a blog about iron, iron overload, Ferritn scores and Quinine use..............

[nightdancer]

I have been all over this web site yesterday and today, and the amount of times we have posted and talked about these things in a lot of previous posts and questions is phenomenal.

Trying to put it in a blog so new people can see this, and maybe read some of the previously posted questions can be read on these subjects. Then, if you have a question, great! Questions always are welcomed.

Quinine first- I live in the US, so this information is an FYI on this drug. In the US, Quinine has been banned from all uses except for malaria when it is absolutey needed. The FDA (federal drug administration) has posted warnings and withdrawals from the market on this, and it is not available over the counter. All the over the counter "leg cramp" meds had to be reformulated, and they were not spposed to be for use in RLS anyway. RLS is neurological, and leg cramps are muscular. two very different things.

A Ferritin blood test is needed to see how your body stores iron. It is stored in your liver and skeletal system. An iron serum test is a different test. If your Ferritin score is low, it means your body is not storing the iron well enough, and for SOME people, this could be an underlying cause of the RLS. It also must be understood that taking iron supplements is better than dietary iron that you get in food. BUT< and this is big but!

Never, never start iron supplements until you have had the blood tests done and talked with your doctor. Taking iron on your own can be deadly, literally. Iron overload is no joke, can cause cardiac failure, etc. Just because something is a supplement or "all natural" does not mean it is automatcally safe to go into a health food store and load up your cart. Just a friendly FYI.

I hope this helps a little? Lots of iron and Quinine talk lately, so that is why I put this up, just for general information. As always, I include the most infornative web site on RLS- rlshelp.org

The treatment page is golden (keeping in mind this is a US web site, but he is an RLS expert that serves on the medical advisory board for the US RLS Foundation. Years and years of patinet letters, and don;t miss the treatment page that has the list of "Drugs and Foods to AVOID"

And, as always, everyone has different levels of RLS, so all suggestionse do not fit all. Your mileage may vary, and it is all trail and error. we can only say what we know to be true and go from there.

Thanks for reading!

[Hidden]

Nightdancer, you are golden, maybe a lifesaver..for me.

Never would have guessed that Quinine messes with the heart.

[Hidden]

Good advise nightdancer, see Yikes, thats what i was saying on the other question, advise is given to best of anyone's knowledge. What people do with the advise given, is up to them....

[nightdancer]

That's right, Elisse. We can only impart we KNOW to be true, and howvere it is used it is up to them. But, we really need a "base blog" or something that has a "base of RLS knowledge" for people to read when they first get here. Or we can put up blogs, ONE SUBJECT to a blog. We are all over the place here, and even I cannot keep up as to where all the new posts are showing up, especially on existing posts. But, that is another blog to come!!

[Madlegs1]

Just come across this now while searching for other stuff. It's four years later and nothing seems to have changed. Constant repetition of subjects and questions - meaning same advice is constantly repeated. A desperate waste of time .

Is there a mechanism for setting up nightdancers idea of a blog. One subject per thread??? Would make life a lot easier.

On the other hand-- what else would we be doing in the wee small hours??😢😴😁