Alcohol and RLS

[kelirock]

I am not an alcohol drinker but a couple of nights ago went out for dinner at a neighbours place... I had 3 glasses of wine with the meal. The alcohol appeared to irritate and exacerbate symptoms of RLS to the extent that I was unable to sit still and had to stand for periods of the evening.. Has anyone else experienced this with alcohol?. I also take Sifrol 0.25 daily.

[Hidden]

Alcohol can trigger RLS. It does it for me. I don't totally abstain, but 3 glasses is probably pushing it.

Alcohol can also cause sleep problems.

Did you find out what your tremor was due to?

[kelirock in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for asking Manerva, it seems to have stopped now or I am certainly not noticing it at this time. How's things with you regarding the corona virus. Things are mad here particularly grocery shopping.

[Hidden in reply to kelirock]

Yep, mad here too. I partly blame the media. They report people are panic buying on the news which causes more people to panic buy.

Massive queues at checkouts in the supermarket. All those people, (and trolleys), packed together, breathing on each other is a great way to spread the infection.

I can understand the empty pasta and baked bean shelves but remain mystified by the panic buying of toilet rolls.

Perhaps it's because people are so anxious they're losing control over their bowels?

I haven't seen it yet, but I have a theory that people want to wrap a toilet roll round their face because they can't get hold of masks.

I also have a conspiracy theory that this virus is man made and was released to distract us from a failure to control global warming.

Today I heard another conspiracy theory, my wife loves them. This virus is going to make half the population of the earth sterile.

That might actually be a good idea, but I think it came straight out of a Dan Brown book.

[Hidden in reply to kelirock]

I was really curious about the toilet paper thing as well. No one has any for sale here in Tampa, FL USA at all. I kept thinking that are we so full of $#!t that people are that afraid of running out. Fortunately, we just stocked up last week because it was on sale at our local supermarket. I asked at the store today when we were shopping for alcohol to make out own hand sanitizer. (by word of mouth in the store, we heard we could get a couple of bottles from the pharmacy counter by asking the pharmacist - True). They told me that all paper products are made in China and they are afraid of an embargo. I have never seen anything like one entire aisle after another empty. I could not even find the enzyme for lactose-intolerant people to use with milk. Same thing with baby shampoo (use it to clean my oil glands in my eyes. )No potato chips, no breakfast cereal,, no baby wipes, no bar soap! I saw someone with gloves on pushing a shopping card and scratching his eyes and picking his nose. You can't fix stupid I guess.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Lots of myths about making your own sanitizer. The alcohol has to be at least 70% proof, so unless a pharmacy stocks that, it's not much good against a virus.

Many Russians use vodka for disinfectant, OK for bacteria but it's only 40%.

Isht maikes yu a bish blurree tooo, hic! or хик in Russian

I'm thinking of carrying a soap dispenser around with me, a 2 liter bottle of water, a four liter bucket and a hand towel. You can't get them in your pocket, but you can put all the other stuff in the bucket.

It could start a fashion and cause lots of interesting conversations.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Very true. Thankfully I was an infection control practitioner before I retired. We were able to find 91% isopropyl alcohol. They normally use ethyl alcohol which is grain alcohol. I could not find any of either form so I went to the liquor store looking for Everclear. From what I remember as a younger person who drank, it was 190 proof or 95% alcohol. What is sold here in FL is 150 proof or 75%. You can add very little to that until you have hit the threshold of 60% The 91% alcohol lets me add a bit more like 1/3 aloe gel to 2/3 alcohol. You are still at the 60 percent threshold of effectiveness.

You do not need hand sanitizer if you can wash your hands with soap or water or better yet a hand scrub with a disinfectant like chlorhexidine or triclosan in it. I became sensitive to triclosan in my years as an Nurse Epidemiologist . Make sure you do not contaminate your hands opening the door or touching the faucet handles. Use a paper towel to do those things to keep your hands clean. I am exceeding grateful that I am not having to deal with this on a professional basis as the Director of Infection Control over a couple of hospitals.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the tips. I don't know what Everclear is and we probably can't get it here.

Luckily, I'm retired so now that a lot of things have been cancelled, I don't have to go out much. We've been told to "socially distance" ourselves.

It's only when I go places that the sanitizer comes in useful.

[Eryl]

As others have said, alcohol can trigger rls. I find that how much is too much depends on the sugar content. I limit myself to one pint of craft beer once or twice a month.

[Juliesk1306]

Yes I find alcohol makes my RSL worse and my medication stops working.

[Eryl in reply to Juliesk1306]

The meds don't stop working, they just can't keep up.

[Bks429]

Oh my gosh, yes! I can’t even have one beer. So depressing!

[dklohrey]

For me, alcohol is the worst of the food or drink that I can consume. I know that if I drink alcohol, I will have a restless night, if I get any sleep at all. The drug that I take for RLS, ropinirole, is still somewhat effective, but it takes longer to kick in and the symptoms are much worse until that time comes. Other problem items for me are caffeine and sweets. Overeating is also a problem. I find that the smaller the meal, the less the agitation. As I said, however, each person is different, though caffeine and alcohol seem to be a consistent problem.

[dklohrey]

The hysteria is being fueled by the news media and the overreaction of politicians. The economic consequences are going to be far worse than the disease. As someone who went through the German measles (yes, it was called German back then) before the vaccine was invented, virtually every child got the disease, schools were half full, but they remained open. Imagine that. Somehow we survived.

[DicCarlson]

Curious that it "kicked in" almost immediately. Wine does have some other components like sulfites that can cause an allergic reaction in some people (mostly a histamine reaction).

Alcohol is nasty for sleep and can enhance RLS. Timing is important - one or two drinks at 5-6PM - then going to bed at 10PM, will find that most of the alcohol will be metabolized by then. Drinking after dinner then trying to sleep is a problem. Both beer and wine are simple sugars, but all alcohol is alcohol, 7 calories per gram.

[Eryl in reply to DicCarlson]

Dr Robert Lustig calls sugar 'alcohol for kids', because, apart from alcohol being able to be metabolised by the brain, it has the same effect on the rest of the body. If you've got a belly, it's most likely to be due to alcohol, sugar, or wheat.

[Eryl]

Thanks, but I know from experience that sugar is a problem. I have been totally sugar free for at least 18 months, and have only suffered rls once or twice since, and I can blame those occurrences on food which was not under my control. I do not take any medication.

[pattio in reply to Eryl]

I would like to see how much sugar effects my rls. Was there a certain way you went sugar free? I think I may be addicted to it. Any tips wiuld help. Thanks

[Eryl in reply to pattio]

On, I just went cold turkey. It might help that I like spicy food, so that's when I get my taste hit. It's a bit like an alcoholic can manage to go dry, but just one drink will start a binge. I found that it's easier to cut sugar out altogether than just to limit it. I've heard it said that sugar is as addictive as heroin, because it triggers the release of dopamine.

[pattio in reply to Eryl]

Thanks for your input. It appears that cold turkey is the best way to go. Do you eat fruit?

[Eryl in reply to pattio]

I restrict myself to one apple a day (usually Cox, Braeburn or Russet). I wouldn't eat seedless grapes, or bananas, as they're high in sugar.

[pattio in reply to Eryl]

Thanks! I do appreciate you sharing your experience.

[Hidden in reply to Eryl]

Do you differentiate between "sugar" as in refined sugar, sugar as in glucose, dextrose or fructose as found in fruits, and sugar as in carbohydrates found in - - in lots of things, e.g. bread, potatoes, alcohol etc.

If you mean any carbohydrate, I'm curious, I don't see how you can possibly totally cut out all sugar.

[Eryl in reply to Hidden]

I cut out all added refined sugar, and fruit juices, restrict whole fruit, restrict complex carbs like potatoes and brown rice (high in magnesium). I seldom eat bread, white rice or pasta.

[Hidden in reply to Eryl]

OK, thanks for clarifying.

[johannasuar in reply to Eryl]

I know I am very addicted to sugar, have tried giving it up for lent but I cheat with lots of fruits. Do fruits count as sugar when you gave it up? Alcohol also triggers my RLS pretty badly if I drink more than one. So knowing I will get an attack, I'll drink 2/3, what the heck, the damage is already done. I don't drink often anymore, I limit myself for special occasions. I'm very curious about the sugars.

[Eryl in reply to johannasuar]

Yes, fruits count as sugar, but as they are high in fibre, most should pass through the gut without too much sugar being absorbed, as you keep the amount down and avoid the sweetest, like seedless grapes and bananas.

[johannasuar in reply to johannasuar]

Thank you for your quick reply. I stopped eating grapes precisely because of the sugar content, but I didn't know bananas were that high. I don't eat them super ripe, actually without spots, they say once they develop the spots it's when the sugars become high, do you know anything about this?

[kelirock in reply to Eryl]

Thanks for that, I actually am not a drinker at all. I never will be again after my recent experience.

[RLSdaily]

Very interesting and possible

[RLSdaily]

I have found I can drink beer or vodka. White wine one maybe two glasses, red wine is instant RLS. The dye is what I have to watch out for.

[Bks429]

Lolol... Maybe I should try that. If I passed out, maybe I’d get some sleep!!

[Sarasota16]

The alcohol turns to sugar. Sugar is a big trigger for RLS. It certainly is for me.

[Hidden]

Sorry, I'm don't know what that means

[Hidden]

Well Thank you for all that input. I only have to have a mouth full of wine n my legs go crazy n I can’t sleep. Well I have had this for around 30 years n I have never read before about sugar being a trigger. I am addicted to sugar I say that I have sugar running through my veins, I said it as a joke I really did not realise that there was so much truth in it. OMG I am just over whelmed by this.

How on earth can I give up sugar when it’s in everything n if it does not taste nice then I won’t eat it. I have always eaten a lot of sweets. I will start this morning off sugar, but I really don’t understand how it can be done when it’s in everything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

[Accipiter in reply to Hidden]

If you want to kick the sugar, and eventually dependence on carbs, here is the short version of a possible approach.

The issue is insulin levels and the hormones of hunger that go along with it. So the first step is to change to low GI foods; you can Google to find these. Basically avoid the high sugar, high GI foods to level out your insulin.

The next step is to introduce some intermittent fasting. You get benefits even if it is only for a few hours a day, missing breakfast or eating dinner early. You will start to feel less highs and lows of blood sugar.

If you are really keen you can try to become ketosis adapted. This is running on fats instead of carbohydrates. Results vary, and for some reason women adapt less than men. The diet is a nightmare and people turn it into a cult, but it means you lose your hunger due to high insulin sensitivity. It mainly gives you options such as times of the day or different days where you are in ketosis and not eating carbohydrates or sugars.

The end result is that you can determine how much sugar you consume and when, instead of the other way around.

You will have to change your mindset on eating less 'nice' foods, which is hard at first but once you start feeling better it becomes easier.

[Hidden]

Google has made me no wiser, nothing unusual in that.

I'm not moving house, so I don't need a removals company.

You must have a different version of google in the US. More scatalogical perhaps.

[Hidden]

Very cheering, I'm still mystified by the panic buying of toilet rolls.

My wife appears convinced that that the covid-19 pandemic was deliberately started. She has read what some Russian blogger has written which proves it.

It must be deliberate the blogger says because it happened suddenly and couldn't possibly be bats?

It was done to see how countries would react, so it's only a weak virus. Once "they" have observed how countries react a much stronger virus will be released.

The reason behind the second virus is to kill off old people, because 50% of the population is now old. If this goes on, although now there are only 7 billion people in the world, in 10 years time there will be 18 billion.

Further evidence is that asians and chinese like to visit Venice, more than other European countries, that's why Italy is so bad. Then lots of Germans go to Italy, that's how Germany got it.

More evidence of it being deliberate is that supermarket shelves in Germany are empty.

It's all falling into place, covid 19 is chemical warfare,they used chemicals in WWI..

There are canals on Mars, Americans never landed on the moon, ex president Obama isn't American and the pyramids were built by aliens.

The illuminati are behind it, they are actually toilet roll manufacturers. They're making a fortune out of this.

Mystery solved!

I hope you realise I'm being ironical

[Stdorn]

Yes very common symptom. For me as soon as buzz wears off insane unbearable RLS starts. I no longer drink because of it.

[Bandit64]

Yes alcohol does irritate r l s !.