Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment Some Current Medications

A number of prescription drugs are available as restless leg treatments. You should be fully aware though that they all come with possible side effects and some severe downsides. The access and control of drugs varies from country to country so you will need to check with your doctor or pharmacists for local details.

Quinine Sulphate is generally prescribed for malaria or leg cramps but can be an effective for restless leg syndrome treatment. It’s initial use can be very effective but it is likely to become ineffective quite quickly if taken daily. There is a serious problem with overdose as the line between normal dose and overdose is quite small. Other serious side effects are only recently being understood and most practitioners will not now prescribe quinine except for malaria.

Levadopa is regularly prescribed as a restless leg syndrome treatment. The best known is probably Madopar. Current thinking believes that RLS stems from problems in the brain rather than the legs. This is supported by the almost absolute effectiveness of levadopa. Levadopa is a substance that the brain converts into dopamine which in turn controls the movement/brain interconnection. Unfortunately the body suffers from extreme nausea when it produces dopamine (as the drug will be in your whole body and not just your brain) so an additional drug (benserazide hydrochloride) is mixed with it to stop that side effect. Levadopa tablets or capsules come as 12.5/50 or 25/100 where the larger number is levadopa in mg and the smaller number is the anti nausea drug.

These drugs have a number of problems. Firstly they will become ineffective over time. Secondly they can cause augmentation where the actual symptoms can become worse, they can happen earlier in the day or later during the night and can can expand to other parts of the body. Taking higher doses work for a short while but the same cycle will continue. Side effects often include pains in the extremities i.e. feet and toes. Life threatening side effects are known when taking higher doses but this is more normally seen in Parkinson’s disease patients where levadopa is extensively used as a treatment. 200mg per day or more is considered a high dose.

See more on this in my previous post Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment Some More Current Medications

All you want is to get rid of those horrible feelings in your legs but drugs are not always the answer

What Are The  Restless Leg Syndrome Symptoms?

Restless leg syndrome is also known as Ekbom syndrome. Named after Dr Ekbom who characterized RLS as a creeping or crawling sensation in the legs over which you have no control, accompanied by an irresistible urge to move your legs. The symptoms generally appear when the suffer is at rest especially in the evenings or night time  The feeling has been given numerous descriptions by sufferers ranging from actual pain to burning or itching or even things crawling inside their legs. If you are a sufferer you will already know just how hard it is to describe the feelings.

The feelings in your legs can make it almost impossible for you to rest or sleep.  Lack of sleep aggravates the symptoms creating  a vicious circle of restless leg and fatigue. In severe cases the lack of sleep can make it impossible for the sufferer to perform normally during the day and can bring about all the side effects of sleep deprivation.

About 10 percent of the population is affected by this disorder. Anyone can get restless leg syndrome but it more commonly begins in middle age. Although many people are life long sufferers from early teens or even early school age. In many of these cases there appears to be a hereditary factor. Some other well know triggers are hormonal changes, diabetes, stress, and pregnancy. In the case of the later two the cessation of the cause (I.e. de-stressing or giving birth) will stop RLS symptoms immediately.

The symptoms of restless leg can be aggravated by drinking alcohol and by smoking. Some medications like antihistamines are also known cause or aggravate the restless leg syndrome symptoms.

When the symptoms start you just cannot keep those legs still.

Finding A Restless Leg Syndrome Cure?

At present, there is unfortunately not a single cure that will work for every single person suffering from restless leg syndrome. But it is possible to ease the symptoms for many sufferers, and if the cause of the restless leg syndrome can be determined and successfully treated, then the syndrome will cease to be a problem. Any of the activities below could be your restless leg syndrome cure.

With any case of restless leg syndrome the most important thing to do is to try to determine any underlying disease that could be causing the syndrome. For instance, iron deficiency anaemia can be a cause of restless leg syndrome, so your doctor may perform blood tests to check for it.

You should be checked for vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and if you have any they should be treated.  If either if the above is causing your symptoms this can seem like a miracle cure.

Reducing your caffeine and alcohol consumption and stopping smoking can sometimes make a big difference. You should look at any prescription drugs you are taking that could be causing the syndrome as a side effect.  Antihistamines for example are know to cause RLS as  side effect

Getting more sleep per night and increasing your level of daily exercise can also be highly beneficial for some individuals with restless leg syndrome. Warm baths, hot and cold packs and massage can also provide some benefit.

Stretching can provide immediate relief for some; the theory is that when you’ve kept your legs in one position for too long, the muscles in your legs contract, causing them to move. Try to touch your toes three times for fifteen seconds each.

Finally, a variety of prescription medications are used to try and cure restless leg syndrome, including quinine, levadopa, dopamine agonists, opiates and anti-convulsants. These should be a last resort and you should only use these drugs under the care of your doctor.

All these drugs have side effects or downsides so you should always try to find natural solution for your particular restless leg syndrome cure.

Straight legs, lock your knees and touch your toes. Pull and stretch the tendons at the back of the leg. It can be a little uncomfortable but can also be a quick fix.