Alcohol and RLS

[Apples70]

Might be a daft question but does alcohol aggrevate RLS? Long term severe RLS.

[Millie09]

Hi Apples , I used to drink a lot ,became dependant due to domestic abuse, im now 17 yrs living with cirrhosis and abstinent but I will tell you I have restless legs ,neuropathy in legs due to long term alcohol consumption as it kills the nerve endings and any further alcohol consumption i would have thought can only make things worse , it's annoying at night time and disrupts my entire life as I have very little sleep even though I'm on 460mg of pregabalin a day ..

[Apples70]

Thanks for the reply. I don't drink often but seems when I have 2-3 drinks it makes it 100 times worse. I seem to be clutching at every straw to find triggers but not pin pointed to anything specific. I'm just going out of my mind at the moment, 2 hrs sleep per night for past 5 nights

[Madlegs1]

Definitely!

It's due to the sulphites-- they are triggers for RLS.

[Joolsg]

Not for everyone.I don't have food or drink triggers. But many do. Some are alright with certain alcohol. So red wine may cause it. But vodka does not.

Simple enough to find out. Just stop alcohol for a month.

More importantly- if you have severe RLS, what are blood test results and what meds are you on?

[_quantum]

As I understood, alcohol and gabapentin/pregabalin acts on GABA receptors, isn't it? Alcohol should ease symptoms but of course it's not a treatment option lol

[AmazedAnt in reply to _quantum]

I believe you are correct! However it disrupts / does many other things with one's physiology. Perhaps when the alcohol wears off a GABA deficiency arises from the brain attempt to maintain normal balance between GABA & glutamate

[SueJohnson]

For some it does and for some it doesn't. And for some they can have a drink earlier in the day but not in the evening.

[Dexterruf in reply to SueJohnson]

Sue, for some doctors alcohol is evil incarnate. In the UK, most Asian doctors in particular are so anti alcohol , it's really unbalanced and unhelpful.

[DicCarlson]

With all the "new" research on alcohol - booze is not the answer for anything.

[Apples70 in reply to DicCarlson]

I'm not saying booze is the answer, I hardly drink at all, maybe once a week, I was just asking if drinking any alcohol would make it worse

[LanaCSR in reply to Apples70]

For me, alcohol is a huge trigger, and it doesn't take much to set things off. But I know everyone is different. Good luck!

[Niewiem]

have you not tried? or you were wondering how others are reg. alco consumption, OK, me, 1-2 glasses aggravation, 1 bottle excellent , no rls and good sleep but can not do 1 bottle every day, can you......

[Lory_Y]

Yes, it can. For a lot of people, alcohol makes RLS worse, especially at night. Everyone's different though, so if you notice it's triggering it, might be worth cutting back a bit and seeing if it helps.

[Apples70 in reply to Lory_Y]

Thank you

[Sleepdodger]

Oh it does.. for me it seemed red wine was probably the worst.

[Simkin]

I have one glass of wine with my evening meal at about 7ish, because for me it is one of life's enjoyments.It doesn't seem to make a difference to my legs if I drink or I don't drink.

[Johan10]

Yes. For me alcohol definitely makes RL worse. Sadly I have to stay clear of it.

[PeterCH]

Desperately seeking answers to what aggravates RLS. Augmentation definitely seems to be happening. GP on Tuesday to discuss medication. Had 2 glasses red for dinner and 3 of white at lunch (more than usual) and had worst night ever last night. Must try without and see what happens.

[Apples70 in reply to PeterCH]

Stay off the wine as both have high sulphate levels in them, red more than the white. Gin and Vodka are fairly low in it though.

[PeterCH in reply to Apples70]

Going to buy/try a gadget that reduces sulphites. amzn.eu/d/cH2Kv0c

[Dexterruf in reply to PeterCH]

Gadget? Let us know how you get on!

[PeterCH in reply to Dexterruf]

Just arrived so lets see 😉

[Tildabri]

I only drink socially, and then rarely, but a new friend likes to drink beer. I never drink beer usually, but with her I have twice shared a couple of glasses of beer and have had terrible nights afterwards (including last night 😒). Yesterday was just 2 glasses in the afternoon, but that seemed to be enough to keep me up all night. Wine and spirits don't seem to affect me.

[glosrunner]

I have been off alcohol and caffeine for several months now, in an attempt to end a really disruptive period of PLMD. I also started a number of other changes; iron tabs (following tests) and vitamin supplements, changing exercise regimes, massages, using creams on my skin etc etc. Slowly the symptoms have receded, and I am back to a more normal life. Early in all of this I had a beer in the evening and I had a poor night. Tests show that my iron levels are improving, so it may be that. I think that these conditions that we suffer from are incurable at the moment and the cause is not known, despite there being many insights. Because of this, we ( the "patients" ) are the most useful research.

[KLS86]

Yes. For me I have Full body restlessness and only cope because I am on Tramadol slow release daily. Here are the triggers I have found.. Alcohol, sugar, caffeine and antihistamines.

[Apples70 in reply to KLS86]

Thank you. Reading up it seems to be the sulphate in the alcohol that affects RLS. As I have said in my comments in this group, I am not a big drinker, probably have 2-3 on a Friday night after work and that is it. I am so frustrated with the lack of understanding by the medical profession on this in the UK, I get to the point at times where I am suicidal with my full body RLS.

[Dexterruf in reply to Apples70]

Apple I know what you mean. The new puritanism that pervades modern medicine means that all alcohol is terribly bad in all circumstances... just ridiculous

[SueJohnson in reply to KLS86]

It is the sedating antihistamines that make RLS worse.

OTC Claritin (loratadine, Clarityn ), zyrtec (Cetirizine ), or allegra (Fexofenadine ) and prescription Clarinex (Desloratadine) are safe for RLS although one or the other may bother a few people.

[Hajomajo]

I can only speak from personal experience and I think alcohol makes it worse. It may vary from individual to individual as earlier, I could use alcohol to dampen RLS effects, now I can't any longer.

[Xxsummerxx]

absolutely

[Bramble2000]

Makes no difference to mine.

[Dexterruf]

I drink a fair bit... English understatement. Wine. I don't think it provokes RLS

[Dustylee22]

I only drink white wine: usually 1-1.5 glasses over the course of an evening & it does not seem to impact my legs. I have more trouble with some foods.

[Birdland]

Unfortunately ALL alcohol, even the slightest amount, makes my RLS much worse.

[AmazedAnt]

I enjoy alcohol, but I think it may make my RLS symptoms a bit worse. I'm more confident it negatively impacts my sleep.. Not planning on quitting, but have cut back to 1 or 2 days a week. We all have to strike a satisfying balance between enjoying life with discipline for our wellness.

Special thanks to those that posted about the sulfites / sulfates, was not aware of that factor! ... please share any links to info on that if you could

Cheers!

[Steenslaw]

I have a drink with friends once every couple of months. I generally drink hard alcohol such as whiskey, vodka or tequila. Sometimes mixed drinks, sometimes straight. It never fails that my RLS is worse every time I drink.

[marcusj3512]

I drank heavily and smoked for 20+ years. I have a theory that my RLS was caused by my excessive drinking and/or smoking. In addition, I know two other heavy drinkers who both have RLS. One of them smoked, the other didn't. I am not sure if alcohol directly influenced my symptoms on a given day (it's been more than ten years since I quit and twenty for tobacco). However, I do know that irregular or poor sleep certainly does affect my RLS and of course alcohol very negatively affects sleep. With medication and some improved lifestyle choices my RLS is now very well controlled, thank goodness. I am also very happy to say that alcohol will never be part of my life again.

[HawkintheHills]

It certainly did for me (before I was able to end mine through significant dietary changes).

[Katzers]

for me, absolutely!