restless legs again!

amanda in CA · Post by **amanda in CA** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 5:37 am

I knowt that I have enquired about other people's experience with restless leg syndrome before, but I have been getting it really bad recently. Strangely I seem to get it when I'm not itchy, and not when I am. Don't know if there is a link there between cause.

Just before christmas I had a seizure out of the blue, and today as part of the investigative process had to have an EEG. Well, I know that there is a psychological component to it, as it comes on whenever I have to sit still. As the technicial was attaching the electrodes, and I had to sit still I got it really bad to the point that I was writhing around with the discomfort and it was inducing nausea.

I have still not come up with a cure for it. I have tried non-medication approaches with no real success. I'm not to keen on taking klonipine because of the addictive qualities (it is a benzo-diazepene) and the other medication that I have tried (Mirapex) just leaves me feeling nauseated the whole of the following day. Has anyone tried any other medication with much success. At the moment I am taking a short course of Ambien but the docs. won't repeat prescribe it and I'm dreading the time when I have to try and get to sleep with legs twitching to the small hours!

thanks in advance for your replies, amanda

gary in bc · Post by **gary in bc** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:06 pm

Amanda
I have the same thing since changing to hemo. Check out
http://www.fpnotebook.com/NEU170.htm

Gary in bc

gary in bc · Post by **gary in bc** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:18 pm

Sorry, I got interupted and posted before I finished. The problem I have is iron deficient annemia. My feritin (?sp) get really high, so I get an iron infussion and it seems to go away. When the crawling sensations start in the back of my calfs, (looks like things moving around just under the skin), I know it is starting to happen. Withing a short time I have severe cramping during dialysis, and during the night.
A lot of the time the renal units look at the cramping a sign of too much fluid being removed, and this seems to cause me problems with blood pressure crashing.
I hope you find a solution soon. It sure hurts when it happens.
Gary

Rachel in NY · Post by **Rachel in NY** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:28 pm

Hiya Amanda,

Have you ever tried Quinine? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinine

I'm not talking abt drinking lots of tonic water that has minute traces of quinine in it, i'm talking about tablets - with a considerable amount? That was shown to have some success in alleviating the symptoms.

I too have suffered from bad bouts of it. At one point, my hands/legs were so twitchy & trembly, that I thought I had parkinsons. Seriously, I decided that I must be the first 15 year old with parkinsons, and I was petrified to tell anyone, or even ask my dr. At one point when I did mention it, he started laughing like it was the funniest thing he heard all week. It wasn't funny. but yeah, i was relieved.

So anyway, i understand how you feel, its annoying, and disruptive. Try or ask about the quinine things.

Rachel