Had restless legs for a while and took over the counter magnesium that seemed to help. But lately it's been getting worse. I take citalopram following the death of my son and see now this can make it worse.
Last night I barely slept and my legs have been painful all day today.
Additionally I have just been diagnosed with aggressive cancer and have codeine for pain, but have tried to not take them as it makes me feel spacey.
I feel I need the anxiety medication, but should I speak to gp about alternatives? I always mention restless legs.
Additionally supposedly extra iron is a no go as it encourages cancer growth.
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Starjumpylegs
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Sorry to hear ofyour situation. I can sympathise with you.
It's true that citalopram like most antidepressants can make RLS worse There only a very few that don't. Trazodone is one.
If I am correct about what you write then you aren't actually taking any RLS specific medicines at all.
Codeine can help with RLS. It is actually recommended for RLS if there is also pain. Sorry it doesn't suit you. Perhaps you might get used to it if you took it regularly.
Thd other thing you might discuss with your Dr is temgesic, this is a low dose buprenorphine which is an opioid painkiller but now increasingly used for RLS.
The internationally recommended first line treatment for RLS is now an alpha 2 delta ligand either pregabalin or gabapentin.
In the UK, these are one of the two recommended types of medicine. The others are dopamine agonists.
The ligands can be effective for RLS, they are also used for nerve pain, can relieve anxiety and promote sleep. They are not perfect however, have their own side effects which may or may not wear off after a few weeks.
The dopamine agonists have a bad reputation because in higher doses and over longer periods of time can cause major complications. These complications can occur in months but usually take years. They are more immediately effective than the ligands, but they don't particularly promote sleep.
Some people take a combination of these thus reducing the dose of each.
Here's a link to the UK. NICE guidance for GPs on the management of RLS.
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