So, I haven't had any RLS in many years - until the last 2 nights! Mostly my severe RLS was settled years ago with iron supplements (ferrous bisglycinate chelate). I have been taking berberine to help with cholesterol support - in the morning (500mg). I recently had my cholesterol checked and decided to move the berberine to the evening (the body produces cholesterol at night). Big mistake! I had some RLS symptoms - not severe at all, but it was there. So, researching berberine it does interfere with iron absorption and I surmise this is the cause. Yesterday, I took the berberine in the morning (as I have for a year or more) and the RLS was there again, but much, much less and dissipated in a few hours. Today I have not taken it at all - we'll see.
There are many posts on Reddit with users experiencing RLS from Berberine supplementation. These are old but never the less...
Dic, did it lower your cholesterol? I guess berberine is one of those substances we with RLS can successfully take early in the day, but not at night. It may interfere with iron levels or it may interfere with transmission of dopamine
Not really - at least I can't tell if Berberine is helping. My cholesterol is not all that high and I'm banking on the triglycerides/HDL being low as the more important metric.
Dic, I’ve been thinking about your regimen and I am disappointed that after taking berberine (a known dopamine antagonist) for a year (during the day) you weren’t able to take it at night. I would have hoped that a year on berberine would have greatly up -regulated your D2/D3 receptors such that you could take it at night without triggering RLS symptoms. I’m actually terribly disappointed. Is it possible that we with RLS just can’t up-regulate our receptors beyond baseline? Now I fear that things like severe calorie restriction and anaerobic exercise, that up-regulate non-RLS people’s receptors, might not provide significant improvement either.
On the bright side, maybe these things can at least prevent or slow age-related decreases in our receptors???
I have just paused the Berberine. I will start it again. I originally took it to help with cholesterol control, but I now see additional benefit on neurotransmitter regulation.
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restless legs
RLS study on Somatization from Turkey
Some really good info on Magnesium...
🌈May be helpful to someone
New and seeking advice re iron and vitamin D
