I have a prescription for Requip, but I stopped drinking any caffeine in the evenings. If I drink anything with caffeine at night, my legs start acting up.

I do not suffer from RLS, but have family members who do. They share on Old Wives Tale and swear by it. Take a bar of soap (not ivory or dove) and put it between the fitted sheet and mattress at the foot of the bed. How does it work? Dunno, but they swear it does. Also, it costs almost nothing and the worst thing that can happen is that your sheets will get soapy!

I find that acetominophen about an hour before bed helps me.

I hav a slight case of rls and find that it usually means my legs are too cold. Try simply putting an extra blanket on the bed to sleep all night.

I'm 41 years old and I've had RLS since I was in my twenties. Years ago I took a prescribed medication called Quinine and for the last several years I've taken a prescribed medication called Sinemet. Quinine didn't work for me and the Sinemet used to work with 1 pill right before bedtime. Now I have to take 3 pills a few hours before I go to sleep in order for the medication to work. If I wait too long to take the meds and my legs get relaxed, the jerking in my legs is absolutely uncontrollable and will last up to two hours until the medication starts working. It's such and uncomforable feeling and each year it seems to get worse. What used to be at bedtime only, now happens when I relax at all and that's not to mention the tightness underneath my knees, the aching and leg cramps. Unless a person has RLS, they just can't imagine how awful it feels and how frustrating it is to not be able to get it under control. Relaxing, riding in an airplane or car, sitting at the movie theater, it's all interrupted by RLS. I asked my doctor if I could try Requip but he said the medication I take works in a similar way as Requip. I also asked him if I'm in my 40's now and started out with 1 pill only to increase to 3 pills, what will I do as I get older and it doesn't feel as if 3 pills are doing the job any longer. He said I would be okay if I had to take up to 8 Sinemet a day in the future, but who wants to take that many pills just to control RLS.

My neurologist recommended a very low dose of Mirapex, a parkinson's medication that works very well when nothing else, like a long walk, helps.

I HAD RLS FOR YEARS, HAVING IT KEEP ME FROM SLEEPING AND I WOULD GET UP AND WALK AROUND THE HOUSE FOR AN HOUR OR SO, THEN TRY AGAIN TO GO TO SLEEP. THE EXPERIENCE OF RLS IS EXTREEMLY FRUSTRATING AND THE LACK OF SLEEP MAKES ME VERY TENSE AND JUMPY. I NOW TAKE REQUIP EACH NIGHT. I SEE NO SENSE OF WAITING FOR THE PROBLEM TO START EACH NIGHT, AND IF TAKING REQUIP PROTECTS MY NERVES AND SLEEP, I WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE IT. I ALSO HAVE FYBROMYALGIA AND NEVER PUT THE TWO TOGETHER. THE FYB. HAS NOW ATTACKED MY NERVOUS SYSTEM AND MY RIBS ARE SO PAINFUL I CANNOT FUNCTION. I AM ON LYRACA FOR THIS, AND IT HELPS, BUT IT IS NOT A CURE, AND SOME NIGHTS I STILL LIE AWAKE WITH THE PAIN. THIS LEAVES ME DEPRESSED, AS MOST CRONIC PAIN SYNDROMES DO, AND I SEE NO HELP IN SIGHT. I HAVE SEEN OVER 12 DOCTORS, SOME SPECIALISTS WITH NO DIAGNOSIS THAT WILL GIVE ME HOPE. I CONTINUE DOING AS MUCH AS I CAN, AND TRY TO KEEP MY SENSE OF HUMOR. GOD SURELY HAS A LESSON IN THIS FOR ME TO LEARN. I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO CONTINUE STUDYING FOR TOO MUCH LONGER.

As does Lindalou I also suffer from Fybro, I had not thought about the two being tied together, but I can see where that is a possibility. I have suffered from RLS since I was a child. The Dr's would tell my Mother it was growing pains, as I got older I began to feel like dang am I never gonna stop growing? I used to get up and just walk the floors and cry, then I tried muscle relaxers, no help there except for being groggy. I now take an OTC product called Legatrin, it says it is for leg cramps, but it has sure eased my RLS. Be warned it is a nighttime formula, and I have not seen a daytime version. Wal-mart is the cheapest place I have been able to find it, Like $8.00 for 30 tablets, but well worth it to me.

I too have suffered from RLS since childhood. My RLS has gotten worse with age and time. I really appreciate reading from others that suffer with RLS and how they deal with it. I'm now on Requip but if I don't take it early in the evening I still suffer. The requip does make me sleepy though. Exercise helps and if you're fortunate to have a hot tub that seems to help relax my legs. Because I sit all day at my job, I suffer during the day also. I have started drinking tonic water mixed with juice during the day. It seems to help. The quinine in the tonic water is the key. Thanks for all the advice. Wishing all of you rest from RLS.

I have had restless legs for many years. Did a study for the drug Requip but found that it makes me groggy the next day. I take a Hot bath before going to bed and this seems to help more than anything.

Mariann,

I used to have a lot of trouble with RLS. I tried several over the counter things such as quinine, but I was allergic to quinine. My doctor prescribed Requip. It has worked wonders on my symptoms. I take one every evening a few hours before bedtime, and have no trouble. Some people who have problems during the day have to take it in the AM and PM.

I also have Fibromyalgia and take Lyrica in the AM and PM. It does seem to help my overall pain. I have to have injections for my low back pain. I also have an autoimmune disease called Dermatomyositis which I take Enbrel injections for. I guess with all that medication, I get around pretty well. I have some bad days and some good days.

Good Luck!

Hi,

I have found that a magnesium supplement taken with a glass of milk about a half an hour before bedtime really helps my RLS and helps me sleep through the night. You also might want to try a tumeric supplement during the day.

Hope this helps.

Hi,
I to suffer tremendously with RLS and it's started creeping (no pun intended) into my upper body. I've been taking Requip, which to me is a Godsend!!!! But before I would get up and stand on 1 leg and do a knee bend about 3 to 4 times, then switch to the other leg and do the same thing. I'd do this about 3 times per leg, then when my arms would act up I'd do push ups on the counter with my arms and it would calm them down so I could sleep. I take 1 mg of the Requip and have had no side effects except a good nights sleep

Hi, I find that taking 500mg. of Magnesium a day relaxes me and I don't have a problem anymore. It only took about 4-5 days to kick in. Hope it works for you.

Drink 1 teaspoon of Braggs organic apple cider vinegar in a cup of water each day. That works and so does 1 to 2 oz of Himalayan Goji Juice in the morning. (the Goji juice will take 2-3 weeks to work but pays off because it gives you energy too-not harmful just berries-Dr Oz recommends)