Good evening

[Sahhara]

Good evening. I wish you all freedom from torment. I'm from Poland. I was treated with antipsychotics and antidepressants for six months. And then, three months ago, I felt my feet. It was like an electric shock to my legs. And now-the current, the needles, the heat waves, the dull pain in my legs. The current makes my legs shake. I've read that antipsychotics and antidepressants cause cider, but I don't know if it will disappear or stay forever. I cry all the time from fear, I don't sleep well, I'm afraid of life and I want to die. Methadone is banned in Poland. How to live? Paying..

[Hidden]

I'm so very sorry to hear about your situation, it must be a terrible torment for you. I can understand how fearful you are.

It does seem when we're in a dark time that it will never end. That is what we may think, but it isn't necessarily true.

I read you say you were on the drugs for 6 months, does this mean you have stopped taking them?

It is highly probable that the symptoms you're experiencing are caused by the drugs. If you have stopped the drugs then these symptoms shouldn't last forever.

If you haven't stopped taking them and also as your symptoms are so severe you need to discuss with a doctor what can be done to control the symptoms.

It's difficult to be sure from your description if what you're experiencing is Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) or not. It sounds likely.

Assuming it is, there are quite a few things you can try and a few things your doctor can help you with.

Your symptoms are typical of oversensitised nerves and in this case you may benefit from taking a medication known as an alpha 2 delta ligand. This is either pregabalin or gabapentin.

They are used for various conditions such as epilepsy, nerve pain and RLS. They also may relieve anxiety and promote sleep. They work by desensitising nerves making them less excitable.

Be aware that they do have some side effects but in a lot of cases the benefits are greater.

Also know that they take 3 to 4 weeks to start working and the dose has to be high enough. With both it's a matter of starting on a low dose then gradually increasing it until it works.

The other thing your doctor can help with is to carry out blood tests for any deficiencies you may have that are associated with RLS.

These include iron, magnesium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

The main deficiency associated with RLS is iron.

Blood tests for this include serum iron, transferrin, ferritin and haemoglobin.

As a rule if the ferritin is below 75ug/L, then taking an oral iron supplement can help. This may take 3 months or more.

You can get relief from your symptoms, but realistically it's not going to be quik, so hang in there. There is hope.

Also if you read other peoples comments and posts, you will see there are lots of shorter term things you can do for relief.

If you need further information don't hesitate to ask.

[Seaux]

I am so sorry to hear of your extreme distress. I was there, also, but I persevered and found complete relief by avoiding sugar completely and limiting carbs to no more than 30 grams/day. I started treatment for SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) which was diagnosed by a breath test. The first phase was treated with Xifaxan and Flagyl, and the second phase was with Naltrexone and erythromycin, plus adherence to the FODMAPS diet. Now I sleep through the night, BUT if I go off the diet and consume too many carbs or sugar and/or consume too many high FODMAPS foods I am up all night with RLS.Almost all antipsychotic meds and all antidepressants with the exception of Wellbutrin will worsen RLS, severely.

One more suggestion I highly recommend you look into is to join RLS.org. The annual membership costs $35 and it has a wealth of excellent information, mostly from doctors who specialize in the field of RLS.

I hope this helps and that you will soon find much relief from the torture.