Anyone tried a homeopath

[Bejwo50]

My mum has suffered with rls for about 10 years. She's tried ropinerole, pamiprexole, skin patches, gabapentin and pregablin. All of this gave her relief at first and then symptoms returned.

Next the doctor gave her topiremade, with this her rls went away however she had really bad depression symptoms so after 3 weeks she stopped taking them.

Now after 1 week her depression has gone however her rls is returning, for now she is managing with tramadol 50mg 4 a day. I've told the doctor she may need to increase to 6 a day. He wasn't happy but I've told him that its her body and she will only take if the need arises.

In the meantime as mum is not on any medication for rls I was thinking of taking her to a homeopath for a consultation, they're not cheap but I was wandering if anyone has had any luck and any feedback would be helpful.

Thanks in advance ☺ 😘

[RKM7]

I was treated by a homeopath for a full year and it didn’t provide the level of help I needed. And yes, they’re not cheap and neither are the remedies. This is just my experience. I realize different approaches work for different people. Hylands Restful Legs does give me some relief in the middle of the night. However I’m getting the best relief from restricting sugar/carbs; taking iron bisglycinate, and Gabapentin.

[Hidden in reply to RKM7]

Glad you have found a path to relief!

[Munroist]

I don’t believe homeopathy has any useful effect other than the placebo effect and I’m not sure it would be of any benefit and simply waste money. However some people say it’s worked for them so hard to rule it out.

[LotteM]

I tried. Very seriously and quite a long time with a homeopath. One does get desperate... He applied several treatments but none had any noticeable effect. Including low dose naltrexone (LDN). I gave up after a year or two and having spent a lot of money.

[Elaniemarie in reply to LotteM]

I also tried Homeopathy and then Kinesiology, all to no effect I'm afraid. I would really like to know why RLS is relieved when standing, unless it is extremely bad that is. I spent years pacing my living room floor or the landing , until it wore off, usually 1 1/2 hours later. I am now taking Citalopram because depression is so bad, only 3 weeks in so will see.

[StillStriving]

I agree with Munroist. Homeopathy has been shown in several reliable scientific studies to have no effect other than a marginal one by placebo. Of course, an improvement by placebo is still an improvement, but the effects are small and only on a minority of patients. I tried it years ago out of desperation. IMO other than putting to bed nagging thoughts that it might work it will almost certainly be a waste of hope, time, energy and money.

[AmyMac5]

Some years ago, I attended the Homeopathic Hospital for about 18 months with no improvement at all. Following that, two co-codamol at night allowed me to get some sleep before the 4am legs kicking off.

Had your mum looked at iron levels yet? What did make all the difference for me was coming to this site just after being prescribed pamiprexole by my GP last year. I ditched that right away, got bloods done (ferritin was 55) and started on gentle iron. Within a month there was a noticeable difference and now, along with my co-codamol, I continue to take the iron and sleep well most nights.

I'm forever grateful that I found the advice on here about pamiprexole before I'd barely got going on it, started on gentle iron and turned out to be one of the lucky ones who gets such benefit from it.

[Bejwo50 in reply to AmyMac5]

Please can you tell me what type of iron you take please. My mum is taking iron ferrous fumarate 1 a day. But I think she may need a blood test

[AmyMac5 in reply to Bejwo50]

I take Solgar Gentle Iron (iron bisglycinate) 20mg, which I think I bought from Holland and Barrett. Two capsules every second night with some orange juice.

[Sunrise56]

I would advise against wasting your money on a homeopath. I am not against trying many types of treatments but homeopathy (in my opinion) is completely bogus. Many people don’t realized that it has a number of ridiculous and unscientific premises. One is that “like cures like” (hence “homeo”) so for example if you have a skin rash that looks like poison ivy you would use a cure that is made from poison ivy. I think that that rationale makes no sense but even if you are ok with that premise then the second logical hurdle is how the “remedies” are made. So, if you take the poison ivy example: some leaves of poison ivy would be put in water and shaken for a while. Then the leaves would be removed and this water would be diluted and shaken again. The shaking supposedly “alters” the water molecules. Each time the solution is diluted and shaken it supposedly makes the remedy stronger. It is diluted so many times that there is no actual substance (ie poison ivy) left in the solution. So now you have water left over that supposedly has altered molecules. Now comes the third leap of logic: Even if you think that the water has been magically altered, now it is mixed with sugar and the water is removed (evaporated) and tiny sugar tablets are formed. These are sold as homeopathic remedies for HUGE profits. Probably 1-2 pennies worth of sugar in a plastic bottle sells at 1000% profit. In the US this market is unregulated and millions of dollars of advertising promotes a billion dollar industry. Many people confabulate the ideas of “natural” and “herbal” with the term “homeopathic”. It is not natural (remember the sugar tablets in the plastic bottle) or herbal (remember that nothing but magically altered water that is the removed is in there). I know that this post will upset many people and I am sorry for that. I hope that it educates even more people so that they don’t waste their money. People have said to me “but I took a homeopathic remedy when I had a cold and I got better”. I get better from colds and I never take anything homeopathic. Placebo has its place. If you want to use homeopathy and you have the extra money then there is no harm (unless you delay needed treatment because of it).

Again, this is my scientific analysis of homeopathy. I hope someone finds it educational.

[Sarasota16]

I live in Washington State and have been greatly helped by a naturopath at the Jaanguard Clinic on Whidbey Island. It was worth the money for me.

[Bejwo50]

I googled ldn, however l'm not sure if gp's in the UK would prescribe such drugs. Are you from ghe US?

[Sarasota16]

My RLS is much better. Janguaard practices German functional medicine. They assess what supplements your body needs and supply the dosage. They also put me on a probiotic, 1,000 ml of taurine twice a day and4.5 mg naltrexone HCL. Alcohol and sugars are triggers for me. I take 0.125 pramipexole 1 hour before bedtime and can have days without RLS. I went again last fall when my thyroid levels started to elevate. I now avoid gluten and was prescribed a BioAdreno capsule. I no longer have insomnia. This is the best I have felt in 10 years.

[briesmith]

Save your money. Homeopathy is just ridiculous. You may as well tell your Mum that the glass of water you give her is "special" and will relieve her symptoms. Any placebo effect - and that's all a homeopathic "remedy" can ever achieve - will be the same.

[Sarasota16]

What does LND mean?

[Hidden in reply to Sarasota16]

LDN is Low Dose Naltrexone, an opioid-receptor antagonist. In the UK Naltrexone is used to prevent relapse in formerly opioid-and/or alcohol-dependent patients under specialist supervision - initially 25 mg daily, then increased to 50 mg daily, total weekly dose 350mg (which can be taken in 3 larger doses). Low Dose Naltrexone on the other hand is generally given in 4-4.5mg doses daily: it has been reportedly found to help the symptoms of people with a wide range of conditions, including MS, but with some side effects.

[Maximus01]

I have tried homeopathy after my hormones had changed (I was in my late 50s). Suddenly was unbearably allergic to cats (always have kitties and before that never had a problem), and my naturopath gave me homeopathic remedies. He did help me. It was a lot of work though, following his regimen. I would, however, not recommend it for RLS, PLMD, insomnia, etc. It would take a long time and be very expensive, without any assurance or proof of really getting better. There are conditions for which it is worth it.

[Sremski]

I have been using Magnesium for sleep it is a spray. I use it at night and it works wonders. I have cut out all processed sugars, cakes biscuits etc and am finding such relief.

[Dirl]

I find homeopathic Rhus Tox and Arsen Alb extremely helpful, both recommended by a Homeopath, so definitely worth seeing a reputable one