@Mike_Mabes, there ARE legitimate medical treatments. No cures, mind you, but a LOT of valid treatments.
10+ years ago, the first line of defense was a dopamine agonist - such as Requip (ropinirole, which was one of the first meds officially FDA-approved for RLS), Mirapex (pramipexole) etc.
There were some problems with these. At higher doses, some unwanted behaviors could occur (impulse control etc.). Not typically at the doses used with RLS, but it can’t be ruled out. Also, rebound (symptoms coming back with a vengeance with the dose wore off) and augmentation (where your symptoms actually get worse after a time on a dopamine agonist). For those reasons, one of the recommendations (and this was from Earley / Allen - pioneers up at Johns Hopkins) was to take a “drug holiday” every year or so - a few weeks off of the medication.
The drug holidays aren’t terribly enjoyable. I’ve managed to stay on a fairly reasonable dose of Requip for something like 15 years, and I try to set aside about 2 weeks every year where I can pretty much be a zombie (I do have other meds on hand to help with sleep, such as a regular sleep aid).
The usual first course these days, as I understand it, is Neurontin (gapapentin) or one of the related drugs in that class such as Horizant or Lyrica.
There is a dopamine agonist patch that some people I knew online tried (Neupro) and weren’t terribly successful with, as far as I can recall; this was a few years ago.
Some doctors will even put patients on long-term opiates (including methadone) if other medications fail, though obviously that’s not ideal given the current opiate crackdown.
Nutrients are an issue. There were studies some years back (again, Allen / Earley; I hoped to participate but could not commit the time required) involving iron infusion, since lower levels of stored iron seem to correlate with worsening RLS symptoms. I don’t recall the mechanism - something about the brain not being able to process dopamine as well. In any case, RLSers are advised ti get their serum ferritin up to 50 or better yet 100; the normal range is 12 to 150 (women) or 12 to 300 (men) - so a level of 25 or so is fine for most people but if you’ve got RLS, you want it to be higher. Mine has always been 50 or above, but a few days after I broke my foot, mine was down to 27 this spring, so I’m now doing iron supplements.
I don’t know if other nutrients are an issue, but B12 is something that ought to be checked in general.
Other meds may also worsen things. I had an argument with my primary care doc, back in 2010; she wanted me to try Reglan for what she thought were stomach issues (whole 'nother tale there, which I’ve told before). I kept saying it would worsen my RLS. She hoped it wouldn’t. I took one dose - and guess who was right? I likened it to washing an antacid down with a tall glass of lemonade - the Reglan cancelled out the Requip.
What you’re describing is more like a hypnic / hypnagogic jerk (which, really, does sound like something you’d call someone as an insult, right?) - but those are usually an occasional annoyance, not as bad as what you describe. There is a version that happens while asleep, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, which has a strongish correlation with RLS. And there may well be a correlation between what you describe and RKS,
Have you discussed this with a doctor? Ideally a neurologist who specializes in RLS, or movement disorders, or a sleep specialist (who usually starts out as a neurologist).
You’re absolutely right that a bottle of wine at bedtime is not an ideal solution - for quite a lot of reasons (not the least of which is, it won’t help and will lead to even worse sleep later in the night).
Massage can be helpful for RLS (and possibly your issues), by temporarily distracting the body. I’ve been known to use a thumper-style massager on my legs - prior to my starting on Requip, and occasionally during my drug holidays.
You might get signed up for a sleep study. My definitive writeup on that topic is here.
As much as I dislike them: They aren’t necessarily all that useful in diagnosing RLS (which is the urge to move limbs as you are falling asleep - and thus is often diagnosed based on patient history), but can confirm the PLMD issues and also things like hypnic jerks, as well as other sleep-related issues.
So, if a doctor recommends one, read the linked posting, but just go ahead and do it.
If you are having trouble finding a doctor, the RLS foundation has some resources:
https://www.rls.org/treatment/find-a-healthcare-provider
Some neurologists are less than knowledgeable - like before I visited Allen / Earley, one was insistent that Sinemet (an older Parkinson’s drug, that had proven already to be problematic with RLS) and Klonopin (you sleep despite the RLS, but then you get hooked) were just dandy. To be fair, that was around 2000; one hopes that there’s better understanding out there now.
Bottom line, though: discuss with your primary care doctor. It’s his/her duty to steer you on this. If he/she is dismissive, or gives you bullshit advice, stand up for yourself.