Dear all, I don't remember seeing any posts about the relation between your mental health and RLS, I am just interested, if anyone consulted a therapist for RLS? I think I read somewhere that cognitive-behavioral therapy that is some sort of counseling might be helpful. And in general, would you say that you suffer more when you are stressed or maybe certain psychological traits make you more predisposed to having RLS? I can tell that my mother is quite short-termpered and inpatient, and she tried to control that with Cymbalta, but then it worsened her RLS. She is now on vortioxetine, but it seems to cause RLS more frequently, as she increased the dose as recommended by her neurologist. If anyone tried CBT or other counselling, would be great if you could share your experience. Thanks everyone!
mental health and RLS: Dear all, I don... - Restless Legs Syn...
mental health and RLS
Vortioxetine is on the RLS-UK not safe list for RLS although some find it OK . She would be better off with Wellbutrin or trazodone.
Hi Sue! I sent an update to "Notification" email. It hasn't surfaced. Just wondering where it went. Many thanks
I'm not sure what you mean by Notification email.
I sent letter to "notifications@email.healthunlocked.com".
Oh - so you aren't getting notifications. I wasn't aware of that email address. When I had that problem I used their Help. In my case they told me to put notifications@email.healthunlocked.com in my contacts and that worked.
RLS inevitably causes stress and anxiety, even in those who have never experienced it before.And lack of sleep causes depression.Treat the RLS correctly and the anxiety/depression are usually resolved.
What meds is your mother currently taking?
CBT might help but resolving the RLS is a much better solution.
All anti depressants trigger or worsen RLS.
As SueJohnson advises, trazodone and wellbutrin are safe. Or for anxiety, adding a small dose of diazepam occasionally or pregabalin may help.
CBT is unlikely to deal with the symptoms of RLS but may help deal with related issues (eg insomnia, anxiety etc).I saw a clinical psychologist years ago to try to ascertain whether my periodic limb movement had a psychological component. I also saw a psych who tried hypnotherapy and yet another that did EFT (= emotional freedom technique or similar).
I didn't experience any improvement from the first two, and never really pursued EFT.
When my son was diagnosed with PLMD at 13 months of age, I dismissed psychology as an ongoing line of enquiry because as my GP pointed out, infants don't have psychological issues 😀
That said, my son's sleep specialist talks about a correlation between anxiety and RLS (anecdotal).
And given the overlap between sleep disorders, neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions, and mental health conditions, i don't think we can be too definitive about correlations given that there is so much still to know.
Although it is highly likely that all these conditions origiate in the gut (or forebears guts)!
My laugh for the day - infants don't have psychological issues🤣🤣🤣
Hi Daisydaisy,
I have had RLS for many many years and I have been married twice. My first husband tolerated my RLS for a few years then became irritated with my constant movements, especially during the night. It wasn’t the reason he left but I’m sure it contributed. My second husband tried to help and fought for me to get treatment, however our relationship didn’t work out due to domestic violence. I am 59 and my current partner of 7 years has been tolerant up until the past two years. I had to give up my job as a reception teacher in 2021 due to covid and the effect it had on my elderly parents. I now care full time for my parents and my patience is at its lowest.
My mental health is at rock bottom as I don’t sleep at all. I’m lucky if I get 2or 3 hours a night. This, I’m sure contributes to my irritability, short temper and moodiness. I feel that nobody understands and I’m struggling physically during the day now. I’m eating during the night because I’m awake all night and I’m bored of pacing the floor. I’ve gained weight because of this and the medication, Ropinirole then gabapentin and now pregablin, I’ve recently come off hrt because I’ve read that this can irritate RLS. My head and body feels sluggish and lethargic and very depressed. So YES, I think I need help with mental health. I’m so fed up with this vicious circle and constant sadness. I see myself as the ‘sad’ character from the film, ‘inside out’.
I’m sorry for my ‘rant’ but maybe you’ve opened a can of worms and highlighted the need for support. Thank you 🙏
Please see my reply to the OP.
I have suffered terribly from insomnia since menopause, that being 12 years now. I do have serious RLS but it is under control with pregabalin and tramadol. After trying everything possible to help with the insomnia, I have found the best thing is THC. I get it with a gummy. My doctor wasn't thrilled but there is no doubt that sleep deprivation is so much worse than a gummy at nighttime to help me sleep. You won't need much. I hope it is something you might consider if they're legal in your area. I live in Canada so that isn't a problem.
Another one to try is dipyridamole. You might want to discuss this with your doctor. It has helped some people on this forum and another forum I was on and has completely eliminated RLS in some. In the winter 2022 edition of Night Walkers, the publication of RLS.org there is an article by Sergi Ferre about dipyridamole discussing the effectiveness of it in a 2 week double blind placebo controlled study showing it completely ameliorated all symptoms. The study was by Dr. Garcia Borreguero movementdisorders.onlinelib... sciencedirect.com/science/a...
Take it on an empty stomach. (fats inhibit absorption) about 1-1/2 to 2 hours before bed. If you have headaches they tend to disappear or lessen after around 5 days. Coffee can counteract its effects by blocking the same receptors that dipyridamole aims to enhance.so the advice is to avoid it 12 to 24 hours before taking the dipyridamole. It is possible you could take it in the morning or it is possible you can't take it at all.
If that doesn't work you may need an opioid. I would recommend buprenorphine or methadone as they are long lasting. Most of the others last only 4 to 6 hours and need to be taken that often or you will have mini withdrawals. If you are prescribed one of the others be sure you are given enough to take them that often.
For depression I would recommend Wellbutrin or trazodone. Trazodone also helps anxiety and insomnia.
Maybe mental health therapy is less important than Nutritional Therapy?.
Youve indicated your mum's had little/no success with prescription drugs for RLS so maybe NT can help better. We are currently adopting that approach with my mum's RLS having had success with weight loss and other health conditions eg she weaned off BP medication and it's now normal 🤞.
I am interested in hearing more about the NT strategies you are implementing with your mom. I’ve been doing some amino acid supplements to help with craving issues and have wondered if the same theory would work for RLS.
First of all, it's early to say NT has helped with her RLS which has arguably only started quite recently. But we believe that it's helped minimise it's severity, at least relatively.
In terms of food cravings (and likely, related weight issues), for certain a qualified Nutritional Therapist specialising in the area should be able to health. Mum's cravings have long gone along with excess fat, improved BP.
It would be wrong to assume that following her protocol would help you also as all such protocols must be individualised.
However, I'd be happy to direct you to qualified therapists specialising in this area with links, if you wish.
I would be interested in whatever resources you can provide. Thank you!
Please see below link which include many practitioners from which you can select - ideally one that's CNHC registered. In filtering, I suggest you us Online to give more options then seek key specialism eg weight loss. Finally check Testimonials.
I have more options if/when you need them. Good luck.
practitioner-search.bant.or...
Thank you! Unfortunately I’m in the US, I’ll see what I can find over here. Weight loss is definitely not my focus, getting off these damn meds is what I’m hoping to accomplish.
My opinion would be that RLS can cause depression rather than depression causing RLS.
Both RLS and mental problems can be caused by neuro inflammation. This inflammation can be caused by foods in the diet. youtu.be/JVl1X0fb1uA?si=Dll...
Dr. Chris Palmer's book, Brain Energy is an exceptional resource for many mental health struggles. I highly recommend it. You can also dovetail it with Life Saving Sleep by Dr. Barry Krakow - with lots on breathing disorders and sleep.
Here's another one advocating diet youtu.be/tvvvLkth5Q0?si=JV2...
You definitely can't get rid of RLS by having therapy. Look at meds and the list of triggers in files. All the best 👍
RLS is associated with suicide simply because of the deterioration of quality of life.
I find CBD balm helps me
I started CBT and my anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD and RLS went off the scale..😱😱😱
I am a therapist specialising in pain using talking therapy, hypnosis and the power of the body/mind connection.
I have great success working with pain and even Raynaud’s. My colleague has great success with Parkinson’s and other seemingly “no cure” conditions.
So, I was convinced I could help my RLS using this. Over the first couple of years I worked with many colleagues with varying therapies looking for a psychological connection (as mine came on very suddenly out of the blue).
Unfortunately we couldn’t get things shifted and I gave up and started medication.
Things like CBT and counselling may help with the mental health side of things but not for the actual RLS itself I don’t think.
Curious - just what therapy for RLS are you on? My RLS was severe and it also came on suddenly for me. I have concluded it was a gut dysfunction issue as iron supplements immediately cut into the RLS for me. I'm currently on no medication and do not even take iron anymore.
Medication, but also iron. I have wondered recently about the gut link especially since I have now developed a new dairy intolerance.
Hey - it’s absolutely impacting my mental health. Over the last year ive come off Ropinirole, lost 4.5 stone and opened a restaurant with 4/5 hours sleep, it’s very hard and i can see i can be vacant, snappy and negative - is see this more so than ever now as my sleep is slightly better and i have a clear path ahead of me to get better. Ive done therapy in two forms as in CBT and talking which help to a degree but the only real thing that can change is how we view the world and ourselves/others. This comes easier some weeks than others and i still have bad periods. Health, fitness and eating well has been a huge part in my journey.
I love it that so many people are looking for a connection between rls and the guy/microbiome, it's heavily implicated in Parkinson's and also autism and antipressants make rls much worse because of what they do to the gut where most of our serotonin lives, fascinating
I agree, it's great to see this focus. Unfortunately solutions based on manipulation of the gut microbiome are still some years off., even for the more researched conditions.
Of course there are things we can all do to improve our microbiome but it is such a complex field that anything beyond the basics (clean diet, antibiotic avoidance, medication minimisation, exercise, stress reduction etc) is really a case of throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Hopefully AI will help fast track tailored gut microbiome therapies for individuals, with the aim of alleviating some of the awful afflictions that exist 🙏
I agree, it's so interesting
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