Charliee

I have always had restless legs to some degree for the past 20 years, but the last six months it has been incredibly worse and I have tried everything I can think of, without meds to fix it so I can get at least a little sleep. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated....

Dee74

A little tonic water (the real deal with quinine) really helped me, Charliee. I can't remember the last time I had restless legs now, and it's been a lifetime thing for me...

D

LDT

I feel your pain, Charliee..literally. That was one of my worst, most uncomfortable side effects when I first got sober. I still have RLS sometimes, but it can't compare to what it use to be. What finally helped me was getting rid of all ( or at least most ) of the sugar and processed foods I was eating. I also do yoga almost every day, which is a huge help. My legs are really tired at the end of the day, so they don't feel like moving in bed. So I guess I'm saying diet and exercise helped me out hugely.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

whopper

The last day of my drinking (binge) I would have this problem when I woke up in the morning. I would have to walk for hours until I was tired since I just could not sit still. Eventually it went away for me a few days later.

LadyinBC

Is this when your legs give you the creepy crawling feeling?

Someone posted on here about a bar of soap under your sheet? Not sure this works but you can find this by doing a google search.

BruceSA

Hi, Charliee,

I've had restless legs syndrome for many years now. A really creepy debilitating feeling. I even get it on long haul flights and when it really wants to play it attacks my elbows and thighs too. I've exercised, massaged them, the only thing that worked for me was medication specifically for it from my doctor, which works like a bomb.

My Dad had it bad, my brother's got it and my wife. Sometimes getting up and scrubbing my legs with a nailbrush helps. RLS coupled with insomnia is a bummer!

I know mine's not related to the alcohol abuse I foolishly undertook.

Good luck with the cure!

All the best,

Bruce.

sillysuzanfree

I would think regular stretching exercises and a good walk every day would help...if you have access to water for swimming that is ideal too.

Mizzuno

I had restless foot for awile. I took some magnesium. Minerals are a god send.

Jaytee

Hi Charliee, I read on here a few weeks ago that calcium tablets really help. My mum suffers from this and she said they helped.

Looking4Help123

Charliee I feel your frustration!

I have it, have most of my life. Sometimes you just can't kick it. Things that have worked for me:

Swimming, Yoga, massage, shower before bed, regular sleep times.

I find that if I exercise, and I go too hard, the restless legs can be WORSE that night.

I will try the vitamins I didn't know that some of these things could help.

Hope you find some peace with this

Sparkos

Hi Charliee,
I hope this isn't going against the medical advice rule.
Just 1 paracetemol tablet does it for me.

apophylite

There's a product by decleor called circulagel that I buy for my hubby that really helps his restless legs.

lovesymphony

I suffered from severe RLS for years until I discovered it was being triggered by caffeine and sugar. I have to check the sugar content on everything, even if it doesn't taste sweet If I have over 15 grams of sugar in one day I'll probably feel some RLS at night.The more sugar I have, the worse it will be.

I read that iron supplements help half the people who have RLS, although they didn't help me. It's apparently caused by low dopamine in the brain, and iron is supposed to increase the dopamine. Vitamin E helps some people, which could be because it helps iron absorption. Some nutritionists help people determine what they're body's lacking. Hope you find the help you need. RLS can be horrible to live with.

Rar

I also have restless legs. I spoke about the soap thing with my doctor and he had also heard about it and said it does work for some people. However, both I and the doc read that it has to be Ivory Soap. Incidentally, it didn't work for me. I had a sleep study and restless legs was confirmed. I was prescribed a med, but the med made my skin feel weird, so I stopped. Since quitting drinking, I've had only a couple of episodes. I'm hoping the longer I stay sober, the better my legs will feel. I am in day 39.

Rar

I have also found that heavy exercise or lots of walking will make my legs worse.