Restless Legs.......??

Only4Justice · Jul 18, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/07/18/restless.legs.ap/index.html

Scientists have linked certain genes to restless legs syndrome, suggesting the twitching condition described as "jimmy legs" in a "Seinfeld" episode is biologically based and not an imaginary disorder.

New studies published this week in two top medical journals are being called the first to identify specific genes responsible for restless legs syndrome symptoms.

Research in the New England Journal of Medicine, linked a common gene variation to nighttime leg-twitching. It involved people in Iceland and the United States.

A second study in Nature Genetics identified the same gene variation and two others in Germans and Canadians with restless legs syndrome.

"This discovery demonstrates the power of genetics not only for uncovering the biological causes of disease, but also for defining diseases such as RLS and establishing them as medical conditions," said Dr. Kari Stefansson, in a prepared statement.

Stefansson is a prominent Icelandic scientist and a co-author of the New England Journal of Medicine study.

~snip~

The new research doesn't pin down what the condition is, who has it, or what medication is needed, he wrote in an e-mail.

~rest of article at link~

I have this....I got it at the same time I got another chronic illness.

IT IS REAL. I take Klonopin for it. (one of ANS's favorites!)

Does anyone else out there have this?

Nocgirl · Jul 18, 2007

I don't have it but I imagine this is very uncomfortable.

I know Mirapex and Requip are prescribed for it as well, my husband is a pharma rep for the company that makes Mirapex.

dingo · Jul 18, 2007

I have this too O4J and some nights it drives me crazy.....mine comes and goes....its a weird sensation and hard to describe...sort of like an itch you cant scratch.

JBean · Jul 18, 2007

I know many poeple that suffer from it.

dingo · Jul 18, 2007

My girlfriend has it too and she uses an old remedy of placing wine corks in a bag and propping her feet up with them.....dont ask me how or why ,but she gets relief with this method.

JBean · Jul 18, 2007

lol I didn't have any idea this was NOT already considered a real condition. how odd.

dark_shadows · Jul 18, 2007

Dear Only4Justice,
I have that and it is a pain.
I do the same thing that the woman in this commercial does;

Requip commercial

Respectfully,
dark_shadows

JP76ER · Jul 18, 2007

I have Multiple Sclerosis & I know they are using Baclofen for Restless Legs Syndrome now. It's a muscle relaxant & an antispastic drug used for MS patients. My sister has RLS & she takes Baclofen. I moved on to Zanaflex & I haven't heard anything yet if they are using it for RLS. It works better for me than Baclofen & my dosage has not changed since they put me on it around 8 years ago. I was taking Klonopin for panic/anxiety disorder & it worked too well for my legs! I was falling a lot so they they switched me to Xanax which works great at a lower dosage & my legs stay strong. I have had only one fall since. I wish you all with RLS the best, I know that spasms in the legs make for a bad night's sleep.

Only4Justice · Jul 18, 2007

The Requip commercial shows the condition very well, dark shadows. And, I would also agree with your description too, Dingo. Like an itch you can't scratch. It's a horrible feeling, dont'cha think? I've been awaken in the night with the most uncomfortable feeling in my legs. I take the Klonopin and it goes away. I like Klonopin too because I have alot of anxiety and it works for that too.

I wonder if there is any connection with MS....I actually have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and I got the restless legs at exactly the same time...going on about 5 years ago. My rheumatologist says that although there is no proven scientific link, she has "an awful lot" of RA patients with restless legs too. I think somehow MS is in the same family of diseases as RA...Anyone know? Is MS an immune-system disease?

When I first got it, it never awakened me, but I sure did wake my husband up alot of the time with my kicking!!

Thank God for the medications.

dingo · Jul 18, 2007

Ive suffered with it for around 15 years now O4J and I have no other ailments....its a horrible feeling and some nights I have to get up so as not to wake hubby.....on a bad night Ill kick and squirm till all hours.

dark_shadows · Jul 18, 2007

link about iron deficiency and Restless Leg Syndrome

link
In some people with restless legs syndrome, anemia due to iron deficiency may be a contributing factor, while in others restless legs syndrome has been linked to pregnancy, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney failure, varicose veins or peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage in the hands and feet). High caffeine intake (coffee, tea, cola beverages, chocolate) also may be related to restless legs syndrome.

dingo · Jul 18, 2007

Thanks for the link d_s..

Love_Mama · Jul 18, 2007

JP76ER said:
I have Multiple Sclerosis & I know they are using Baclofen for Restless Legs Syndrome now. It's a muscle relaxant & an antispastic drug used for MS patients. My sister has RLS & she takes Baclofen. I moved on to Zanaflex & I haven't heard anything yet if they are using it for RLS. It works better for me than Baclofen & my dosage has not changed since they put me on it around 8 years ago. I was taking Klonopin for panic/anxiety disorder & it worked too well for my legs! I was falling a lot so they they switched me to Xanax which works great at a lower dosage & my legs stay strong. I have had only one fall since. I wish you all with RLS the best, I know that spasms in the legs make for a bad night's sleep.

I have it too........but I'm guessing that alot of other people do too.
Yikes...............
so what should I do? I'm all over the bed. Good thing I'm not alone!

xxxxxxxxxxooooo
mama
:blowkiss: :blowkiss:

shdbepaintin · Jul 18, 2007

I have RLS, really pretty severely. In the sleep studies I have had it has shown to be quite frequent. Can't remember the number of occurences per hour, but it was high. My sleep doctor has had me on a NEURONTIN (gabapentin) for several years. Oh what a difference. This is one med that if I realize I am out of I would head to the 24 hr pharmacy to get filled. I use it every night.
It is not for RLS per say, it is a seziure med. But it works for RLS.
I also have sleep apnea and sleep with a BI PAP machine. I think the the apnea probably goes along with the RLS for me.
It is a very uncomfortable feeling.
I appreciate that RLS is getting more studies and treatments.

dingo · Jul 18, 2007

I know its not a life threating thing but it really does deprive one of sleep at times.....my hubby cant understand why some nights I cant keep still..

Love_Mama · Jul 18, 2007

Isn't this a great place to be: WS..........I would never ever in my life find so many answer's to so many problems. I am a mover when I sleep.
I move ALL ROUND. Leg and muscle problems, I just didn't know that it happened to anyone else.. So I guess, it's possibly common.

xxxxxxxooooo
mama
:blowkiss: :blowkiss:

meowy · Jul 19, 2007

I'm supposed to take requip for it, but it's a toss up.. don't take requip and possibly have to pace all night or take it and guarantee i'm up barfing my guts up for 5 hours. thought i'd get used to the medication but it's not going well for me. I take other medications so I think all of it combined is just bad news.

dingo · Jul 19, 2007

Love_Mama said:
Isn't this a great place to be: WS..........I would never ever in my life find so many answer's to so many problems. I am a mover when I sleep.
I move ALL ROUND. Leg and muscle problems, I just didn't know that it happened to anyone else.. So I guess, it's possibly common.

xxxxxxxooooo
mama
:blowkiss: :blowkiss:

Its more common than I thought it was Lovemama......sometimes I get a simlilar sensation in my shoulders....alot of my ailments Im starting to put down to old age setting in

Mygirlsadie · Jul 19, 2007

Hmm I just read where people with anemia and vericose veins can get restless leg syndrome?..I have been anemic for 14 years and I have vericose veins i'm only 32 but my inside of my ankles and the back of my knees look like i'm 92 years old...anyway sometimes I do get a really annoying feeling in my legs. It don't hurt but it's annoying I can't really explain it. Soooo those of you who do have it what does it feel like?

dingo · Jul 19, 2007

Exactly as you just described it Mygirlsadie..its an annoying feeling that wont go away.. as I said earlier its sort of like an itch you cant get too....its not painful but very very irratating

Restless Legs.......??

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