Short Term Relief

[Scottie99]

Not sure if this appropriate, and trying to word it without offending anyone but does anyone else find that sexual stimulation helps in the short term when a bad attack occurs

[ChrisColumbus]

This comes up periodically 🙃 see this chain and replies:healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po...

[Madlegs1]

Simple answer - yes, for many people.

[SueJohnson]

Yes. This is well known. It increases the dopamine in your brain.

[Arjiji]

I find that having an orgasm before going to sleep works for me, either for shared or individual sex. It produces a burst of dopamine in the brain while leaving the body relaxed. Dopamine calms the legs and makes it easier to fall asleep.

[bookish]

Interesting question, thanks. Oddly I always got increased pain afterwards but my RLS probably wasn't dopamine-related, or not mainly. I had it from childhood and most of the women in the family do, but also thyroid and low B12 issues. My RLS seems to have resolved, after a combination of diet changes (gluten and dairy free), and vitamin and mineral improvements. Iron had always been abysmal, likely due to the gluten problem, and I now use magnesium, vit E and vit D and Bs of course. Genetically I am prone to slow COMT, so my dopamine was likely to be higher, which could explain why the magnesium has helped so much, but also fast MAO - so never clear cut. Generally any kind of stress makes the whole mess harder to deal with. Whatever works.......

[Seaux]

I don't know about that but when my RLS gets bad I use Kratom (Maeng Da). Here in the US we can buy it online or in stores.

[MumofSam]

Yes, but for me it’s not necessarily about an orgasm. I can get RLS sensations from the genital area at the same time as my thighs play up, as do others on here, so just sexual stimulation relieves the sensations, albeit temporarily sometimes.

[restlessstoz]

Yes, I too find the same, and agree to with MumofSam. What worries me is if I end up in aged care at a later stage, especially with dementia (God willing not) but then what happens! If I can get relief by stimulation, what will be the attitude in an aged care setting! It scares me! Even being in aged care with RLS is terrifying enough at this point in time when it is so poorly understood by most practitioners.

[WelbyB]

Yes. It offers temporary relief. - maybe 30 minutes. Whatever gets you thru the night. It could be the dopamine release. Or it could be the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenaline that goes with it.