Punching legs..so frustrating! 😔

[Lingg]

I take Requip. It helps my my dose is too low. So I take extra since my doc reduced my dose. I resort to punching my legs. It helps but then I have bruises. So aggravating. 😔

[LeyaBlu3]

Punching does help... Thank you I’m not the only one. Feel less like a crazy person now and the bruises do suck ☹️

[Lapsedrunner]

Hi. Requip is a dopamine agonist, often these drugs start to lose effect and actually cause symptoms to occur earlier in the day, more severely and in other areas of the body...a process called augmentation (there is a pinned post re this on the home page) Your Dr may have decreased your dose because of this? Can you give us some more information?

[dbar126]

I punch and bang my legs up and down all night Drives my husband craazzyy!! I am on magnesium as a rule anyway for defiency and even take extra but to no avail. I am on so many meds already for my other issues and even thought about my rls being a side effect of my meds, but my rls has been around since way before the added meds. Other than moving to the living room so my husband can get some sleep I feel helpless.

[involuntarydancer in reply to dbar126]

Some medications do make rls worse and it would be worth checking this out as there is usually an rls friendly alternative.

Also with rls it is worth getting your iron levels checked if you haven’t already. Ask your GP to test your serum ferritin. Make sure she/he gives you the actual figure - not just that you are ‘normal’. Rls sufferers should be well over 100 (‘normal’ can be as low as 20 which is dreadfully low for an rls sufferer). and if the figure is lower than this start a supplement. Raising iron levels improves symptoms in over 50% of sufferers.

There are loads of techniques to help manage rls that don’t involve taking medication. Some people find that a cup of coffee helps when symptoms come on. Also some co-cosmopolitan or other preparations containing codeine. Gentle yoga stretches, cold or hot water, a diverting activity such as a computer game (reading, tv and paper puzzles are not sufficiently diverting), compression tights etc can all result in symptoms reducing or resolving enough to allow a few hours of sleep.

Lots of people post that a clean’ diet has helped their rls. Various restrictive diets are recommended eg fodmap, vegan, gluten free etc.

[dbar126 in reply to involuntarydancer]

Thank you involuntary dancer I am going for lab work tomorrow (hurricane may deter - I am in Florida)

[Mtn_Grl]

I used to take Requip for years before augmentation occurred when my body built up a tolerance and higher doses were prescribed. Recently I was on the Neupro patch which was fantastic until I developed an allergic reaction to the patch. Now, I am on 4mg Requip extended release tablet 1x day, and 600mg Horizant tab 1x day. I also take an iron tab 2x day. So far, it's working. Maybe extended release will work for you too?

[Elijah5]

Try one legged squats not full travel motion to relieve sensation, try a different med, ropinirole is good or go to higher dose of current meds