Anti-inflammatories?

[nocturne]

I've seen a lot of posts recently on how inflammation is the main cause of RLS. But if so, why don't NSAIDs alleviate RLS? I'm on codeine, but would rather be taking ibuprofen or aspirin if they worked. Alas, they don't. : (

[Munroist]

I’ve had similar thoughts and I’ve seen articles which say that inflammation can aggravate RLS, but also the action of inflammation to remove iron from the blood and store it as ferritin can help RLS. I think the answer may be that there is more than one type of inflammation as suggested in this article on acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.

my.clevelandclinic.org/heal...

In the last 3 years I have only had three nights where I’ve slept through, two were after a new type of COVID vaccination and the third was when I actually got COVID. I assume this has to do with acute inflammation raising ferritin. A neurologist I saw also shared that view.

[nocturne in reply to Munroist]

Hi Munroist,

That's VERY interesting. Who would have thought that getting sick *helps* RLS! This reminds of deliberately getting stung by bees as an old cure for rheumatoid arthritis . . .

[DesertOasis in reply to Munroist]

Fever is a dopamine agonist. link.springer.com/article/1.... Relief from RLS during periods of infection/inflammation because of elevated ferritin is just plain crazy. That means people with CKD should get relief from RLS, whereas just the opposite is true. I know someone on here is spreading that rumor, but it’s utterly false.

[LotteM in reply to DesertOasis]

Thanks for writing that down and providing the link. I second you in this.

[Munroist in reply to DesertOasis]

I’m afraid I’m not clear what you are saying. What is the relevance of raised temperature? I’d agree can’t be sure what the cause of my good nights was and plenty of people didn’t have the same experience after COViD vaccinations. However I have no other explanation and the consultant I spoke to thought it plausible. There are a lot of aspects of RLS that are not consistent between people e.g. only 60% benefit from infusions, not everyone finds coffee a trigger, some people find magnesium completely resolves their symptoms and other people have reported similar relief from vitamin B1. The list is endless and there don’t seem to be any hard and fast rules which apply to everyone regardless.

[DesertOasis in reply to Munroist]

Increased core body temperature, as seen with fever, causes more dopamine to be released in the striatum. More dopamine = less RLS. Put fever in the search box and you will see numerous people talking about relief from RLS while they have a fever, but not once the fever is gone. And supposedly Dr. B is aware of this phenomena

There’s this somewhat complicated, but fascinating study as well. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/110... This goes one step further and indicates that even incremental increases in core body temperature will induce increased release. Now to figure out a way to increase our body temperature 😅.

When I had Covid, my RLS went silent only with the onset of fever. What joy not needing iron. PLUS, even though I slept less, I had none of my usual day time fatigue. My body temperature runs low. Around 97. That’s bad. Our bodies function best at 98.6. That the exact point at which a-lot of microbes are kept in check, including fungus. 98.6 supposedly keeps Candida Albicans in its yeast form, versus its pathogenic fungus form.

I also read that these chronic low grade infections actually hijack our temperature control system and turn the thermostat down. Everything wants to live I guess.

I wonder if there’s some healthy substance out there that has a tendency to increase core body temperature.

[Munroist in reply to DesertOasis]

OK thanks. In my cases where I slept well I didn't have either fever or a noticeable temperature increase.

[DesertOasis in reply to Munroist]

No fever during Covid?

[Munroist in reply to DesertOasis]

No fever. Two occasions were different types of vaccinations as stated and the third was actual COVID as confirmed by several consecutive tests. However symptoms were relatively mild or not noticeable. Of interest is the fact that they were just one night in each case at the start of the infection. Also the second of two Astra Zeneca vaccinations didn’t give me a good night so seems the reaction may have been weaker if the body was dealing with something it recognised from the first AZ.

[DesertOasis in reply to Munroist]

Well ok. Stick with the theory that the vaccines increased inflammation which increased ferritin which lessened RLS.

[DesertOasis in reply to Munroist]

In general, vaccines increase core body temperature - sounds like it’s part and parcel of the immune response- even if you’re not aware of it.

[nocturne in reply to DesertOasis]

Thank you for this info on core body temperature. Like you, my temp runs low, but for some reason, I'm always cold. (This makes no sense to me; it seems that the reverse ought to be the case.) So I sleep under an electric blanket, which exacerbates the RLS. Sigh.

[DesertOasis in reply to nocturne]

Maybe ditch the electric blanket. Wear more layers and a nightcap. Try sleeping in the prone position.

[nocturne in reply to DesertOasis]

I do have TONS of layers on top of the blanket, including an extra-thick down comforter . But without the blanket, my toes and hands are like ice (good ole autoimmune stuff).

[DesertOasis in reply to nocturne]

That sounds toasty. But I was thinking more along the lines of flannel PJs, a robe, thick socks and hey, mittens and a hat. It’s like you’re doing winter camping. 😅

[nocturne in reply to DesertOasis]

Thanks. I already wear mittens with handwarmers. I've had this condition for decades; nothing new there to do.

[DesertOasis in reply to nocturne]

It sounds like you are coping with RLS better than most. The only other thing is you can’t have RLS and be on HRT or SSRIs or melatonin or calcium channel blockers. That’s my standard warning to all 🚷

[TeddiJ in reply to Munroist]

Munroist-I encourage you to try red strain Kratom for the bad nights, or every night, until you can find a better solution with the forum's help. Sleep quality is so important for your health, as you well know! One other quick solution might be an iron infusion. No need for you to suffer this much!

[Eryl]

From experience I know that Diclofenac as in Voltarol will give some relief but it's not advised to use it for long periods because of the side effect. Therfore you should still look for the cause of the inflammation, as well as those normally listed as causes artificial food preservatives can bring it on. The last time I was caught out I ate coleslaw at a social event and I can only guess that is contained potassium sorbate (E202) preservative which caused inflammation.

youtu.be/d3l-PYvPGZ8?si=o8A...(Not working as expected?)

[Madlegs1]

I'm no expert, but I imagine the NSAIDs help with muscular inflammation, rather than nerve inflammation.

RLS, is a nerve issue.

[Eryl in reply to Madlegs1]

NSAIDS target all inflammation.

[nocturne]

Thanks so much to all of you who replied! As for acute vs. chronic, I have a ton of autoimmune disorders, so I have both, all the time. : (