RLS issues at 17, should I be worried?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I had restless legs for the first time when I was 14 or 15. I never thought much of it since it was a one time thing. Of course, I'd jerk my legs for relief but I still couldn't sleep so I'd sleep on the floor which seemed to help. It happened now and then the past few years but suddenly returned worse this year. I got it during the day at school, sitting at my desk. In my arms even. Now its happening every night, and nothing works. I toss and turn and sleep on the floor, massage my legs, use a cold pack. Finally I'll fall asleep after hours half awake. I recently did some research on this but didn't find much. I did find that its rare in younger people, which was surprising. I'm wondering, how do I know if it will continue to get worse or fade away? I'm worried that it'll become worse.
0 likes, 4 replies
charlie19 Hnhgroff
Posted
Hi I too have had restless legs for years, together with twitching in the calves. It was never a massive problems until last yr when I also developed CFS....and the latter has badly worsened the restless legs. It has also come with horrible cramps and numbness in the toes. So yes I suppose it can get worse although mine has to do with CFS. It does keep me awake and so far I have no medication for it. Not sure if this helps.
robgau Hnhgroff
Posted
I also had restless legs as a kid but didn't know what it was. It got worse over the years and I'm 58 now. I've tried all kinds of supplements, Requip, stretching, hot showers, magnesium, folic acid, barley grass, etc... The things I've found that help the most: 1. Don't eat after 7PM 2. Try to cut back or eliminate sweets and fried greasy foods 3. Coffee, cokes and artificial sweeteners aggravate it. Right now I quit taking the Requip because over time it makes it worse. So every night I take 2 18mg Bisglycilinate Iron, 1mg melatonin, 400mg folic acid, and 1 naproxen sodium. Seems to work for me most nights. I only weigh around 150 lbs. I used to eat cooked spinach every night before 7PM and that helped A LOT but I'm not really a fan of spinach so that got old quickly. I'm guessing the iron, magnesium, and folic acid all helped. A couple of things you could try are Magnesium Citrate powder before bed. Some people swear by it. It seems to help sometimes but not as well as what I'm taking now. Someone else says a very strict diet for irritable bowel syndrome just about gets rid of it completely. Eating healthy definitely helps and figuring what food or drinks make it worse and eliminating or cutting way back on those will help. For during the day I keep caffeine tablets cut into 4 (1/2 cup of coffee with me). If my legs are bothering me I can usually take one of those 50mg quarter tablets with a full glass of water. I'm guessing it helps with circulation maybe. Sorry if I rambled. It's miserable to have to get up and take 3 hot showers during the night or get up several times a night to stretch. I haven't had to do either of those in quite some time. Good luck. Wish you the best!
Hnhgroff robgau
Posted
Hi! Thanks for the reply. I am going to try and uphold a healthier diet from now on, since I've heard from many people that it helps. Also, I actually tried Magnesium powder last night and it worked great. Thanks again for the helpful tips.
Hnhgroff
Posted
Hi! Thanks for the reply. I am going to try and uphold a healthier diet from now on, since I've heard from many people that it helps. Also, I actually tried Magnesium powder last night and it worked great. Thanks again for the helpful tips.