Sex and rls

[Ceramicist]

Hi I'm new here and suffering with rls. I saw on one post a mention of masterbation helping rsl I'm wondering if having sex would have a similar outcome?also a mention of gabapentine? I already take this daily for nerve damage to my back after mastectomy and reconstruction.Thank you

[McClintok]

My husband always felt better after sex.

[Knittingasweater]

As long as you orgasm , the orgasm releases dopamine into your brain ( floods it) dopamine deficiency will cause RLS , after orgasm you will notice significant relief perhaps for long enough to fall asleep , it works well for me , hope this was helpful

[Ceramicist in reply to Knittingasweater]

Thank you.

[Ceramicist in reply to Knittingasweater]

Thank you for your reply 🙏 I'll give it a go 🥴

[Flora-Rose in reply to Knittingasweater]

I agree with ‘knittingasweater’ but at 73 it isn’t quite as easy to reach orgasm. However the good news is that using a vibrator relieves my rls symptoms when trying to go to sleep at night and during the early hours. The alternative of reaching for a sinemet tablet is a hiding to nowhere.

[SueJohnson]

Welcome to the forum. How much gabapentin are you taking and when do you take it?

[Ceramicist in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you, I take 900mg 3 time's a day, have been on them for year's for pain related to my mastectomy. I'm also on tapentadol 50mg twice a day. And sertraline for my depression and anxiety 50mg a day. Methotrexate injection once a week for rheumatoid arthritis. plus stuff for my type 2 diabetes .

[SueJohnson in reply to Ceramicist]

Sertraline makes RLS worse for many. A safe substitute is trazodone which helps both depression and anxiety. The others are OK. On the gabapentin, it is not well absorbed above 600 mg and the recommendation is to take 300 mg followed 2 hours later by the 600 mg. Since you are taking it 3 times a day that would be hard to do. So I would suggest you discuss with your doctor switching to pregabalin which is basically the same drug but you don't need to divide the doses. The equivalent to 900 gabapentin would be 150 mg of pregabalin. Since I assume your RLS is mainly at night as it is for most of us then I would suggest you increase your night dose by 25 mg pregabalin every couple of days until you find the dose that works for you, but not over 600 mg total for the day taking it 1 to 2 hours before bed.

[Cobobay in reply to Ceramicist]

Hi, I was non 150mg of sertraline a day, I've come off now after Sue's advice and although it's taken a months, I am now feeling the benefit and won't go back on them, sadly I'm suffering with depression again but I feel the benefit is worth it, I hope this helps.

[SueJohnson in reply to Cobobay]

There are two safe antidepressants for RLS - Wellbutrin (zyban) and trazodone.

[Searchinforpeace in reply to Ceramicist]

Sertraline was prescribed to me a year ago along with Wellbutrin. I was already on gabapentin for anxiety but it was increased from 100mg 3x to 300mg 3x. I have to say for the first couple of months I was very pleased with the results. I was probably the most emotionally stable I had ever been in my entire life. Had I taken the time to learn about the side effects of the medication , I might have been more aware of the side effects and probably not gone through the nightmare that was about to happen. I spoke to my doctor who assured me it wasn’t the medication and I must of been under a lot of stress causing the symptoms of RLS. Basically just dismissed me for several more months. I eventually stopped both Wellbutrin and Setraline because I was absolutely jumping out of my skin, desperately wanting the entire thing out of my system. Several months later I must of forgotten the misery and needing to get out of the deep depression, I decided to give sertraline the benefit of the doubt. Mistake was made and I am now I anxious mess but a lesson learned from it. I am now going to try a more natural approach as far as depression goes. I definitely just can’t be a functioning adult when anxiety is involved. I hope so.

[SueJohnson in reply to Searchinforpeace]

Wellbutrin shouldn't have caused you to jump out of your skin. Sertraline yes. Did you try Wellbutrin alone when you were off sertraline for say a week? If you did this and still had problems you might want to try trazodone which is the only other medicine that doesn't affect RLS.

What were the side effects of gabapentin? Are you still on it? If the side effects were too much for you, your might want to consider switching to pregabalin. Although it is basically the same drug except you don't need to divide the doses, and the side effects are basically the same, some people find that the side effects that bother them on one don't bother them on the other. Divide the gabapentin amount by 6 to get the correct dose. If you take calcium don't take it within 2 hours.

[SueJohnson]

Have you had your ferritin checked? Improving your ferritin to 100 or more helps 60% of people with RLS and in some cases completely eliminates their symptoms. If not when you see your doctor ask for a full iron panel. Stop taking any iron supplements including multivitamins that have iron in them 48 hours before the test, fast after midnight and have your test in the morning. When you get the results, ask for your ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) numbers. You want your transferrin saturation to be over 20% but less than 45% and your ferritin to be at least 100. If they are not, post them here and we can give you some advice.

[pennygates in reply to SueJohnson]

Sue, I have read that there is a link between RLS and swelling and blood pooling in the lower legs, a venous problem, and that treatment for that helps around 20% of people with RLS. I mention this as I do have swollen ankles and lower legs, with a lot of bruising which never goes away. Could blocked veins help cause RLS with some people? I don't have varicose veins, but many small veins that have appeared on the surface.

[SueJohnson in reply to pennygates]

You are correct. See your doctor who will probably perform an ultrasound to determine if you have chronic venous insufficiency. see my.clevelandclinic.org/heal...

[pennygates in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you

[SueJohnson]

Meanwhile some things that can make RLS symptoms worse for some people are alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, sugar, carbs, foods high in sodium, foods that cause inflammation, ice cream, estrogen, dehydration, MSG, collagen supplements, electrolyte imbalance, melatonin, stress and vigorous exercise. Some things that help some people include caffeine, moderate exercise, weighted blankets, compression socks, elastic bandages, masturbation as you found out, magnesium glycinate, low oxalate diet, selenium, 5 minute shower alternating 20 seconds cold water with 10 seconds hot water finishing with hot water for another couple of minutes, hot baths, distractions, applying a topical magnesium lotion or spray, doing a magnesium salts soak, vitamins B1, B3, B6, B12, D3, K2, if deficient, and potassium and copper if deficient, massage including using a massage gun, using a standing desk, listening to music, meditation and yoga.

Many medicines and OTC supplements can make RLS worse. If you are taking any and you list them here, I can tell you if any make RLS symptoms worse and if so may be able to give you a safe substitute.

[Madlegs1]

I agree with knittingasweater.For a male it's all the same.

For a female, copulation may not afford orgasm, masturbation generally does.😺

[Ceramicist in reply to Madlegs1]

Thank you for your reply 🙏

[FluteE]

Getting off of sertraline was a game changer for me. My RLS symptoms were lessened greatly. Still have to keep my iron levels up along with watching my diet, exercise, and drinking a ton of water (of course, all that helps your overall well-being)…sex helps too.

[Elouis]

Wishing you a speedy recovery with your method. I've improved my acceptance of rls, which I thought may be related to low testosterone levels. But recently I've been having my night meal about 7 pm followed by 3 mg clonazepam and 10 mg Longtec. By 8 pm I walk about 1km. I hit the sack about 9 pm, but the rls is bearable. I drop off to sleep within an hour and get about 5-6 hour good sleep. However, maybe the opioids in Longtec give me a hangover, which takes about 3 hours to calm down.

[Elouis in reply to Elouis]

Alternatively, cunnilingus may be an improvement. Not restricted to any particular time of day, but that takes two.

[Swedane]

From decades of personal experience: Orgasms certainly raise my dopamine level. If I start from a low dose of dopamine agonists, my RLS symptoms get reduced. If I am already on an optimal level in my medication, I will experience a few days with moderate augmentation. (often one day delay)

[SueJohnson in reply to Swedane]

That's very interesting ! I thought it only helped or made a difference for a few hours and certainly not a day's delay and then to cause augmentation..

[Elouis]

I'm in favour of receiving testosterone from willing donors by fellatio or masturbation to relieve my RLS symptoms.

[Elouis]

Why not try cunnilingus - I'm willing to help.

[tuckerdog109]

it’s the by product that makes the difference. Sexual release produces Dopamine which, calms the nerves. Sex or music is the way to go, not masturbation.