Restless Leg Syndrome Sufferer?

I never realised what I always called 'The Jiggles' was a defined syndrome with attendant pharamacorp meds.

I find that it soothes my nervous system in times of stress and only occurs when seated. I've found that it only occurs when I flex the soles of my feet a certain way and let the weight of my legs rest on that point, a few seconds later my leg will jiggle...after a little while of 'the jiggles' i find myself experiencing a mild rush of endorphins resulting from the rapid muscle spasms in my calfs and knees

could it be an unconcious reflexive action by the body to ensure another fix of the body's (addictive) natural painkillers by triggering a spasmodic episode of muscle contractions to cause an endorphin release?

I have had the night time version. Which is one of the most maddening things ever. YOu want to fall asleep, but you have to keep moving and tossing and turning.

Now, supposedly the stuff in tonic water helps. STrictnine? or whatever.

I had a severe bout of it for three weeks, thought I was going to go out of my mind. While doing some research on it, I read that having really low iron can cause it. Since I have always dealt with anemia, I started triple dosing and wahla! it went away.

Now men don't tend to have iron problems so I don't know what the others could be. Though I don't think it would hurt to take your vitamins and supplements anyways.

Oh and one of the other causes is too much caffeine. I no longer touch caffeine after 5 to avoid it.

And a third reason I have also seen here is lack of exercise can also cause it.

[edit on 1-1-2009 by nixie_nox]

reply to post by Taikonaut


There is a difference between restless leg and anxiety jiggle.
Restless leg tends to occur at night, when you are trying to fall asleep.You are struck with this irrisitable desire to have to move your legs, stretch, walk, toss and turn. And to try to hold still fills you with creepy crawlies.

The need to jiggle occurs when your are filled with anxiety so you release some of the tension through moving your foot or leg, and this can occur at any time. You can tell if a person is feeling tense during a conversation because they will be wiggling or kicking their foot.

Originally posted by space cadet
reply to post by theRiverGoddess

 

Thanks Goddess, whether it is a placebo effect or not, if it works I will try it.

SpaceC..................how did this go?
I am so curious as to the outcome............

reply to post by tigpoppa


RLS has been around a long time. Someoen finally just put a name to it.Before being called rls we just called it jittery leg syndrome.

There are plenty of conditions that have been around before being recongized.

RLS is an irritating condition, and it can have adverse effects on your health (lack of sufficient sleep doesn't help anyone). I prescribe requip for my patients that have tried all other avenues first (exercise, proper diet (to include appropriate levels of magnesium and potassium)). Quinine water can be very effective... but make sure to take as little as possible to achieve a therapudic effect. (Too much quinine isn't a good thing).

Space Cadet, I would be very interested in knowing if your condition occured only after this accident, or if it got worse. I found a study about spinal lesions and vascular damage to the attending vessels that might explain part of your condition.

RLS and Trauma

I hope that this helps a bit.

Wow, I'm going into the pharmaceutical business. Some time last year, and I'll have to retrace exactly where it was, an ad agency guru was explaining that a pharmaceutical company came to his agency with a pill that did nothing. Nothing good, nothing bad, but they wanted to sell it and they needed a disease to go with it. So his agency invented Restless Leg Syndrome. Pure and simple.

Those of you who suffer from this would most likely be cured by... Exercise. Your legs are simply not moving enough the way they are meant to. Remember, our ancestors were nomads for much longer than they were sedentary. We're made for walking. Take a walk, solve the problem.

reply to post by ajmusicmedia


I am sorry but it is not a need to exercise, and it is a very real condition. I walk reguarly, and on my job I walk probably a mile or so a night, the condition forces you to move and stretch your legs, but not because you haven't done so. I have noted that it is equal, I have the same level of discomfort regardless, and I currently do daily strength exercises for my back and legs, and still have RLS.

If you are one of those smokers out there, beware!! ..RLS is a precondition to getting Buerger's Disease.

reply to post by theRiverGoddess


To answer how this has helped me: I tried the tonic water, it seemed to help because I actually haven't had a sleeping bout with rls for a few weeks now, I still have a problem while at work though, I walk, I stretch, I do stretching techniques that I have learned thought therapy, but it continues to bother me anytime I sit for 30 min or so, sometimes even less.

reply to post by The cult of Osiris


omg, what a horrible condition! At first I thought the disease sounded like what myhusband has, 'burger disease', aka inablity to say no to Mcdonalds!

reply to post by space cadet

Gnarly huh!

Sitting for long periods of time may be a huge part of the problem. I've noticed before that going for at least a one mile walk every other day helped with blood flow around the tailbone area. Especially if you're having numbness and there.

You should check for all body symptoms.

Other things could be related to your diet, so, you might want to see a dietician.Toxins can build up in your body etc. Your hair, skin and fingernails may also be a clue to your health issues.


I stopped eating raised bread and yeast contained products. Also look into to leaky gut. If you have acid reflux or gerd, this can also be a sign of acidosis and or poor or the wrong gut flora and metabolism.

Look into an elimination diet since this sounds like part of your problem at work.

I was 'in the past' lactose intolerant and have been eating plain non-fat yogurt adding grade A 100% real maple syrup and lemon juice. I buy it in quart containers and usually about 6 large tablespoon spoonfuls to about one tablespoon of maple syrup to taste and about a teaspoon or less of lemon juice.

I was taking Calcet for the cramps before just so I could fall to sleep at night.

I think the main ingredient that helps might be D3. If you don't get much sun, than maybe you have a vitamin D deficiency.

RLS is caused by toxins in the food. I had the condition for years. It stopped when I changed my diet to organic and completely stopped eating processed food. All my other medical conditions disappeared as well (headaches, body pain, fatigue, depression).

Whenever I DO occasionally eat processed food (like when I stay at my parents houses for the holidays), my RLS returns temporarily (and my other medical conditions) but magically disappears once I get back on my own diet.

Don't let the media trick you into thinking you need medication for this condition (like all the other medical conditions). Just stop eating the standard gov't issue poison and you'll be fine.

Interesting, I had this problem once in a while, when I am very anxious, last until the source of my anxiety goes away.

Funny that I think we all experience this once in a while, and remember that most children does experience this during their growing years.

I take calming teas to ease the tension and anxiety without going into big Pharma money making scam with pills.

But I can only talk about my symptoms and how I deal with, I guess is people that always going to need more than meditation, breathing and teas to help them with this problem.

Me, I do anything to stay away from medications.

Originally posted by schrodingers dog


Try to avoid RLS drugs, they have the strangest side affects.

But the drugs have serious side effects - one of the more bizarre involves a propensity for uncontrolled sexual or gambling impulses

bb/Cons.Report

More info at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

You mean uncontrolled sexual impulses are the results of side effects, man that must mean someone is spiking my milkshakes. And they have been doing it since I was 12.

Originally posted by annestacey
RLS is caused by toxins in the food.

Whenever I DO occasionally eat processed food (like when I stay at my parents houses for the holidays), my RLS returns temporarily (and my other medical conditions) but magically disappears once I get back on my own diet.

Just stop eating the standard ... poison and you'll be fine.

I agree that toxins are a contributing factor...
equal to sugar intake, even too much carbs sets my leg jitters off,
being a little dehydrated also adds to the likelyhood that a RLS episode will result.


my remedy,
when the nerves & nerve ends in the legs start firing off radically,
i do a series of calesthetics, like jogging-in-place, squats, toe-rises..
I seems as soon as i burn off that carb/suger energy,
the symptoms disappear.... oh, i take a swig of water too.


thanks,

I have it and so does my mother and my doctor said there could be a genetic link. It got much worse when I tried SSRI anti-depressants though some people get better on those. I got much worse. I felt like I could never stretch enough - especially my spine but I could never stop moving my feet at night and sometimes the movements were like violent jerks. I really felt bad when I kicked our cat.
I've heard about a bar of soap under the blanket for arthritis pain but I haven't tried it for RLS.

Interesting but people that takes certain drugs can get worst while taking medications for this condition.

This brings me to something that I have noticed also when I get one of my sporadic episodes, sometimes I have them after taking certain over the counter medication for cold and allergies.

Does that rings a bell on anybody?

I've noticed with some of these meds and with benadryl I would have a spider crawling sensation on the right side of my face. I think this is what they call aura or a mild seizure? idk.

I've also found out I am sensitive to salicylates which is the main ingredient in aspirin and are also in many foods and high in spices such as chili pepper and curry.

I mainly just use garlic, lemon juice, malt vinegar and sea salt now. I used to have migraines so bad that I used to see white spots and had vertigo etc. My kids are now on anti-siezure medication.

I think much of this is possibly related to highly resistant bacteria and parasites. I never did like lunch meat anyway.My mom almost died from a listeria bacteria that went to her brain that was supposedly in processed polish sausage and lunch meat.