Earlier I wrote about antiepileptics in connection with restless legs. Anticonvulsants are an alternative to dopamine agonists. A major drawback of dopamine agonists is that 50 to 80% of users experience augmentation. With augmentation, your complaints worsen and you need more and more of the medicine to have an effect. Antiepileptics can also have unpleasant … Read more
Several times I read in results of scientific research that people with RLS are highly sensitive to the so-called placebo effect. In such a study, the effect of medicines or, for example, a supplement such as iron is tested. Part of the research group gets the real drug. Another part is given a placebo. The … Read more
By coincidence, I read in an article on restless legs that sodium bicarbonate may play a role in restless legs. That piqued my interest. I wasn’t exactly sure what sodium bicarbonate is. At first I thought of a fellow sufferer who recently pointed out the importance of a good balance in your diet between sodium … Read more
I have heard from several fellow sufferers that they benefit from Vaporub for their restless legs. Vaporub seems to be a kind of panacea that helps with all kinds of ailments. Some fellow sufferers smear it in the back of the knees. Others layer around the Achilles tendon. I can imagine that you want to … Read more
With medicines there is always the possibility that you will suffer from side effects. It is no different for medication related to RLS. It is wise to find out what possible side effects are before taking a particular drug. I know, for example, that with certain medicines there is a very high chance of augmentation. … Read more
RLS is a serious condition. It would make you depressed… My restless legs have gradually gotten worse since 2016. Not a night goes by that I don’t suffer. Fortunately I am not depressed. However, I fully understand how difficult it is to struggle through fatigue every day. And I haven’t even mentioned the nights when … Read more
A fellow sufferer asked the question who suffered from restless legs while driving. There were quite a few reactions. Most people with RLS have symptoms at night. Some also have restless legs during the day when sitting. This can be very difficult if, for example, you do sedentary work or when you have to travel. … Read more
If you take medication for your restless legs, you may well have to taper off that medication at some point. In a severe form of RLS you will usually be prescribed a dopamine agonist. Restless legs are probably related to a lack of dopamine. Such a dopamine agonist mimics the action of dopamine. Dopamine agonists … Read more
If I’m to believe reports about this, it seems that doctors are increasingly opting for pregabalin when prescribing medication for restless legs. Previously, the choice usually fell on a dopamine agonist such as ropinirole or pramipexole. With these drugs, however, it appears that a large part of the people who take them have to deal … Read more
If, in consultation with your doctor or neurologist, you decide to take medication for your restless legs and/or for PLMD (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder), it would be good if you seriously consider the risk of augmentation. Actually, this is a topic to always bring up in the doctor’s office when it comes to dopamine agonists. … Read more
