Tylenol (acetaminophen) Arthritis

Thanks for the feedback! I take it about 1 hour before bed. My RLS comes and goes so I didn't take it the other night to see if it had subsided and it was gone. What you mentioned about under eating makes total sense. In addition, I have noticed that my RLS gets worse after little or no activity, say laying around the house all day. Mine started with mild symptoms after I detoxed from alcohol and started having anxiety and depression. I have a theory that it may be caused by muscle fatigue in our legs, decreased peripheral circulation, and prolonged stress and anxiety causing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to overly sensitize our nerves. Normally we do not feel our body functioning, because the parasympathetic nerves hold the sympathetic nerves in check. It is only when we are overwrought (angry, afraid, excited) that the sympathetic nerves dominate the parasympathetic and we are conscious of certain organs functioning and have an increase in somatic complaints. Anger, fear, stress and excitement will dominate our nerves. I am also convinced that dopamine plays a role. I say that because my RLS got very bad after taking hydrocodone for a while for an injury and then stopping abruptly when I ran out. While I was on the hydrocodone I had zero RLS and felt euphoric because dopamine was being released. Rather than increasing dopamine wth meds though, I think it's healthier to address our overall health and to avoid stress and combat it with a balance of rest and exercise, healthy diet, meditation, massage and any other healthy coping mechanisms. Too strenuous dieting, an exhausting surgery, debilitating illness, hemorrhage, a breakup, an argument, accident, work stress, will all perpetuate a fear, adrenalin, fear cycle and over sensitize our nerves. Even anemia. Some of us maybe fluctuating between a normal red blood cell count and abnormal. Maybe that's why iron helps- because it helps increase RBCs? So I say again balance, avoid and treat stress, even healthy adrenalin producing stress like roller coasters. Treat the dull ache in your legs with Tylenol arthritis, balance rest and light to moderate exercise. Meditate. Pray to your higher power when you feel powerless, lose weight at a healthy rate. I think this a syndrome that a fast paced, technologically advanced, alienating, poor eating, decreased physical activity, anxious and depressed society has caused and why we and doctors are so bewildered. By the way I've heard people recommend hot baths. It probably helps because it promotes relaxation and combats stress. Same with massage. Getting up and walking around helps because your full of adrenaline trying to sit still! More over weight people have it because the stress hormone cortisol causes weight gain.

Interesting!  I will have to make note of whether stress can bring on an attack.  Age and hormones for sure.  I've said this before on here, but scientists have found that we with RLS have shoddy dopamine receptors.  The receptors assist in transporting the dopamine from our brains (where scientists claim we have plenty of dopamine - maybe more than average) down our spines (aka the central nervous system) to our  legs and arms (peripheral nervous system) and quiets them.  As we age so do ALL parts of our bodies, including those dopamine receptors that are pretty bad to begin with.  So last night I was watching TV and had RLS.  I thought what the heck triggered it.  Then I remembered that I took a Tagamet (antacid).  One little tiny pill, that's all it takes these days to trigger an episode.  The proton pump inhibitors are more RLS friendly but I don't want to take a daily pill, I prefer to wait until I'm suffering .

I'm a woman but my RBC is that of a very healthy male.  Yet it does nothing to help my RLS.  What does help is taking one bio-available iron pill during an attack on an empty stomach as described above.  We need iron, not so much for our RBC but for our dopamine receptors.  Iron makes our receptors stronger.  But our brains can't call iron up from our stores.  That's the other thing that scientists found, the brains of people with RLS are very low on iron, basically anemic, but not our bodies.  How strange is that?  Anyways, it seems (at least for me) that while that iron is in my bloodstream (not my gut - that's why I have to take a good form) my brain can pick it up and the RLS will go for the night.  But by the dawn's early light, that iron is gone, or stored, and I have to repeat next time I get an attack.  So iron is not a cure.  If it were then none of us would have RLS.

So undereating and iron will shore up our receptors, albeit temporarily.  It's amazing what a day to day thing RLS is, and how the littlest things can trigger it or suppress it.  I swear, I truly believe that one day of under-eating can help.  Then there are substances which will "force" a release of dopamine from our brains.  Pain killers and dopamine agonists (such as Mirapex) will force this release of dopamine from our brains to our central nervous system.  Then there are natural substances that will do this like a pretty large amount of potassium, or tumeric or the quinine in tonic water.  Quinine is a drug so I really shouldn't include it as a natural (or healthy) dopamine agonist.  But if you're desperate I guess it can't hurt that much.

So once again, I am left wondering what it is about acetominophin that gets rid of the RLS.  RLS isn't in the legs, or the arms, where people feel it, it's all in the brain.  And yes, surgery, especially if spinal anesthia was used can trigger or worsen RLS.  So can any injury to the back/spinal column.  Anything that creates a bump or road block to that dopamine that's going down our spines on its way to quieting our legs and arms will give us RLS.  The vast majority of the world can have spinal anesthia or injure their back and never have so much as a night of RLS.  But it seems that those of us that are born with shoddy receptors can't afford anything that interferes with our pathetic stream of dopamine.

You don't need a prescription. It's sold over the counter. Basically it's Tylenol Arthritis.

Paracetomal has never worked for me, before I started with this dreadful RLS, tried it for colds, headache, but only got relief with cocodamol, no point trying this. 

Definitely need more research into this condition as I don't think some people realise how RLS rules your life. I did a lot of voluntary work in my church which I really enjoyed, loved the company and the laughter with the people there, but about 6 months ago I resigned from all of my duties, I felt I couldn't commit myself anymore because of non sleep. People were sympathatic at first, but have noticed a difference in their approach to me now when I do get the chance to go I feel shunned by some, if it wasn't for my sister in law and a few good friends I probably wouldn't go. We need more drugs made available through research for all of us who suffer from RLS. Could we not form a charity into research for this  to make awareness of this condition.

It is a terrible debilitating condition and should, in severe cases, be classed as  a disability. However, unlike people in wheelchairs etc. people do not see the debilitating effect this horrendous condition has upon sufferers. I am a wannabe musician and go to open mic's once a week but have contemplated giving up because of the RLS after a night out. There is a UK charity dedicated to RLS we should support. RLS.org

Emis Moderator comment: The site given above is a USA site, the UK RLS support group is as below.

https://rls-uk.org/

Couldn't agree with you more, when asked if legs jump, tell them the sensation is like snakes running up and down in both legs and upper arms one reply I got was try quinnine (if only). Will go on this site, my point being we learn a lot about Parkinsons disease, heart disease, MS, etc. and we donate to these charities, but nothing I am aware of regarding RLS, this being such a horrendous condition.