Restless Leg Syndrome

My rls has gradually worsened over the years. I have never taken Amitrityline so I can't help there but my doctor has presribed Ropinirole which at least helps at night but nothing seems to help with the problem of resting during the day or as you say in the evening. Have you asked your gp to prescribe anything? Hopefully you have a sympathetic gp as I have as some seem to just dismiss the condition as a minor complaint.

You should certainly see your GP as he or she can help. I have tried magnesium oil which can help sometimes. I haven't tried tablets or extra iron but anything is worth a try. Unless someone suffers with this I don't think they can really understand what it is like.

My husband suffers badly from RLS and has tried various medications to no avail. Some will give him short-term relief and it's like his body gets used to the medication  after a while so we're back to square one again. I say 'we' because the partner suffers from this horrible condition too because of lack of sleep. What was the Amitriptyline prescribed for? Was that for RLS or for a different condition? I don't know much about these medications. Today my husband visitted the GP and was prescribed Sinemet for his RLS. Since this is used to help patients with Parkinsons disease I'm rather sceptical about its use for RLS because similar medications previously prescribed for my husband have given him very unpleasant side effects. I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried Sinemet and their comments on it. Thanks. Hope you get help too, Jean.   

I am recovering from bone/muscle pain - osteo malacia and muscle twitching in my legs due to a low vit d level found in a routine blood test. Low vit d can cause poor sleep and as already mentioned magnesium deficiency can cause muscle problems and RLS. After a high dosage of vit d from my GP over ten weeks my levels in a blood test have improved and my general sleep, anxiety, bone and muscle pain is reduced by 80% now. I took magnesium orally and in an epsom salt bath 3x per week with the prescribed vit d. too much magneium gives loose stools but I regulated the magnesium and took a slow released version. Also, before realising that my vit d was so low I was given amitriptyline which I decided not to start as I hate the idea of the side effects and just felt that there was something else going on with my body.

Hello Jean,

good luck with it all- there is a website called vitamin d council which gives advice and support and the arthritis society talk about the problems from low vit d. Alot of GP don't want to do the blood test as  it costs more apparently than a normal blood count test! There is a NHS hospital in Birmingham which runs tests by a DIY kit - prick your finger and drop blood onto a test card and then send it to them for diagnosis, but it costs £25 for a testing kit. This does allow you to get it done if your GP refuses. 

I wish you well

hi there, this is for jean and anyone else who suffers from restless leggs etc., I have suffered from it on and off for the last eight years. however, the last three have been shocking , so bad i wouldnt of trusted myself driving the next day in fear of falling asleep at the wheel. I am only fourty five yrs old too. I would sit down in the evening and most nights  i would start to get fidgety and be so tired but i just couldnt sit still. Then i would head off to bed, trying to sleep being so tired, i would wake up on h our later and couldnt get anymore, i would have fidgety arms too in the end. However, just about when i was all out of ideas, my doctor found i had low iron so she gave me a liquick iron surup, called Ferodan. Well, it was for iron levels, but it blew me away when i slept really well the first night i took it. Then night after night i slept well still, then  a night i forgot to take it i found i was a bit restless again. This iron works wonders and its been approximately two months now, I feel so happy , Please, people,. try it, it is worth it