YES to CAFFEINE for RLS

[Bftalbert]

Reading all these posts is driving me crazy. Mirapex, lyrica, Ropinirole, Gabapentin... so many drugs. I've tried them all over the years. Some worked. Some didn't, like Gabapentin, not real great for RLS. But after many many years of severe RLS, what did I find that works? CAFFEINE!

Try 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coffee, or 1/4 to 1/2 tablet of caffeine. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it works.

[Madlegs1]

There was a discussion here a few days ago on this very subject.😊

I'm sure it will come up using the search button top rt.

[Amrob]

Thanks for sharing your experience BftAlbert. Glad to hear you have found something that works Unfortunately for me, caffeine can cause insomnia, so i might have to give it a miss!

[Bftalbert in reply to Amrob]

I would really give it a try if I were you. Lack of sleep due to RLS is actually how I discovered it. I was up one night with one of the worst bouts ever. I was literally crying. I was exhausted, yet I could not lay down. So, I decided if I was going to have to be up on my feet, I might as well wake up with some coffee. Well, as soon as I drank just a small amount, it stopped. I then went and laid down in bed and fell asleep. I have used it ever since. And I have severe RLS. When I was young it just affected my legs, but since about my late 20s or so, it usually affects my whole body.

Try just 1/4 cup of coffee, or 1/4 of a 200mg caffeine pill

[Barbie1020]

Caffeine appears to help me also. I do take Requip, but I have tried coffee a fee times if it hits earlier in the night and I noticed it calmed my leg. I went off coffee and had no change in my RLS. I know research on RLS is to avoid coffee.

What works for one person doesn’t work for another. That is what makes this syndrome so frustrating and confusing.

[Bftalbert in reply to Barbie1020]

I don't think that the syndrome is very confusing at all. I think sometimes there are people that think they have restless leg syndrome when actually they have something else going on. Whenever someone says they think they might have RLS, I always say if you have it, you won't THINK you do, you will KNOW, because there is nothing like it and it is very difficult describe to someone who has never had it. With that said, I'm not doubting that you have RLS.

I actually drink coffee in the morning to wake up, which is crazy to think that I use the same thing that helps me go to sleep at night. The difference is in the amount that I drink. In the morning I drink 2 to 4 shots of espresso. At night I take the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coffee.

This syndrome is a lot like ADHD. As a matter of fact, a lot of people with ADHD will also have restless leg syndrome. Now think about what they give kids with ADHD.

[PeNy]

I am happy to stay on ropinirole for as long as it helps me. Caffeine does nothing for me except stopping me sleeping! But if it helps you, great! Stay on it and I hope it lasts. PeNy

[Bftalbert]

It works for sleep in small dose. Think of how stimulants work on ADHD, at the the correct dosages

[mickeyrose]

I find if I get up and make a strong cup of tea it will ease me back to sleep for a few hours at least, completely against the suggestions that caffeine make RLS worse!!