Hi I have a grandchild who has ADHD and possibly Tourettes Syndrome.He also has definite PLMD and suspected RLS .I can see from Google that many meds used for Tourettes are antipsychotics (sp?) which worsen RLS.MY question is does anyone,or your child take Ritolin or any other meds for ADHD and if so did it worsen /trigger RLS ?
Thankyou
Medications for ADHD are safe if taken in the morning. Taken at night they are likely to keep him awake. They shouldn't affect RLS.
Thankyou Sue Johnson that's good to know
I'm off work at the moment due to work related stress and my RLS are off the chart uncontrollable never suffered from stress until the last 6 months or so and noticed a sudden increase in the severity off RLS it feels like my meds are not working ! My doctors don't take sleep deprivation serious and have brushed the fact that I only get 3 hours of broken sleep a night under the carpet so I would say YES along with the others that stress is a massive factor in RLS
Any doctors who don't take sleep deprivation seriously should have their licenses questioned. I went from a lifetime of healthy optimism to seriously considering suicide because I was only getting 2-4 hours of troubled sleep for months due to RLS. Thank goodness I found Dr. B who prescribes me a low-dose (10mg methadone per day) opioid - now I'm back to normal.
Do you know which subtype of ADHD? If inattentive, clonidine is sometimes used (although there are newer and probably better drugs out there) to help with focus. However, clonidine can help greatly with sleep and possibly RLS.
Many children who take stimulant meds are given clonidine at night as stimulants tend to cause insomnia - even when taken in the morning.
I know of someone who successfully controlled their child's Tourette's through a high protein diet.
Also, the drug Ecopipam which is under development, is intended to treat both RLS and Tourette's.
There is a connection of ADHD and RLS and some of the same markers (ferritin, etc)... "Another 2019 studyTrusted Source showed that children with ADHD not only had lower levels of vitamin B12, folate, and vitamin B6, but also ferritin and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)."
psychcentral.com/adhd/adhd-...
Another good article discussing diet for ADHD...
Another thing regarding diet is to avoid any baked flour based foods whatever the grain as the starch is easily metabolised into sugar, more gluten makes the spike more intense. youtu.be/gUnCorMeFaM?si=RTK....
Hi Pipps, I have taken Ritalin (methylphenidate) in the past, still do occasionally as I have a good stock left. I don't have ADHD, but had it prescribed to try to counteract my fatigue/ listlessness.
I never noticed it to worsen RLS symptoms.
Not an easy situation for your grandchild (and her/his parents).
I have never heard of a Md giving Ritalin for fatigue, although I have tried. I do have adult add so I was able to get it for that. It has always worked for my add but it really curbed the fatigue as well. There is a big difference between feeling run down and fatigue. My opinion on fatigue is that it usually is due to an illness. Drs. Just don’t seem to understand how debilitating RLS is and how loosing sleep every night can sabotage your life, especially if you have to (or want to) work. Not to mention the how severe the pain can be.
My fatigue most likely stems from the opioid I take to quell the RLS symptoms. All opioids have sleepiness/drowsiness/fatigue and/or lethargy as a side effect with a fairly high chance of occurrence. Methylphenidate/Ritalin is well researched for its ability to reduce this opioid side effect. I actually found the suggestion in the Dutch official medical treatment guidelines. I had never heard of it either. But the effect , also to enhance focus is well known among e.g. students. Ritalin is therefore often used 'illegally' to this end.
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