I've just bought a Therapulse in the hopes of getting some relief from my "Intractable" RLS which can occur at any time of the day or night and can last for as long as 5 hours. I take slow release co-careldopa every 4 hours.
Lots of people have found it works but what I can't work out is:-
* do I use it each time the symptoms start?
* If so how long can I leave it on?
* which settings work best for others?
* how long will it take for it to start working?
If you can share your experience of any one of these I'd be so grateful.
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Busiris
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It sounds like this is essentially a TNS unit. I use a TNS unit at night. It really can be used as much as you want, but most unit are maxed at 60 minutes. I start of the night with it on as I will go right into RLS if I’m not asleep within a few minutes(rare for me), I have my unit set for an hour. After the initial session, I turn it on when I wake up with RLS, or if I am not back to sleep quickly. You have to experiment with the different modes to find what works for you. I find a strong burst mode that makes the ankle contract works best for me for me the majority of the time. Ioften wake up with the unit turned off, and I didn’t need to get out of bed. Not perfect, but I’m getting 5-6 hours of sleep out of 7-8 in bed. Better than 3-4!
I have one Therapulse which I use for 10 mins on each calf...at about 20.00 each evening and one more time before bed if necessary. I put it on the 2nd or 3rd highest setting...check instruction sheet that came with Therapulse. I am finding relief from RLS after using it and during the night. Hope it works for you. 🙂
However, in your case I would be more concerned about carbo levodopa that you're taking. It is the dopaminergic drug most likely to cause severe worsening of RLS ( Augmentation) & you should be aware these drugs are no longer first line treatment by experts. The UK is decades behind.
Please read the pinned post on this site on augmentation and the link below and if you recognise that you're suffering from it, see your GP about getting help to withdraw very slowly, probably with the help of low dose opioids.
The signs of augmentation are when you have to keep increasing your dose to get relief, or when your symptoms occur earlier in the day or there is a shorter period of rest or inactivity before symptoms start or when they move to other parts of your body (arms, trunk or face) or when the intensity of your symptoms worsen.
I use 2 therapulse. One on each thigh. I only put it on when the symptoms start and keep it on till I fall asleep. I often walk around with it going. I usually do a low level.
It should bring fairly instant relief but you may need to walk about and stretch with it on.
I agree with Joolsg. I am more concerned about the DA drugs causing augmentation. I went through it and am thankful I am still alive. Good luck. Proceed with caution.
As for the Therapulse. I have used it till I had bruise marks. I prefer "Roll Recovery", sometimes it hurts. Doesn't seem to help RLS too much, but I still do it sometimes, probably just to get my frustration out.
im looking at purchasing but a bit sceptical. My RLS is always in my thighs…how long is the strap can it be used effectively on the thighs? Sadly the company haven’t responded to me
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