut and inflammation.
I've just posted a letter (Sunday 10 morning)
And have found out a few things lately.
It must be so different for each person in varying degrees.
I think getting to root cause of rls is far better than dishing out all these different chemical tablets first.
Stress plays a big part..so now I'm drinking lemon balm tea..and ashwaghanda tablets..both worth looking up.
What is the story on how long you can take Celebrex? They say 1 week but I see it used sometimes for chronic conditions. Does age matter? It helps my foot neuropathy a lot.
Birdman, so glad to hear you've found the cause of your RLS. Seriously, I think you're one of the first people to have learned that it can come as a result of intestinal permeability, i.e. leaky gut. Yes people, leaky gut is REAL, and there are hundreds of studies documenting the many effects of it and how it relates to MANY diseases.
Having said that, I'm kind of surprised your doctor hasn't mentioned how celebrex can cause or worsen leaky gut. And it can actually worse bone and joint problems because it inhibits new bone formation.
But having said THAT, I'm not in your place, so I'm not sure how you would go about tapering off the celebrex and try to strengthen your spine so that you can get off of it for good. But at least you're on the right track! Again, congrats!
Have read extensively about Passion Flower. It is a renowned method and with minimal side effects ( or so I've read). How do you take the tincture ? Like in terms of drops and when ?
I take 25-30 drops Ina glass of water usually before I get into the shower. Showers take about 20 minutes or so, then straight to bed. If I'm not taking my shower I usually try to aim for 15-20mins before I get into bed.
Oh my gosh... My 8 year old grandson lives with me and has been suffering with RLS on and off since he was 5. The last 6 weeks have been horrendous and we've both been up half the night, every night, going crazy. He's also been going through a lot of stress due to the actions of his highly abusive mother and suffered with a leaky gut right from when he was a baby.
I've been trying all sorts of supplements with no success until last night when a bottle of passionflower arrived from iherb and I gave it him in simply hoping it would help him relax.. but to my utter shock and complete amazement.. last night was the FIRST night in 6 WEEKS where he was completely pain free and slept through the whole entire night without waking up.
I just woke up myself and can't believe it. No words for how happy I am.!
Coincidentally I didn't find this thread of conversation until 5 minutes ago. As do I now wish I'd found it sooner. But for anyone reading this moving forward.. if you suffer with a leaky gut and RLS, passionflower is definitely worth trying!
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