What's the deal with "Restless Leg Syndrome"?

Question

What causes it?

Is there a cure?

Is it more of a "mental condition" condition or more of a "physical condition"?

Answer 1

Restless legs syndrome

Introduction

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition in which your legs feel extremely uncomfortable while you're sitting or lying down. It usually makes you feel like getting up and moving around. When you do so, the unpleasant feeling of restless legs syndrome goes away.

Restless legs syndrome affects both sexes, can begin at any age and may worsen as you get older. Restless legs syndrome can disrupt sleep — leading to daytime drowsiness — and make traveling difficult.

A number of simple self-care steps and lifestyle changes may benefit you. Medications also help many people with restless legs syndrome.

Causes
In many cases, no known cause for restless legs syndrome exists. Researchers suspect the condition may be due to an imbalance of the brain chemical dopamine. This chemical sends messages to control muscle movement.

Restless legs syndrome runs in families in up to half of people with RLS, especially if the condition started at an early age. Researchers have identified sites on the chromosomes where genes for RLS may be present.

Stress tends to worsen the symptoms of RLS. Pregnancy or hormonal changes may temporarily worsen RLS signs and symptoms. Some women experience RLS for the first time during pregnancy, especially during their last trimester. However, for most of these women, signs and symptoms usually disappear about a month after delivery.

For the most part, restless legs syndrome isn't related to a serious underlying medical problem. However, RLS sometimes accompanies other conditions, such as:

Peripheral neuropathy. This damage to the nerves in your hands and feet is sometimes due to chronic diseases such as diabetes and alcoholism.

Iron deficiency. Even without anemia, iron deficiency can cause or worsen restless legs syndrome. If you have a history of bleeding from your stomach or bowels, experience heavy menstrual periods or repeatedly donate blood, you may have iron deficiency.

Kidney failure. If you have kidney failure, you also may have iron deficiency. When the kidney fails to function properly, iron stores in your blood can decrease. This, along with other changes in body chemistry, may cause or worsen RLS.

Treatment

Sometimes, treating an underlying condition such as iron deficiency or peripheral neuropathy greatly relieves symptoms of RLS. Correcting the iron deficiency may involve taking iron supplements. However, take iron supplements only under medical supervision and after your doctor has checked your blood iron level.

If you have restless legs syndrome without any associated condition, treatment focuses on lifestyle changes and medications. Several prescription medications, most of which were developed to treat other diseases, are available to reduce the restlessness in your legs. These include:

Medications for Parkinson's disease. These medications reduce the amount of motion in your legs by affecting the level of the chemical messenger dopamine in your brain. They include pramipexole (Mirapex), ropinirole (Requip) and a combination of carbidopa and levodopa (Sinemet). However, people with RLS are at no greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease than are those without RLS.

Opioids. Narcotic medications can relieve mild to severe symptoms, but they may be addicting if used in too high doses. Some examples include codeine, the combination medicine oxycodone and acetaminophen (Percocet, Roxicet), and the combination medicine hydrocodone and acetaminophen (Vicodin, Duocet).

Muscle relaxants and sleep medications. This class of medications, known as benzodiazepines, helps you sleep better at night. But these medications don't eliminate the leg sensations, and they may cause daytime drowsiness. Commonly used sedatives for RLS include clonazepam (Klonopin), eszopiclone (Lunesta), ramelteon (Rozerem), temazepam (Restoril, Razapam), zaleplon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien).

Medications for epilepsy. Certain epilepsy medications, such as gabapentin (Neurontin), may work well for some people with RLS.

It may take several trials for you and your doctor to find the right medication and dosage for you. A combination of medications may work best.

One caveat with drugs to treat RLS is that sometimes a medication that has worked for you for a while to relieve symptoms becomes ineffective. Or you notice your symptoms returning earlier in the day. For example, if you have been taking your medication at 8 p.m., your symptoms of RLS may start occurring at 6 p.m. This is called augmentation. Your doctor may substitute another medication to combat the problem.

Most of the drugs prescribed to treat RLS aren't recommended for pregnant women. Instead, your doctor may recommend self-care techniques to relieve symptoms. However, if the sensations are particularly bothersome during your last trimester, your doctor may OK the use of pain relievers.

Some medications may worsen symptoms of RLS. These include antinausea drugs, calcium channel blockers (which are used to treat heart conditions) and most antidepressants. Your doctor may recommend that you avoid these medications if possible. However, should you need to take these medications, restless legs can still be controlled by adding drugs that manage the condition.

Answer 2

Jen G better take another class in meds or just meds. I have restless leg syndrome, anyone wants to come around and see what happens? I would like to give it to them, someone like Jen G.

There is a pill for it, "Requip" and it comes in specified doses.
There is no known cure. My doctor has some idea now that my back went out again. I have osteo-arthritis in the severe degenerative stages Jen G and I can't walk well. I've had surgery twelve times on my back due to arthritis eating away at the vertebrae and disc's, like a cancer. They fix one place and another falls apart.

Recently my back went out again coming out of Wal-Mart, lightening hit my left side and I went down. I can feel something in my back moving up and down as I walk. It could be the cause of my restless legs, they react to the pain and the soreness in my back.

For those non believers, there's a story about the "chicken that crowed to loud all the time, he was the one that ended up in the stew pot on Sunday"

Answer 3

First off Jen and Zero, RLS is very real especially to those of us who have it and I would not wish it on my worst enemy!!! I was on Sinemet, but my Dr's were concerned that I had been on it for too long, so I recently switched to Requip and have had great success with it. They treat it with meds used for Parkinson's usually. I would hold off on using narcotics such as Vicoden, although they may help, there are some nasty side effects. Stick with the marketed products, the side effects are minimal.

Hope this helps

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What's the deal with "Restless Leg Syndrome"?
What causes it?

Is there a cure?

Is it more of a "mental condition" condition or more of a "physical condition"?

Answer 5

It is real, that's a fact. When I lie down, ready to rest......it begins for me. I have absolutely no control of my legs just jutting out, up, down, over, around. I have to get out of bed to walk a while, before i can even think about trying to get to sleep. The harder I try to hold my legs still, the worse it becomes. It comes on with absolutely no pre-warning, and can go on all night. It is not a mental condition, it is entirely physical. It's almost impossible to explain it to my husband, who just wants a good night's sleep, without my legs kicking him all night (if I happen to get to sleep, anyway). When this happens to me, and I have not just fallen asleep, somehow, I go to the sofa for the night, so that my husband CAN get his needed sleep.

Answer 6

I have restless leg syndrome and yes it is real. I dont think anyone knows what causes it.

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

It is one of those bogus diseases like Acid Reflux Disease, Bi-polar Disorder, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that were made up by the pharmaceutical companies to create a market for new drugs. C'mon, do you actually think these things exist!?
Hey, I have some ocean-front property in Kansas for sale. You interested?
Acid Reflux Disease used to be called indigestion, Bi-polar Disorder used to be called having normal human emotions, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome used to be called a lack of exercise and good nutrition, and Restless Leg Syndrome used to be called “You have been sitting around the house too long. Why don't you go do something outside!?”
When I studied Marketing in college, they taught us how to turn anything into a problem and then sell people a solution to that problem.

Answer 9

They have medication for RLS, mirapex is one which the side effects can be pretty nasty- compulsive behavior, etc..

Best to see a neurologist to find out what is available and what would most benefit you.

Answer 10

Acupuncture, which involves inserting thin needles into various points on your body, may reduce peripheral neuropathy symptoms.