Inflammation

[nocturne]

I was hesitant to post this, thinking that this was a minor idiosyncrasy only specific to my situation. But I just saw a query about Bactrim, which made me think that it might be worthwhile to share this info.

This is also in relation to the recent postings on whether or not inflammations can cause, or at least exacerbate RLS. I was on an anti-inflammatory diet for almost a year, but it sadly made no difference to my RLS, so I was skeptical. But a recent discovery made me realize that there IS a relationship between RLS and inflammation.

I had hand surgery last month, and the recovery has been long and painful. Because I don't tolerate strong opioids l, I had declined the Oxycodone prescription that was offered me. Since I take Codeine-Tylenol for RLS, I naively thought that that would be sufficient for my post-op pain. Well, I was wrong.

One recent night, I was having excruciating post-op hand pain AND horrible RLS. Although Codeine-Tylenol usually controls my RLS, it was totally useless. In desperation, I got ice packs for my hand, and about 10 minutes later, my hand pain subsided, along with my RLS!

My takeaway is that ANY unrelated inflammation in the body can exacerbate RLS. So, if you have a UTI or pneumonia or anything that requires you to take meds, you might consider the possibility that it may not be the meds, but the illness itself (or the inflammation caused by the illness) that's causing the RLS to worsen.

Just my 2 cents worth!

[SueJohnson]

As you found out inflammation is known to make RLS worse. One reason is inflammation releases hepcidin which prevents you from absorbing iron. Also surgery is known to make RLS worse as it too increases inflammation.

[nocturne in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks for the explanation.

[Rayme]

Inflammation due to hip injury has made my RL much worse. I find stress also makes my RL worse. Now I take methadone for severe RL. The people on this forum have been spot on with support and advice and every day I'm grateful to be reading the latest posts and learning of others experiences with RL. Next year I'll probably need a hip replacement and no doubt will have to pay attention to RL simultaneously. All the best with your recovery.

[nocturne in reply to Rayme]

Thank you so much for your good wishes. And I hope your hip replacement goes well, without wreaking too much havoc with your RLS! Recovery from surgery is bad enough without it. : (

[Palamino]

Hi ive recently had a full knee replacement and after I stopped taking the strong pain killers amd liquid morphine and gone back to my low dose bupromorphine my legs have been murder . Its been under control with bupromorphine for around 2 yrs and hopefully as the knee gets better it will die down but at the moment it's hell . I'm taking extra bupromorphine some nites back to using magnesium oil even herbal be calm pills .

[Rayme in reply to Palamino]

oh that sounds awful for you, I hope this won't last too much longer for you and the RL goes back to what it was before. I wonder what others experiences are after knee or hip surgery and how it has affected their RL short term or long term?

[nocturne in reply to Palamino]

I'm so sorry to hear this, I really hope you heal from your surgery very soon, and that your RLS gets better with it. It's been six weeks since my hand surgery, and things are still pretty bad . . . I didn't know until now that surgery exacerbated RLS until now, so I really appreciate you and others sharing your experience. Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery!

[Palamino]

Hi possibly the same . I've took one bupromorphine about an hour ago and my legs still going mad . One would normally do it but I shall take another. When I had my other knee done 5 urs ago I didn't come off whatever I was on for RLS as it wasn't an opiod. This time I did so maybe that's not helped . Who knows, this condition has a mind of its own I'm afraid . God luck with your hip

[Merny5]

Post shoulder replacement surgery certainly increased my RLS symptoms. It lasted about 3-4 months. I don’t recall if I increased my methadone dosage at that time. I hope your symptoms are under control soon.

[nocturne in reply to Merny5]

Omg, 3-4 months! I'm so sorry that you had to experience this, and so appreciate your sharing this. I hope both your shoulder and your RLS are better now. But sigh, I guess I need to prepare for worse RLS for the long haul. Thank you for the heads-up!

[Merny5 in reply to nocturne]

Perhaps once your inflammation has subsided, your RLS will get better. Can you increase your codeine?

[nocturne in reply to Merny5]

Thanks so much for the suggestion. I'm already taking the max allowed, which is quite a bit more than I usually take for RLS. I was prescribed Tramadol, but it wasn't that much more helpful, and it made me queasy. I also read on this forum that Tramadol is the one opioid that causes augmentation, so I'm reluctant to take it. I'll see my surgeon next week, so if he gives me any new meds for my pain (as well as for my RLS), I'll post it here right away. Thank you so much for caring; it means a lot.

[Munroist]

I would speculate that nerve stimulation may also be aggravating RLS. As above many people find RLS worse after surgery and it might also be due to nerves being on high alert after what your body must see as a serious injury. Your hands have an especially high density of nerves. Nerve pain and neuropathy can also be associated with RLS.

[nocturne in reply to Munroist]

Thank you so much for your input It was a pretty complicated surgery that required drilling a hole in my hand among other things, so I'm sure you're right that my nerves are "on high alert." Thanks for reminding me that I need to have commpassion for my body, rather than hating it.