can taking mucuna pruriens cause restless leg?

[bmakla54]

I recently went off some of my Parkinson's meds and substituted mucuna pruriens ( an natural l-dopa herb). However, my restless leg has become worse and unbearable. Could there be a connection?

[Hidden]

Hi, i would really doubt this, its more likely to be the dopamine receptors in your brain screaming out for the dopamine you have deprived them of since you stopped some of your meds, so that is most likely why your rls has got worse.

But i will still go and check up on "mucuna pruriens" as its something ive not heard of before, alltho, i cant say i put much faith in natural cures for our rls, its a much to complex problem for the abnswer to be so simple.

[bmakla54 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks tallula,

I have decided to go back on my Parkinson's meds

BMakla

[Hidden in reply to bmakla54]

your very welcome x

[Hidden]

I would have to agree, dropping down on any dose of the dopamine agonists will result in worse RLS. Thats why its so hard to get off of those meds. I also havent heard of the substitute you are using and i also agree natural supplements rarely help with RLS.

[bmakla54 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your comments Elisse,

I am going to stop taking mucuna pruriens. It comes from the plant ( the velvet bean) from India. People have used it for Parkinson' for 1000s of years in India. Unfortunately it did not work for me.

BMakla

[nightdancer]

you cannot "just stop" dopamine meds. They must be weaned off, and there is no natural dopamine that will help you. I was just reading about it the other day. NEVER stop taking dopamine cold turkey. In turn your brain will drive your legs nuts, because apparently your brain is one that needs the dopamine. go back on your meds is the best advice. all that all natural stuff is sometimes just "snake oil", and 'natural dopamine" is just that, a rip off. Save your money.

[Hidden]

I used up my prescription before the month was finished so I

went from taking a large dose to nothing for 4 days.

I never had restless legs so bad. It took me 4 days of

taking my meds to get back to a manageable level.

I will not take extra pills on bad nights anymore.

[ChrisK53]

I realize I am a little late to the party, but I wanted to share my experience with you. My holistic doctor suggested I try mucuna pruriens for my RLS. I went off the Mirapex and I had the same reaction from stopping cold turkey - it was worse that ever before! I told him the mucuna didn't work, and he said it would have been better to taper off the Mirapex before starting the mucuna, not just switch. I waited it out, and for about a week it was pretty rough, but the severe RLS finally subsided. I have been using the mucuna for about 6 weeks now and I have to say, it was been working great. No complaints at all.

[thoughtful12 in reply to ChrisK53]

Chris - how many mg. of L-Dopa does your mucuna provide - how much do you take each day?

[pjmccoy1 in reply to ChrisK53]

Is the Dopa Mucuna still working for you RLS? Do you take any other Rx's for your RLS?

[ChrisK53]

I am not sure. I buy it from Amazon, the NOW brand. I take 800 mg. (which is 2 capsules). It was rough the first week because I didn't wean off the Mirapex like I should have, but once the mucuna kicked in, no more issues.

[pjmccoy1 in reply to ChrisK53]

Is the Dopa Mucuna still working for you?

[SuperMNew]

I don't know, but when I went off my Requip to be on Mucuna alone, I had the same response. I believe it is a withdrawal reaction of my Requip. Mucuna is a great help to me with the shaking and quivering of my legs (I have RLS).

[nightdancer]

I would say you recently came off some meds, so that could be the main reason why your RLS has ramped up.

[nightdancer]

Mucuna Puriens is used to make "itching powder" so it CAN cause you to be "itchy". it is an ancient Indian medicine that has been "attempted to be used in treatment of Parkinson's, but I see nothing that might help RLS in there, reading about it. The fact that you stopped some meds would be my guess, for sure. Why did you stop the meds, and did you do it on your own, and how fast did you come off of them? All valid questions.

[bmakla54 in reply to nightdancer]

Yes it caused restless leg in me .... I stopped gradually over a week or 2 .... I can't remember I wanted to resume Azilect which can not be taken with the herb

[Rressrrdder]

I gradually reduced Tramadol over 6 months, and got through worst of the withdrawal, then started mucuna prurians herbal tea yesterday. (Off ebay) It gave almost instant relief, and I slept through the night! I would recommend trying it, after you've slowly reduced your meds. This is going to be life-changing for me.

Best wishes everyone,

Elizabeth