Victory!!

[Seaux]

Finally, I have no more symptoms of RLS - through diet alone! I eat no more than 40G carbs/day, eat at least 50G protein/day, eat no sugar, maple syrup, sugary drinks, jams, jellies - nothing with a glycemic index over 40, eat only low histamine foods, and follow all the other traditionally recommended dietary practices recommended on RLS.org. These include, but are not limited to:no alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, low carb, low sugar, etc. I do not take any medications for RLS - just mange it through diet alone.

I had RLS for 40 years. First started treating it with a low dose of Mirapex, then slowly had to increase the dose to the maximum allowed. Then experienced augmentation and had to stop taking it and tried gabapentin, etc. but they didn't work. So my doctor put me on methadone which did work but I didn't like taking it so through much trial and error found this dietary approach.

I have read about several other people who also managed their RLS completely through diet alone. If you are interested in trying it I suggest that you start first by cutting way back on sugar and carbs.

Keep a food diary with amounts/weights and times. Hope this helps, even if it just reduces the severity and duration of your symptoms.

[Joolsg]

Delighted to hear that you've found your triggers.

[Madlegs1]

Great that you have achieved such a breakthrough!👍💚

[Amrob]

That really is great news. It's fantastic you've found relief through dietary changes.

I've been on a very strict low acid, anti-inflammatory diet for approximately 4 weeks. My diet was good previously but this is next level...

No caffeine, sugar, refined grains, red meat, dairy (with one or two exceptions), or other acidic/inflammatory foods.

Only wholegrains, lean protein, nuts and legumes, certain unsaturated fats, as well as increased portions of organic fruit and vegetables.

The only thing i drink is hot water and ginger tea.

While my RLS is generally mild, I have barely had any RLS for a while now.

I had an iron infusion in May, and am also tapering off a low dose of clonazepam, but maintaining my dose of pregabalin.

In spite of all this, I still don't sleep all that well (most likely as a result of PLMD)

[Marlayna67]

thanks so much for posting this. Great news! And you’ve given me something to think about as I’ve been Amping up, my sugar, carb and bread intake, and my RLS has gotten worse…

[Jumpey]

Delighted for you.

[CsiguZ]

Great news! How long did it take to completely eliminate your RLS symptoms? What are the foods the 40g carbs coming from?

[Seaux in reply to CsiguZ]

The change was immediate! No symptoms of RLS the first day on this diet. The carbs are all low glycemic. To find the glycemic value of a food, subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of carbs = glycemic index.

[CsiguZ in reply to Seaux]

Wow, I must try this. Will let you know the result. I’m just wondering what are the carbohydrate sources you didn’t eliminate from your diet? Veggies, fruits, grains or dairy?

[Seaux in reply to CsiguZ]

I still eat complex carbs in moderation. Less than 40G/day. And protein at least 60G/day.

[RCHD]

Yes I think many can solve it with diet… good for you. Requires big changes , awesome!

[Seaux in reply to RCHD]

Yes, it's difficult but worth a good night's sleep and improved quality of life!

[RLSLearner]

Thanks!

[DicCarlson]

Good for you! Strict diets are hard to implement, but when you get it done it can indeed be dramatic and life changing. There is a new popular book call Brain Energy by Christopher Palmer. It looks at the role of diet (keto, low carb) increasing mitochondria in the treatment of mental health issues. True keto is indeed hard to implement, but just consider eliminating ALL simple carbs (hint - don't have them in the house!). Keto is mainly used for weight loss. It is indeed a metabolic trick. A more sensible adaptation of the keto diet is keto 2.0. It's not really a keto diet because you don't enter into ketosis - carbs can go up to 100mg/day, as complex carbohydrates.

That all said - if a ketogenic diet works for eliminating your RLS - stay with it! I have a friend who put her Rheumatoid Arthritis in remission with keto - but as soon as she hits 30mg of carb intake - her hands begin hurting again!

Great video interview (use time stamps to watch what you need).

hubermanlab.com/dr-chris-pa...

[Frogsagain]

Did you have guidance for your diet? Would be so glad to know, as I have always believed that diet plays a huge role in everything. I was hoping it wasn't the case for my RLS as I'm a bit of a sugar addict although I actually don't take much - but that little may still be too much for me!

[Seaux in reply to Frogsagain]

No guidance, just intuition. Sugar and carbs are the most inflammatory foods there are, and it appears that inflammation is at the root of many diseases, and I think this may include RLS. Just a hunch.

[Fingerandus in reply to Seaux]

hi After changing my diet i had a good nite last night [for me ] at least 6 hrs, broken but still sleep. today i ate well, then i did a dreadful thing ate a bar of chocolate i am celiac so it was gluten free but bad sugar, so here i am tonight with horrendous legs i know what sugar does now i am suffering🤦‍♀️x

[Seaux in reply to Fingerandus]

A learning experience! Now you know.

[LineVec]

Nice what about fruits like apples or berries for example?

[Seaux in reply to LineVec]

Fruits have a form of sugar called fructose. You can try eating them slowly, but as soon as you have symptoms, back down.

[Truthsword]

Hi, Seaux,Do you attribute your success to the carb or the histamine factor. Because I did no carb, no gluten....nothing. For me it will probably be the histamines....but I will also do the low carb. The histamine diet I follow allows for agave...but I'm just going to go cold turkey and have no sweets. The gabapentin grogginess is draining my life away.

I was so surprised to see that citrus is high in histamines. That was my favorite fruit!

...and no more Margaritas!

Well, it's good to practice self control....helps in all areas of life!

I'm so very happy you have success and that you posted it!

Thanks!

Truthsword

[Seaux in reply to Truthsword]

Keep on trying to find your triggers! They seem to be different for many people. It took me a long time to find mine - I had to keep a very detailed, daily food diary.