I have always heard of RLS in terms of jumpy, jerky legs. In my experience, I would describe it as if my veins/nerves were being filled with a chemical, or an extreme caffeine high. I get momentary relief by squeezing my muscles, but it comes back immediately. The best relief comes from exercise. I get up and do 50 jumping jacks. The sensation comes while in bed or sitting in a chair and affects my legs and arms. I regularly exercise, weigh 150 and consume almost no caffeine. It began last year or so and seems to be getting worse. I am 63.
Published: June 23
Ever since I was a little girl, I had RLS. When I sleep at night, I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling very uncomfortable around my calf area. I would have to get up and move around, or do some kinds of leg exercise to relief the feeling around my leg area. If I don't move around, the feeling gets worse and extends to my thighs and almost feels like soreness. For some reasons, RLS only occur to me when the weather is hot. It happened more often when I was young and now it occurs around twice a month.
RLS is the bane of my life. It starts off with a pricking sensation like pins and needles (but in slow motion) in my lower legs, and from then on, whatever I do, my legs start kicking out and twitching – about once every three seconds or so. This can go on for several hours resulting in continued loss of sleep. When things get bad, I also end up taking some sort of pain relief just to get a few hours respite and fall asleep. It's weird that if I want to 'catch up' with some sleep during the day, my legs stay in one place while I doze yet at night it's completely opposite. I have found that raising the end of the bed substantially seems to help.
Published: June 23
I have suffered with painful RLS for a few years. My symptoms are present 24 hours a day and are in my legs (upper and lower), hips, arms, neck and chin. I have been on many meds but Tramadol is the only one that if I take it 3 to 4 times a day actually provides any relief. I also get the symptoms so bad at times that I can't walk. This happens at least once a week.
Excessive sleepiness to extreme sleepiness has infected me for four or so years. I have had several sleep studies diagnose apnea, narcolepsy, and finally RLS. I have started out with Requip and tried higher doses but have remained on IMG. At first I thought it was a miracle drug. I slept and felt alert and awake. Now it is, I think, making me groggy or sleepy the next day, defeating its purpose. If someone doesn't wake me and cause me to get out of bed, I will remain in bed all day. What to do, I don't know. I surely do not want to return to the state I was in before I started Requip. Also, I knew that I was jumpy at rest, jumping as if someone had stuck me with a cattle prod but otherwise I had no idea that I had some restless leg problem until a sleep study showed it. I have had my share of medical problems but this sleep disorder is the worst problem I have ever had. I'm talking about cervical osteotomies, halos and body braces, nerve damage and staff infections.
It feels like someone is running their finger up the sole of my foot (I'm quite ticklish) and it makes my legs jump. Generally one side is stronger than the other, though both seem to be active at the same time. I can never tell when it's coming, and sometimes it only lasts a few minutes, but other times it can go the whole night.
Sometimes a hot bath helps, or doing some exercises or stretches centered on my feel (calf lifts or walking on my toes). It doesn't always work though, and I've found sleep aids most definitely don't help.
Just last night it kept me up all night, and I had to call in to work this morning. I was finally able to get some sleep after a cup of coffee with muscle relaxers and Ambien.
Published: July 08
I have had RLS for many years now and have tried many different drugs to help the symptoms. I now am on 4 mg of Requip and 36 mg of Neurontin a day. I also take 5 mg of Zanax at bedtime. It seems like nothing is really working for any length of time now. I don't know where else to turn as far as what else there is out there that I haven't tried.
Published: July 08
I experience uncontrollable, extreme jerks in the legs. Usually it happens when I am driving, or at night in bed. I have pulled the car over several times it can become unsafe to drive. I hold the knee and squeeze it tight. Stretching my calves and hamstrings is the only thing that I have found that gives me relief. Sometimes I stretch for 10-20 minutes before I start feeling anything beginning to work. It comes and goes sporadically. I am 36 years old.
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I have always heard of RLS in terms of jumpy, jerky legs. In my experience, I would describe it as if my veins/nerves were being filled with a chemical, or an extreme caffeine high. I get momentary relief by squeezing my muscles, but it comes back immediately. The best relief comes from exercise. I get up and do 50 jumping jacks. The sensation comes while in bed or sitting in a chair and affects my legs and arms. I regularly exercise, weigh 150 and consume almost no caffeine. It began last year or so and seems to be getting worse. I am 63.