Menapause

[Joannebbk]

Im just wondring if there are any ladies of a certain age that have had an increase in symptoms whilst going through the Menapause. I was managing my pain and my RLS fine up until about 5 months ago and it coincided with a few things but mainly that Im premenopausal.

[LotteM]

Yes. Although the RLS didn't 'explode' until a few years after other signs of menopause such as hot flushes. I had an Mirena IUD that had stopped my periods, so had no indication of menopause through a change therein. In hindsight, I had had phases of RLS far earlier in life, but never knew what it was. Hormones regulate an awful lot in our bodies and interact closely with the neurological (and immune) system. So, no wonder menopause can trigger RLS.

[Pam34]

I’ve had RLS all my life but it certainly increased from a manageable, fairly mild couple of times a week to an unmanageable, severe every night problem the minute I hit menopause! And 10 years later there is no change. I’m guessing not what you want to hear!

Pam

[Woolfy1]

Hi

I've had RLS all my adult life but it got significantly worse in the last 5 years which does correspond with my menopause.

I am managing it with 3 x 300mg gabapentin, which is brilliant for me. No RLS at all in the evenings, and occasional RLS at night. Also great for any menopausal anxiety too!!

Hope you get some relief soon

[DicCarlson]

More keys to the puzzle of RLS. Has anyone with increased RLS after menopause tried HRT? I would guess bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

[LotteM in reply to DicCarlson]

I did. Actually, I was on HRT when my RLS symptoms went through the roof. Somewhere during my quest for and effective treatment for RLS I reduced and then stopped my HRT. Recently, I have been put on another type of HRT to compensate for the decrease in steroid hormones owing to the opioid I take. It helps sufficiently with the other low-hormone effects, but not with the RLS. Unfortunately.

[RLSgirl]

I'm in my early 40s, and while I can't say I've hi menoupause, I have had some hormonal changes. the past couple years I've noticed that my RLS gets worse about a week before my period starts and then settles back down to normal levels at about day 2 of my period.

I believe the week or so before your period this is the prgestreone heavy stage of the cycle. and then when the estrogen stage of the cyle kicks in a few days into the period the symptoms subside.

I had my hormones checked b/c I was expericning quite a few hormonal sysmptoms (mood swings brain fog etc.) and it turns out both my progesterone and estrogen were very low while my cortizol levels were high (I've been dealing wiht a lot of stress. Plus I think the general lack of sleep cuased by RLS adds to the cortizol/stress level.)

I have no answers at this point. but I'm definitley intersted in learning more about the connection between homrones and RLS.

[Hidden in reply to RLSgirl]

Hi RLSgirl, your premenstrual symptoms sound identical to mine. When you had your hormones checked, was there any suggestion to have them 'rebalanced'?

[RLSgirl in reply to Hidden]

Yes. I am working with a natural-pathic doctor. And yes we have come up with an herbal program to help re-balance my hormones. And it is working very well. My brain fog is gone and my mood has stabilized. But I am still experiencing cyclical increased RLS. Maybe with some more time on this regimen I will see improvement with the RLS too.

If my cortisol levels weren’t so High I could have taken a more direct approach to treating my progesterone and estrogen imbalance and just taken a hormone replacement, which is probably what a medical doctor would have done. But because my cortisol hormones were also high my natural-path decided to take a more round about approach, giving me the nutritional building blocks my body needs to produce its own estrogen and progesterone while not feeding the cortisol fire.

I would totally recommend finding a Good natural path (or functional medicine doctor). I feel they are taking a more holistic approach to looking at symptoms and the underlying issues, and treatment.

[restlessinlondon]

Definitely! For me the RLS started during pregnancy and went berserk as I hit the menopause. You have my sympathy!

[laddy3]

Check and google what meds you are on as they might be making it worse I was on patches and they seemed to help gd luck

[Joannebbk in reply to laddy3]

Im on Nexium for heartburn but I have been on that for a few years, and codiene for back pain. I did have tramadol left over from a while ago and I have resorted to taking 2 about 4pm and it has has helped me so much. Im just worried that the Doc wont agree to give me a prescription for some more and I will be back to square one

[Hidden]

My symptoms worsen very markedly about a week before my period.

I've always wondered at the connection between RLS and hormones but given that it's not a uniquely female condition, wonder at the strength of any such connection.

[MumofSam in reply to Hidden]

Hi Amrob

I’ve always found the exact same thing. Even now, when I no longer have periods, it still follows the same cycle.

For me there’s a link between stress and RLS (amongst other things) and the week before your period is usually when symptoms of PMT are at their worse, hence increased stress, hence increased RLS.

I think everyone’s bodies have cycles, male and female, so it wouldn’t surprise me if men experienced a cyclical element to it too, though it might not be so obvious to them.

[MumofSam]

Hi Joanne

My RLS has got significantly worse. However, that coincided with me withdrawing from Tramadol and Pregabalin that had been prescribed for me due to spinal stenosis and sciatica. As it never settled down again despite being drug free for around 8 months, maybe it wasn’t the meds and is the menopause instead, or a mix of the two.

I’ve recently had to go back on 2x45mg of Pregabalin a day which is just about controlling it, though I still have the odd night, like last night, when it doesn’t work. Early days yet so dose might have to increase.

[Joannebbk in reply to MumofSam]

I weaned my self off Tramadol about 2 years ago and had really bad withdrawel and the RLS was terrible. But once I got through it I felt much better. I did take magnesium which helped alot. Now with my flare up I have gone back to taking 2 tramadol in an evening. Luckily I had a couple of boxes left from when I was on them. It is actually working really well and even though I said I would never again take Tramadol, I do think it was due to me being addicted to it and the fact that I was also taking Amaltrytaline and gabapenten.

[MumofSam in reply to Joannebbk]

How long did it take from when you weaned off Tramadol to feeling better? As I said in my post, it has been about 8 months for me, with no signs of improvement. My doctor has prescribed Pregabalin, which I believe is a more usual med for RLS than Tramadol, leastways my doctor wouldn’t recommend Tramadol. Seems to be working, though the odd day it didn’t seem to help.

[Joannebbk in reply to MumofSam]

I think it took about 3 months for me to feel better. 8 months is long time to be feeling the way you are I was prescribed tramadol for back pain to start with. I had tried pregabalin but it didnt work. The tramadol was amzing to start with but I think as time went on I became addicted and the RLS was more of a side affect from this. It was so bad I had it in my genitals! I was also on a muscle relaxant called methacarbamol and then the Dr prescribed the amaltryptaline. I was basically a walking zombie at this point. I then moved areas as my husband is Military and my Dr swapped the methacarbamol for Gabapenten. It was at this point that I decided to wean myself off all of these meds. I did the tramadol first, then the gabapenten and then the amaltrytaline. Up until about 6 months ago my RLS was very occasional and I was managing on 30mg codiene tablets, sometimes 8 a day sometimes only 2 a day. I do think my flare up is linked to menapause and im just thankful I actually kept my tramadol for emergencies.

[MumofSam in reply to Joannebbk]

Yes, I was originally prescribed Tramadol and Pregabalin for my spinal problems. Pregabalin didn’t help so much with that as far as I could tell, and I thought back then it was only Tramadol that stopped my RLS. Turned out it was both, but I’d rather be taking Pregabalin again than Tramadol, as it seems to have so many other side-effects. Be careful you don’t get dependent on it again. That’s the downside of ending up back on meds.

[Heatherlss in reply to Joannebbk]

I'm sorry 8 a day ? Really ?

[Blueeyes5265]

Tramadol is the only relief I get, Percocet,sees to just make it worse.

I'm really tired of the missery, and I don't know why the medical people, don't study it more

[Heatherlss in reply to Blueeyes5265]

Hi what dose of Tramadol works for you ? Did you ever augment on DAs ?