# Restless Legs Syndrome **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 9, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881 "2005-09-09T21:37:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881/21 "2005-09-10T07:05:24Z")
> [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > My husband does the rhythmic leg twitch/arm flap thing. His doc told him it was related to his sleep apnea, and prescribed dopamine for it. It does help, but sometimes I have to wake him up in the middle of the night to take more (per doc’s instructions). I’ve never heard that RLS and sleep apnea are related (other than that they’re sleep disorders). They are often diagnosed at the same time, i.e., via a sleep study. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881/22 "2005-09-10T15:05:56Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I > My best solution ended up being Icy Hot on the offending limb. It seems to distract my brain away from the creeps long enough for me to fall asleep. > > My husband does this weird repetitive motion thing a lot while he’s asleep. I don’t know if that might be restless leg. A lot of people find that topical things can help the symptoms a bit - like the capsaicin-based creams. I don’t remember specifically hearing about Icy Hot but that would make sense. What your husband has sounds like PLMS (Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep, a.k.a. PLMD) which has a strong correlation with RLS - some large percentage of people who have one often have the other. I’ve got both. > [@susie derkins](#): > > I’ve only experienced this when I’ve taken too much Nyquil. That is miserable, lemme tell ya. You feel like crap, so you take the Nyquil so you can go to sleep, and your legs just won’t let you. Arrrrg! **Susie** - is there dipenhydramine (benadryl) in Nyquil? If so - that’s an antihistamine which is _very_ well known to aggravate RLS. So that doesn’t surprise me at all! Other antihistamines can aggravate it as well though I can take clor-trimeton w/ no problems that I can tell. > [@cheez\_whia](#): > > My husband does the rhythmic leg twitch/arm flap thing. His doc told him it was related to his sleep apnea, and prescribed dopamine for it. It does help, but sometimes I have to wake him up in the middle of the night to take more (per doc’s instructions). Google augmentation/rebound and RLS. The dopamine meds are well known for this. Means the symptoms come back with a vengeance when the drug wears off. My bag -o- tricks includes hot baths (especially when the symptoms manifest themselves as massive itching under the skin), a “thumper” (massage thingy, looks sorta like ET’s head with two hemispheres that vibrate) that can sometimes pound the symptoms into submission long enough to fall asleep, a saintly DH who massages my legs many/most nights, and occasionally a Sonata capsule at night. None work perfectly but they’ve kept me off the Big Guns (medically speaking) so far. I also try to avoid caffeine, which sometimes can aggravate the twitchies. Here’s a good website that has a lot of non-medication tips: [RLS Rebel](http://members.cox.net/gunzel/rls.html). [http://www.rls.org/](http://www.rls.org/) is an excellent source of RLS info also. Usual disclaimer: nothing I’m saying should be taken as substituting for medical advice, just trying to help educate, give you talking points for medical visits, etc. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881/23 "2005-09-10T15:31:41Z")
> [@Mama Zappa](#): > > A lot of people find that topical things can help the symptoms a bit - like the capsaicin-based creams. I don’t remember specifically hearing about Icy Hot but that would make sense. > > What your husband has sounds like PLMS (Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep, a.k.a. PLMD) which has a strong correlation with RLS - some large percentage of people who have one often have the other. I’ve got both. **MZ** , I just googled PLMS/D and it sounds exactly like him. I’ve commented in the past that he looks like a horse bothered by an annoying fly when he sleeps. He’ll be lying on his left side, say, and will draw up his right leg and at the same time make a sweeping gesture with his right arm, then both return to place. Then 20 seconds later the same thing. It’s incredibly annoying. He’s got so many medical issues and is on so many meds that it might be tough to find treatment, but he’s going to the doctor next week and having an idea about what might be causing it is great. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881/24 "2005-09-10T16:39:04Z")
I get it occassionally. One remedy I found was to put a little bit of Bengay ointment on the backs of my knees, and it tends to stop that weird pulling sensation. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881/25 "2005-09-13T19:55:49Z")
I bought calcium and magnesium with zinc. It appears to be working. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881/26 "2005-09-14T02:22:35Z")
I have had RLS all my life, and never really thought it was a problem. I can fall asleep just fine, my legs can twitch and waggle all they want without my help. It would probably bug my husband more if he didn’t have it, too. My legs keep going most of the day, too. When I am standing, I tend to sway like tree in a high wind- I makes some people seasick. My pet parrots mimic me doing this. I am so used to it I tend to edit out the parallax. I am pretty lucky, it does not hurt or bother me. Occasionally the constant motion causes people to snap and they will grab my foot to stop it twitching, but the spell breaks when my concentration fades. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restless-legs-syndrome/320881.md?page=1)