I can't have the heater on in the car as it starts the rls off very badly so I am used to being cold in the car but i also get stabbing pains in my legs occasionally and with the rls I wonder if its safe for me to drive at all specially as my really bad leg is my right which, of course, is used for the gas pedal!
Susie
Hi, SusieL, I used to drive until recently. Now i have given it up, that is down to either when i dont sleep at night, then too sleepy to feel safe driving, or the meds, made me very sleepy during the day another reason for not driving and feeling safe.
Some find when they are driving, then they are distracted which stops the RLS.
I think maybe this is something you will have to decide for yourself on how safe you feel personally when driving.
I hate not being independent by giving it up. But i had to decide for me, what i thought would be best to do.
Hi Elisse, thanks for your answer. I am lucky for the moment as I don't take medication and don't have rls at night. (am I tempting fate here?) I want the independence of driving again so i will have to give it a go. Susie
Hi technically as your mind be on the job of driving your RLS should be at bay? Mine certainly is and sometimes I will go for a drive just to get thru a bad patch.
Sleepy etc is another issue.
Bob M
Hi Bob, I didn't realise this is how rls worked although I must admit , when my legs are bad and we have either surprise visitors or an important phone call it does diminish somewhat. This gives me hope. Thanks Susie
Hi I find if I drive I don't get my restless legs but if I am a passenger I get them bad , sometimes I think it's partly in the brain because I can sit down and be ok then think oh my legs have not kicked off yet..... Bang got them straight away 
so I do think it's partly a mind thing .
Rish, hello and thanks. My legs are bad in the car and seemingly worse if i know I cannot get up and walk around when I need to. I am slowly learning only now how much of this is in the mind. Susie
Hi Rish.
I agree entirely about the mind thing! I am exactly like you. As soon as I realise that I am sitting somewhere and I cannot get up, the RLS starts. I am mostly ok when driving, though but not always. Sometimes, I kick a bit and hope for something to distract me - that always works.
When we are consentrating on something or distracted by something, most of us find the RLS disappears for that time... The brain seems to focus on what you are doing and leaves the RLS alone. That is a pretty known fact for most of us who have RLS..
Also SusieL, its most unusual not to have RLS at night, that is when RLS is at its worse. So all i can say, is yes, you are very lucky..
I have been advised that driving is unwise, especially as I have fallen asleep at the wheel. But as I live in a rural area where public transport is VERY restricted I have no choice. My employer has reached informal agreement that I can work in a restricted area of my patch to ensure my safety. Normally I would be expected to work across three counties.
After a very short time I am also in too much pain to drive far.
It's scary how much we rely on our cars.
I am so sorry you are so exhausted to have fallen asleep at the wheel, I am not at that point (yet) and I thank my lucky stars! Having read all the replies to my post I would consider driving again although my confidence would not allow me to drive long distances any more. When I think of the journeys I did on my own many years ago! Thank you for you input however, and I wish you well with your sleep.
Hi SusieL ~Reading through your post and responses I keep seeing "all in the mind" comments and I really hope you don't think that in the way that it sounds. I think "all in your brain" might be more accurate. It's not a psychological thing - it's chemical. When the brain is stimulated it produces dopamine. It's the lack of dopamine that causes the restlessness. I was very relived to learn that, after wondering why I couldn't relax with my husband, but could sit all night playing freecell on the computer! I have never had a problem while driving, except as Bob mentioned, when too fatigued to do so safely. Again, the brain is stimulated by all the responsibilities of driving and the dopamine levels are good. I have been called the 'world's worst passenger' by my family. Fortunately I find great relief with the Neupro patch. Am planning a 9 hour plane ride with my daughter, who says "patch or parachute".
Freecell and Neupro keep me sane!
Good luck
Thanks Susie! Now we just need to figure out WHY. Is it something we ate or didn't eat? My doctor admitted that there is not a lot of research being done because nobody actually dies from RLS. Not that there aren't nights or car rides or trips to a movie theater where I was thinking that might be a better alternative. (not seriously, but it does get miserable). Have you had any luck with meds? I probably tried a half-dozen before I found something that would allow me a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, and now use the Neupro patch and get a decent night's sleep. I hope you have luck finding the right treatment.
Cathy I am one of the lucky ones and (at the moment anyway) I rarely suffer from rls at night. I did have it when I had cellulitis in one leg and it was quite bad but as that healed so the rls went. I do get it any time from 3.00pm to night time to varying degrees. I never go to the theatre or cinema as watching tv is bad enough and I am up and down or jiggling my foot and annoying everyone, I don't know how everyone else copes with this but I cant. I have taken the decision not to take meds until I get bad enough that I cant function without them. (also the idea of taking something to make me sleep terrifies me as i need the loo in the night!) I have tried tonic water as it contains dopamine but it has no effect on me. When I start looking at meds I will try the natural products first as I already take high doses of pain killers for arthritis. I wish you all the best
Susie x
Quinine is not supposed to be used, nor is it indicated in any way> it is only approved for Malaria, Yes, and if you want to chance the heart failure that goes with it sometimes. People get leg cramps and RLS mixed up. So, if you have RLS, that is why Quinine would not work for you. Quinine has L-Tyrosine, which works on the dopamine system, but tonic water does not have dopamine in it; it helps regulate it in our brain. Would also like to comment on the post about "RLS being in our mind." I know what the author is trying to say, but RLS is definitely neurological and hereditary. :o) There are primary RLS and secondary RLS, and lots of different levels of severity.
Nightdancer, hello and thanks for your reply. I do realise that rls in not only in the mind but perhaps triggered by focussing on it at times when we already have it. I was wrong about Tonic water but my mother who has rls very severely was advised to drink it, some time back, I am still learning. I get cramps occasionally at night and that's due to stretching badly... I know the difference as (for the moment at least) I don't generally suffer rls in bed thankfully. I appreciate all the information I have gathered on here and grateful for everyone's input.
I personaly won't drive, as the medications i am taking slows down reactions, and therefore makes it unsafe to drive.
Shame as I really did love driving.
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