Restless arms

[Uklass74]

Hi everyone I am a newbie I have had rls since childhood just wanted to no does it effect your arms as well?

[Elffindoe]

Yes, it can affect your arms.

Some people with RLS do experience symptoms as well as in the legs from the very start, i.e. before any treatment. This may be a more extreme form of RLS.

Just to clarify, if symptoms ONLY occur in the arms, this is a different matter.

Some people do NOT experience symptoms in their arms before treatment, but some time after starting treatment the symptoms spread from the legs to the arms.

In this case, the spread is caused by the treatment. This is very common if the treatment is a "dopamine agonist", i.e. pramipexole, ropinirole or rotigotine.

Are you currently taking any medication for RLS? If so what is it, how much are you taking and how long have you been taking it?

[Uklass74 in reply to Elffindoe]

My legs are the same it’s not every night I don’t take medication for that but I did have a heart attack 8 years ago and take medication for that

[Madlegs1 in reply to Uklass74]

Statins can cause RLS.

[Elffindoe in reply to Uklass74]

If you take no medication for RLS then what remedies have you used/do you use for the RLS?

RLS in the arms may be worsening RLS. It does progress with age.

What medication do you take?

It may seem irrelevant but it's significant for RLS, have you had blood tests for iron defiviency i.e. serum iron, transferrin saturation, ferritin and haemoglobin?

[Guitarpickin]

I have never experienced what I would consider to be “restless arm syndrome,” butI have definitely had involuntary large and small movements of my arms. Always while at rest.

[Mum007]

I take no medication other than iron and magnesium and have suffered with both for 35 years.

[Embroiderer]

I have had RLS for years, and more recently occasional restless arms. I often benefit from pouring very cold water over them ( I d o that for my legs too but it seems to work better on my arms).

[Carlettejaque]

Yes, I have heard of it. There is one suggestion I would make, see a chiropractor or a sports injury massager on your upper back. I am beginning to think (im not a doctor and this is a theory based on what other sufferers have said) that RLS is linked to nerve compression or a slightly pinched nerve in the back. It might be possible that your back muscles or spine was slightly injured during birth or in infancy. It might have been so slight that it wasnt considered an injury but it might have been enough to cause a problem with a nerve. Would that be possible do you think?

Chiropractors or osteopaths are good for spinal things and massagers are brilliant at muscular relief and release.

[silkyreg]

I had restless arms when I was a teenager and the doctor suspected it to be an early form of RLS as he couldn't find any other cause.

[Jumpey]

Yes I have Restless arms as well as legs.

[Kayaks]

Yes, I have it in my arms which I find much harder to deal with than my legs. This disease is stealing my quality of life and in the US we can’t get opioids. I have had it since my early 30s and I am now 70. Good luck, it helps to know you are not alone.

[Jerry57 in reply to Kayaks]

Hi, I live in the US, and have been taking tramadol 20 years for RLS. Tramadol acts like an opioid. You may be able to find a Dr who will prescribe it for you. It works great for me.

[Legflicker]

I get restless arms and hands from time to time . It got much worse when I was on ropinerole, (as someone else has mentioned,) but it reappears sometimes even now on gabapentin. It’s very unpleasant. Before I was on any sort of medication I never had it in the arms. It’s like it’s sneaking in to other places now that it’s been suppressed.

[ncrdisabled]

I have had it in my arm for 10 years also both legs I am on Requip 5 times a day

[murano]

Hi Yes my partner has it everywhere he calls it restless body .

[MisCelany]

Yes I get restless legs, arms, and sometimes up my torso too when it’s severe. Only in the evening/night when I’m tired. It’s dreadful.

[serengazer]

Hi there. Earliest memories are pre-school but just in legs. By my teens it was running down my arms and through my fingers. By forties I could feel it in my whole bladder and running up my torso and neck Now in my sixties it hits every part of my body but back and face. All the best as you figure out how to live with and around it. Teresa😊

[Hidden]

First time I had r s l I was 8 I remember so well on a ferry to Isle of Man from the start it effected my legs and arms mum put it down to the vibration of the ferry if only that easy

[BBMBRB]

i can get it in my right arm. I think its a bit of repetitive strain as it happens if I've spent a lot of time on the computer