Restless leg relief ideas

[Lucygittins90]

Hi, I am 30 and very active. I wondered if anyone can give me any tips. I had restless leg on and off in the past but recently it’s been every evening and it’s preventing me going to sleep. I’m not sure if upping the dose of spirolactone for my skin has worsened it (50mg-100mg) which happened in the last few weeks. I am in the process of dropping it back down to 50mg to see if that helps. Can anyone recommend any other relief? I don’t have caffeine and I exercise regularly. Thanks Lucy 😊

[BigAdam]

Hello Lucy. I am in a similar situation. I'm 33 and active. My RLS symptoms started about about 25 and got worse over time. I'm not sure if you're asking about preventing the RLS symptoms from manifesting in the first place or relieving them when they do pop up. I'll address both:

Prevention:

Iron treatment: Try this before trying any drugs. There is a pinned post that gives more info about the link between Iron and RLS: healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po...

Relief in the moment:

The best in-the-moment relief I've found is a hot/cold shower. Take a normal hot shower for about 5 minutes, then finish with 20-30 seconds of cold water. This consistently gets rid of any symptoms I have and lets me get back to sleep. Some people find self-massage or stretching helpful, though it has never relieved the symptoms for me. Taking a 20-minute walk also usually gets rid of the symptoms, but if I'm trying to get to sleep, I usually want to relieve them as quickly as possible so I go with the shower approach.

[Lucygittins90 in reply to BigAdam]

Hi Adam, thanks for your response. I am a bikini competitor I wasn’t sure if exercising made it worse? However my exercising pattern hasn’t changed that much recently I eat clean also and have little caffeine!

[BigAdam in reply to Lucygittins90]

I have heard that vigorous exercise can make it worse for some people. In my own experience I haven't noticed any correlation between exercise and my RLS symptoms. Ordinary days in which I just walk a good amount and days where I do Jiu Jitsu or play Soccer or some other vigorous exercise, they seem to be about the same as far as RLS goes. You say that you eat clean and have little caffeine. That's good. I haven't noticed an effect from Caffeine, but I do find that sugar or alcohol make my symptoms much worse.

[involuntarydancer]

'Clean' diet - no sugar or refined carbohydrates. Not eating for a few hours before bedtime. Emptying bladder and bowels can help a lot. Not over-exercising. Avoiding triggers - antihistamines (the older types), amitryptiline, anti-depressants (some), foods (these vary individually but many find ice-cream bad and also wine). It is important to identify your own triggers.

Raising serum ferritin is useful (by supplement and, if necessary, iv infusion). Taking a dose of solpadeine tablets (it's the codeine that helps), 20 minutes of yoga stretches can be useful. A very absorbing activity such as a computer game for about 20 minutes can afford up to 2 hours of relief. A very hot shower or bath, ideally followed by very cold water to the legs can help. Some people find a cup of coffee helps (it works on the adenosine receptors which are implicated in rls). It is important not to get over-tired because (in a cruel irony) tiredness exacerbates rls. Kratom (sadly, illegal in many European countries but can be ordered online from the Netherlands in 'stealth' packaging) is very effective though tastes unpleasant. There are loads of other suggestions on here but, unfortunately, for many there is no reliable alternative to taking prescription drugs.

For reliable long-term impact nothing comes close to opioids. Furthermore, their impact on rls has been studied for over 400 years so we know they're pretty safe unlike some of their more contemporary counterparts such as dopamine agonists.

[Lucygittins90 in reply to involuntarydancer]

Hi, thanks for your response. I am a bikini competitor I wasn’t sure if exercising made it worse? However my exercising pattern hasn’t changed that much recently I eat very clean also and have little caffeine! I have exercised for years and the amount I do hasn’t changed. I am on anti depressants as I suffered with bipolar type 2 however again I have been on these years. The only new drug is spirolactone for my skin xx

[Bridall]

I have RLS on and off for years. I have found an exercise I do whenever I get it. Even in the day and it calms my legs. It is on the calm App and you will find it in the calm body section and is called Evening wind down. Apparently it calms the nervous system. It only takes 10 minutes and it works for me. I also use boots cooling foot gel for burning legs which often comes with RLS. Good luck x

[1jay in reply to Bridall]

Hi, can you post a link to boots cooling foot gel please because I can’t find it in Boots. Thanks very much.

[Bridall]

boots.com/boots-luxury-cool...

[Amrob]

Hi Lucy, I no longer do any vigorous exercise as for me there is a clear link between that and increased RLS/PLMD - even though it took me a very long time to discover it!I first noticed RLS symptoms when taking an antidepressant (SSRI) approx 20 years ago.

I recently saw a general physician who advised that the body can, at any point, begin to respond differently to medication that one has taken for years.

However given that the only change recently is the introduction of spirolactone, the logical starting point for any investigation would be to stop that.

[SueJohnson]

When I get restless legs at night I do the exercises for the leg involved as described under calf stretch and front thigh stretch at healthline.com/health/restl.... In addition, I walk for about 3 to 4 minutes rolling the foot of the leg affected back and forth as I walk. It works every time although I may wake up later at night and have to do again. Actually on the calf stretch I don't hold it for 20 seconds, but instead do the exercise for 20 - 30 times. I also push my heel back before I lean forward. I, also move my leg to each side when it is stretched. On the thigh stretch, I only hold it for a few seconds, but then repeat 6 - 10 times. Hope this helps

[DicCarlson]

Your acne medicine could be negatively impacting your RLS. As for the exercise induced insomnia and increased RLS, I found this forum with 11 pages of responses! I've had some long bike rides or cross country skiing trips - absolutely exhausted - sleep, not so much - awake after 2 hours!

patient.info/forums/discuss...

[Hidden]

Just to say that I think you're referring to spironolactone, there's no such thing as spirolactone.

In which case spironolactone is a diuretic. It's usually used to get rid of excess fluid and sodium in the body e.g. in such cases as high blood pressure, heart failure or liver disease.

I have read that it is also used for a skin condition caused by an adverse reaction to something.

In any event, some diuretics can also cause loss of potassium and low potassium can cause RLS symptoms.

However, spironolactone is "potassium sparing" i.e. it doesn't cause potassium loss. The chances are then that it's not likely to be making your RLS worse.

The other advice you've been given is great, but.I wouldn't suggest reducing the spironolactone without discussion with a doctor.

[SpiceySugar]

Hi, yes I agree liquid iron with b12/ folate is quickly absorbed and effective. However I gave anemia of chronic disease and struggle to maintain a decent level for long.

There was a post suggesting lemon juice, it was controversial mainly because of arguments regarding which element of the lemon was helpful, ph level adjustments or minerals/vits

However, I cant comment as to the mechanism; I can say my RL became quite severe, for weeks. Later realised I had been forgetting my lemon juice.

So i started it again, I take it about 7 or 8pm with a cordial and water. Interestingly after few days maybe a week I've noticed considerable improvement!

So it is worth experimenting if the iron alone doesn't help.

Good luck

😊