I added Mucinex to my list of DO NOT TAKE over the counter meds.

[Reb0013]

Well, I finally got IT... yes, covid. My husband came home with it and four days later I came down with it. I was trying to get ahead of it by taking Mucinex the second night so I could prevent it spreading into my lungs as much as possible. My whole body jerked and thrashed all night long plus I never got tire - big time insomnia. Next morning I read the side effects and sure enough - it said it could cause Restless Legs and insomnia. Lesson learned.

On a side note and one of great interest to me is this: my symptoms and my husbands were quiet different. His covid ran the respiratory route while mine ran the GI tract route. Yes, I know! I did not know that covid could affect the GI tract but after researching it further, it surely can and does.

Fact of it is, I've read that the GI tract has more covid receptors than the respiratory tract does and it enters the GI tract via the mouth ingestion somehow.

That said, last night was my 4th covid night - I'm on no restless leg meds and did not take any Delta 8, Hirsuta or any of my other usual fixes before bedtime. I was just to worn out. I was in in pain with the GI tract all night... BUT, guess what... absolutely ZERO restless legs - I was able to take pepto bismol for the GI and get about 3 hrs sleep. Just an interesting observation.

[SueJohnson]

There are a number of different mucinex products.Which one was it?

[Reb0013 in reply to SueJohnson]

I made sure to purchase only the Regular - not extra strength and not PM

[SueJohnson in reply to Reb0013]

What are the ingredients? I can't find one labeled Mucinex regular.

[Reb0013]

Hi Sue, sorry for the confusion - I called it "regular" because it wasn't the PM one. It is called Mucinex FAST-MAX cold & flu All In One.

[SueJohnson in reply to Reb0013]

You indicated that you read the side effects and that it said it could cause Restless Legs. I would be interested in where you read this. There are certainly some Mucinex products that do make RLS worse which is why I asked which one you took.

[Reb0013 in reply to SueJohnson]

I simple googled " Mucinex" at 4 am. and that was one of the warning side effects from the google search. At 4 am I wasn't to keen on much more detail. .. I was drained. It pretty much told me what my problem was and I let it go at that.

[DicCarlson]

These are the ingredients: Acetaminophen (650 mg), Dextromethorphan HBr (20 mg), Guaifenesin (400 mg), Phenylephrine HCI (10 mg).

I think the culprit is the Dextro - scary stuff!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dextr...

[Reb0013 in reply to DicCarlson]

Interesting- thank you for sharing. I will put this on my do not take list for sure.

[SueJohnson in reply to DicCarlson]

In my research I haven't found anything that Dextromethorphan makes RLS worse but everyone is different.

[Reb0013 in reply to SueJohnson]

I googled Mucinex in general and one of the side effects was " could give a person restless leg syndrome and insomnia". I am very, very sensitive to most things. The fact that I was in full body thrashes and the side effect warning which I read to late is enough for me to never take this again.

[Grammieof4]

I’ve taken dextromethorphan before, actually for pain, and it has been ok. But each person reacts differently.

[Chiby-azul]

I just recently had again COVID and beside been very congested from lungs to the nose and ears I also had stomachache and until today few weeks later I took some syrup and also Mucinex because I always have it I didn’t realize until you said something why it was worse than normally is so thank you very for advising about this side effects

[SueJohnson in reply to Chiby-azul]

It depends on which Mucinex product you took.

[Reb0013 in reply to Chiby-azul]

You are welcome; not sure if it was the same as what I took but if so it could have been the culprit.

[SueJohnson]

This is information for others. Most Mucinex products are OK. It is the ones that contain Triprolidine that can make RLS worse. It is a first generation sedating antihistamine. Also when selecting products for colds and flu one needs to watch out for products that contain pseudoephedrine, diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or Chlorpheniramine Maleate.

[Reb0013 in reply to SueJohnson]

Sue you are awesome! Thank you for clarifying.

[Doctorplacebo]

Regarding your relief of RLS while infected with COVID, search this forum and you will find a long thread of people who have had the same experience. My hypothesis is that the relief of RLS symptoms in this situation is related to increased iron levels. Ferritin is a well-known "acute phase reactant" which means it increases in response to inflammation such as viral infection. With the COVID infection your ferritin levels probably shot up and increased your brain iron levels (temporarily) which relieved your RLS. Just a total guess on my part but there is a scientific basis for it.

[Reb0013 in reply to Doctorplacebo]

Great hypothesis; however, I'm afraid I going to blow this one for you because even though Ferritin is indeed an acute phase reactant... my Ferritin level is still high at 315mg/dl as a result of the iron infusion 1.5 yrs ago.

[Chiby-azul in reply to Doctorplacebo]

my ferritin level are normal but I know I have a lot of side effects with Cold and Flu medicine I need to careful and aware with the ingredients and sometimes the brand I was taking Mucinex DM capsules and I know realize that my RLS was worse but I couldn’t figure out why now I know at least I learned something

[Hidden in reply to Chiby-azul]

Are you still taking Legs Be Still?

[Chiby-azul in reply to Hidden]

The supplement disappeared suddenly impossible to get it but I kep the empty bottle and I read the ingredients and milligrams and I bought each one with the amount of milligrams and they are working together besides doing acupressure points for RLS is not 100% but very close and thank you for asking

[Hidden in reply to Chiby-azul]

I’ve followed that supplement for a little while “Legs Be Still’” since you first mentioned it on here. And yes, it did just disappear one day, despite dozens of good reviews on its own website 🤨. I believe the founder got the idea from our discussions on here. There is a LegsBeStill member. We’ve talked about taking 25 to 50mg of ferrous bisglycinate, on an empty stomach, an hour before bed, for close to a decade on this forum. And that’s exactly what the directions were on the bottle. I know the supplement had other ingredients, but I believe the iron (taken just that way) is the most important one.

[Chiby-azul in reply to Hidden]

I tried taking just the iron and vit C with the same amount in the bottle of “Legs Be Still” and it wasn’t working for me even folate when I bought the same specific ingredients with the almost same milligrams that was another story it started working the same day for beside all the other things like massage and acupressure points but the important thing is reducing the amount of time I used to have before and after