Restless Leg Syndrome | Arthritis Information
HI.. I'm new on the board...
50 years old.. just diagnosed w/ RA though I believe I've had it through adulthood.. Was a JRA patient at age 10...
In addition to the RA diagnosis, I also have been DX'd with RLS. It seems when I had a flare in June it was a really big one. In addition to the swelling aches and discomfort of RA, I had pins/needles all over arms/hands, legs/feet and was having great difficulty walking and was sleeping for only a few hours at a time. It appears I was waking myself up w/ the RLS and my quality of sleep was very poor ergo fatigue.
Anyway.. long story short... I have RLS and was told that it is sometimes a co-existing syndrome with RLS.
Is there anyone else on this board w/ RA that has RLS?
Main reason for my question... I hate the meds I take for this... It works.. I sleep great. but would LOVE to not take them.. OR find something better...
Thanks!!! I appreciate your input.
babs102008-03-09 20:30:27Nope, have not been DXed with RLS, but I also have not complained to my Rheumy about yet either.
I am a JRA'er as well. Hi Babs and welcome to the site. I don't have RLS either but wanted to say hi. I hope you can get it straightened out and get feeling better soon.
take care
I developed RLS too and of course, went to a board to ask for any suggestions. I was told to stick a bar of soap under my sheet and the foot of my bed (just beyond my feet) when I went to bed. It really did work and I still use it today when it occurs although it's been about a year.
I wasn't too convinced until someone told me that she was sleeping with her legs twitching and her husband put the soap in the bed. Her legs stopped twitching and she never knew until morning what her husband did.
It's a pretty cheap fix. I'm not sure if it works for everyone but it's worth a try!
Becky
Hi, I also have RLS although I don't have a firm DX of RA. But what I have is a connective tissue disease that is related to lupus, RA, etc. and it's treated the same way as RA. I don't take any special drugs for the RLS. The RLS was just starting to become a real problem and when I started the RA drugs, and they seemed to stop the RLS almost completely. I still have a few twitchy nights here and there, but it's manageable. I see you take MTX also, so maybe it's the Plaquenil that's working for me. Maybe your doctor could add that instead of the Requip, since most doctors now hit RA hard with a two drug combo anyway and MTX and Plaq. are two of the most commonly used drugs for early RA treatment.
I didn't have any luck with the soap fix but I've heard of many others who swear by it, so give it a shot in the meantime. Good luck. I understand so well how maddening RLS is. It can make you absolutely nuts.
Here is some info about soap for RLS, plus read the comments under article for other suggestions that people say work:
I was dx with RLS before my RA. I tried Requip and found it worked for a while and then I started having symptoms throughout the day too. My ferritin level was really low so I started Iron supplements that helped a lot. Now, I only seldom have problems and when I do, I take Klonopin to help me sleep.
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