Restless Leg and Arm Syndrom

I have had symptoms like that,but I am not pregnant. It drives me crazy, and I too am anemic. What almost always works for me is if I drink a huge glass of water(32oz) and in about 30min i can go to sleep. I hope this tip helps.

E.,

I would strongly suggest getting good nutrition through fruits, veggie and whole grain. Have you ever heard of Juice Plus? It is fruits and veggie in a capsule and we have a fantastic smoothie loaded with nutrition. My website is www.gotjuiceplus.com and my # is ###-###-####.

Sally

hi stay away from wheat products. my mother and brother have restless leg syndrome. my brother many times had to sleep in a chair because he couldn't sleep in bed. he has stopped eating wheat and he doesn't have to take his med. anymore, my mom is 69 and she refuses to change her ways. wheat affects us in many different ways. i'm allergic to it to but not to the same affect. i also have a dear friend who has celiac disease and she too has leg problems when she eats wheat in any form. not only does she have to deal with the bloating but her leg also bothers her. i hope this helps. sahm to two boys. W. d

Magnesium helps - ask your dr about supplements and what foods are good for it too. I think I remember bananas have magnesium, maybe avocados.

Best Wishes!

E.
____@____.com

Keep me in mind if you want to look or feel younger or know someone who does. Or if you know someone who wants to make more money. http://eleyrer.thebesttrend.com/

All that is true, all that is noble, all that is just and pure, all that is lovable and gracious, whatever is excellent and admirable - fill your thoughts with these things. Phillippians 4:8

I think Tracy hit it on the nose - try some magnesium - Natural Calm is a wonderful brand that you take at nite (you can find it at health food stores, Sprouts, Whole Foods, online, etc.) I had huge issues with this problem while pregnant and didn't learn this till later. The majority of Ameriacns are deficient in Magnesium - every muscle in your body needs it to work properly. Since we tend to be so encouraged to take calcium for our bones, we often end up depleting in magnesium that we intake from food, which is why this problem is so very common.

Hello!
I am so sorry about your restless legs! My family has struggled with this. Taking 3 tablets of 1000 mgs of fish oil
daily has helped us tremendously. You can take more. It gets more oxygen into the blood stream. You can google this condition and many other remedies are given.
Of course, it is best to have no sugar, no sodas and these mess up your system. Maybe it would be good not to take fish oil before bedtime and it gives energy.
My husband got over this condition! Hang in there! I believe that you will also!
BLessings to you and yours!
Sincerely,
C. N

I had the same thing with my latest pregnancy and it was terrible. Mine lasted until he was about 2 months old, and the sensation was more like creepy crawly like bugs going up and down my legs. I did have my doc check my mag levels and some other levels (you're right about the iron) because that can contribute and just making sure you are getting good nutrition especially of the mag and calcium. Otherwise, I don't know what to tell you other than, it must be another lovely blessing of pregnancy!Hang in there, you'll get the grand prize!

You need to go see my Functional Endocrinologist and Certified Nutritionist, Michelle Burris. Her no. is ###-###-####. She's very knowledgeable and has 20 yrs. exp. She will get to the root of the problem and find out the reason instead of playing the guessing game. She also will treat it naturally instead of giving you drugs that have very bad side effects. I would not take those at all. She has been able to help my insomnia as well as other problems that I've had for 5 yrs. I've tried a lot of regular and homeopathic and naturopathic doctors and people in the medical field and no one else has been able to help me. If you have any questions please feel free to call me. T. O'Connor ###-###-####

My mother has restless leg syndrome almost every night and what she takes to ease her symptoms is a glass of sugar free Tonic Water with a splash of lime juice (the real stuff).

Now, I do NOT know if quinine, the stuff in Tonic Water that helps, is ok to take while pregnant. PLEASE check with your OB before trying it. What I do know is that this natural remedy does help my elderly mother get her rest at night if her legs are "jumpy". Good luck!

Hi E., I UNDERSTAND!!! I have struggled w/RLS for many years - since I was a child, in fact - back with they said it was "growing pains" and my mom had to come and massage my legs during the night.

I've found stretches before bed to be VERY effective.

One is the quadicep stretch: By pulling the heel of your foot slowly and gently towards your buttock - then hold for a count of 15. Do this twice on each leg. Hold onto something level with the other arm.

The other one is the hip flexor stretch: Kneel on both knees. Step forward with your right foot while keeping your left knee on the floor. Put your hands on top of your right thigh.
Slide your back leg behind you until you feel the stretch in the front of the hip. To intensify the leg stretches, push your hip forward, straighten your body, and put your hands on your front knee. Hold for 10-12 seconds and then change sides.

These worked awesome for me until I had to have a knee replacement and then had complications w/a hosp. acquired staph infection. There were times that I forgot the stretches and got out of the bed during the middle of the night and did them - as able to go back to sleep w/no problem.

For some reason, taking 2 to 3 - 325 mg plain aspirin before bed helps tremendously too. I would much rather take aspirin than Tylenol PM, or such. I did try REQUIP, and it did NOT give me relief. That would not be an option for you at this time anyway.

I have also have chronic iron def anemia controlled by Feosol and still have the RLS when my CBC is normal.

I could not sit back and not respond - knowing what you are experiencing! I am BELIEVING GOD'S BEST FOR YOU! D.

Hi E.,

I am so sorry for your discomfort. You got a lot of great advice on nutrition: magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

I would just add that I got a couple of massages during my 3rd trimester and it seemed to help for a week or so. I can recommend a wonderful massage therapist with experience in prenatal massage. You actually get to lie on your stomach again! Email me if you are interested in getting her name and number.

Peace,
M.
www.yogapotential.com

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I swear it will help. I've suffered from Restless leg for years and years. Tonic Water. There is quinine in the tonic water and that is what they used to treat leg cramps with "in the olden days". My grandmother swears by it too.

Good luck!

Just my experience, but when I was pregnant with my twins I had the same issue. My doctor told me most likely I was on my feet too much (I get the nesting thing bad when Im pregnant!), so I tried not to be on my feet as much and it really did help. Also, before I went to bed I tried a couple of stretching exercises and that also helped. I basically just tried to bend down, bending my knees and keeping my back straight (almost like your going to sit). Seemed like it just got some of the 'restlessness' out of my legs.
Also, just my experience, but tylenol PM made it WORSE for me. The pm stuff always makes me jittery for some reason.
If it continue's definitely let your OB know. You may need an extra supplement like some of the others mentioned.
I hope you feel better!

Eating bananas worked for me during my first pregnancy 23 years ago - - before the term RLS was even invented!

Today's serving of spinach does not contain all the minerals that you would have found in the plant 100 years ago. Modern-day farmers re-supply the soil with ONLY 3 main minerals found in commercial fertilizers. That leaves over 70 minerals that we are no longer getting from modern vegetables grown in depleted soils.

I am currently drinking a nutritional supplement that supplies these lost nutrients and is ALL NATURAL. It is called ORIGINAL LIMU. Limu is the name that the Tongan people call a seaweed that grows in the shallow seas around their islands. They have been eating it for 3000 years. Many of them live to be a healthy 100 years old. This new drink made from LIMU has been flavored with fruit juices, so it doesn't taste like "seaweed." Send me an email and I'll meet you somewhere close and give you a bottle for what it cost me to buy and if it works and you'd like more, I can show you how to order it.

I haven't done the pregnancy part of that yet, but when I have the restless leg thing, I eat a banana and it seems to help. I don't know if that would be different for you or now, but it might be worth a try, and it's cheap! :) Good luck!

Hi E.,
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I went through a patch of this a couple of years ago and had a nutritionist tell me that it could be a result of iron deficiency. I had some other health issues that contributed to that so I really increased my iron intake with supplements as well as my diet and noticed a big difference in a very short time. Now I only have minor flare-ups every now and then and when I do I just check my iron intake and it's usually low. Your situation may be more complicated than that but it might not hurt to try it. I sure do hope something works for you soon!
R.

I am so sorry for you. The same thing happened to me with both of my pregnancies. I had gestational diabetes with the first, but not the second. I have dealt with this a long time. After my second was born it never went away. I take medication for it every day. When I was pregnant the second time, I did take medication because I knew I could not function on so little sleep with a another kid to take care of during the day.
Sometimes this is hereditary, it is in my case. There's a lot I can tell you that may save you a lot of time. Contact me for more info if you'd like.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I am 29 weeks and have just started with a little tingling in the legs but I am worried it will lead into RLS. It really scares me because my mother suffers from it terrible and I don't want to go through that. You mentioned all the things I was going to suggest about the iron and walking. I wish I knew of something else to suggest but I don't. Maybe you can ask your OB for a script for an actual sleeping pill since the Tylenol PM is not working. Good luck to you and congrats on the baby!

I didn't read all of your responses but I have the same problem sometimes with my legs. I'm not sure if I had it when I was pregnant or not but one thing I have found that helps is to use something like Icy Hot. I know it sounds weird but whatever is in it that causes the heat or icy feeling will soothe your legs and then you will stop wanting to move them around so much. I've found sometimes when I have taken medication before bed like for allergies or sinus that can also cause you to be wound up and your legs to do that too. But trust me, it works. They have an Icy Hot you can buy at Dollar General that is called Polar Ice and it works just as well and it's only $1.50. Just make sure you wash your hands after you've applied it to your legs so that you don't get it on your face or in your eyes. I hope this helps and gives you some relief!

Check with your doctor first, but I use potassium. You can also eat bananas to get potassium. It helps me greatly. It takes a few days to have enough in your system to work, but I've had no problems with restless leg since I started taking it.

Good luck!

I had this, too, when I was in my third trimester. I often stayed up until 2 or 3 watching ads for the RLS meds I couldn't take. I did not know about the magnesium and calcium supplements - hopefully that will help you. I did take hot baths, which helped a little. Some nights I took 3 baths before I could go to bed. I had the luxury of sleeping in the next morning after a late night, though. I can't imagine doing it with a toddler.

My husband doesn't really believe in "Restless Leg Syndrome", he's not a doctor but he does know a lot about exercising and releiving excess energy.

I have eight children and sometimes my body and mind never get enough rest, but once the majority of my children were grown I noticed all this extra mental and physical energy. At that point I listened to my husband and began exercising with " Intent" not the passive gym walk.

After a few weeks, that excess energy was channeled and useful for a product lifestle, verses endless nights of TV soaps.

I hope that helps and God Bless.

Have you tried getting a body pillow. I know when I can't sleep I cuddle up to it and it works. Not sure if it would work for RLS, but it might help circulation.

I would suggest trying the anxiety medication again. If it is safe, it may help with the RLS. Make sure it is safe with pregnancy and with breastfeeding if you are planning to nurse your new addition. Congratulations and good luck!

I have this same thing happen to me when I am pregnant and it is SO FRUSTRATING!!! I am already on a wheat free, dairy free diet, took plenty of calcium and iron supplements, and did not have gestational diabetes. I ate a variety of whole grains and fruits and veggies. None of those things seemed to help. I still felt like I was being electrocuted or having needles stuck in me every single time I laid down. Sometimes my legs would actually jerk up into the air of their own accord. It was so bizarre!

It always seemed to me like it was more of a nerve issue caused from the pressure of the child in my womb. FOr me, within a week of having each of my babies, the condition went away. Comfort yourself in knowing that this phase will not last forever.

The only thing that brought me relief was to do a lot of stretching before going to bed. Pregnancy yoga stretches seemed especially helpful. I also had to do a lot of "mind over matter" in just trying to ignore the sensations as much as possible to allow myself to fall asleep.

It's not an easy thing to go though. I wish you luck! Congratulations on the new sweet little spirit you are welcoming into your family! ;o)

Hi E.!

I've had RLS for many many years :o(. I don't take meds, and it only seems to start up when I'm tired. So, not sure my "remedy" will work for you, but when I'm trying to go to sleep and my legs are nervous, I get up and do leg squats until my legs can't do it any longer. Then I go to bed immediately. While I lay there breathless and having my legs get relief from the exercise, I seem to drift off to sleep and I'm usually OK for the night. However, being pregnant may make that difficult :o). That is what has worked for me for many years. OH, hot baths also help a great deal at giving some relilef...but the leg squats are what helps me go to sleep - something about the relaxing sound of my breathing and knowing my legs are recovering seem to help. (leg squats are when you repeatedly squat down as far as you can and get back up - usually only about 33 or so is all I need to do ;o)). Good luck!

I had that when I was pregnant and it was miserable. My doctor told me to take more calcium. So I took 3 extra calcium pills a day and it worked!! Hopefully it'll work for you!

Your pregnant. Thats all.

Have you tried sleeping in a glider, or rocker and use you legs to rock yourself? That way your legs are still moving, but you can rest and maybe even doze off. ...just a thought. Hope it helps!!

Hi E., just a couple things that give it to me, TYLENOL PM, which has benedryl in it and Phenergan for nausea. I know you mentioned you take tylenol pm, that may make it worse. With the Phengergan, I can only take about a fourth of a pill or I'm up all night, having resless body actually. It's horrible! Someone mentioned in another post about putting a bar of soap under your sheets? Not sure if it works, but it would be worth a shot. You might try taking a supplement like the others suggest, and it also could be you getting off your anxiety medicine, I sometimes get it if I take it like an hour or two before bed and also it makes me clench my teeth. Really weird! I know it sucks, hang in there!

It may be because you just weend yourself off that medicine you were on for years. Ask someone knowledgeable in WHole Foods for something natural and safe. I wish I could help you more.

I'm wondering if it's really RLS or more magnesium deficiency... try taking extra via magnesium supplements before you go to bed at night and see if that helps.

My son was diagnosed with RLS and he takes Requip, but I don't know if pregnant women can take it.

I had the same thing in my third trimester. My ob had me take iron supplements and it worked! I just went to Walgreens and bought over-the-counter iron pills and took one each morning. Just don't take the iron with any other meds, like prenatal vitamins, because it could interfere with the absorbtion of other medications. Good luck! I know it's miserable!

I had RLS with my second pregnancy for about the entire pregnancy. It got worse during the last trimester. My OBGYN did put me on muscle relaxers to help me sleep better and he pt me on iron pills. Both were safe to take during the pregnancy. I would ask your doctor if he/she can give you anything because there is nothing worse then not getting any sleep during pregnancy becasue you won't get much sleep once the baby is born. As soon as I had my second child, I remember the fist night after delivery...no RLS that night and I have never had it since and it has ben 2 1/2 years. Good Luck!

Increase calcium.

It's the only thing that my dr would tell me.

Then I asked for vicodin. I couldn't stay up all night long with Rl and Carpal Tunnel and then work 45 hours a week too.

So...vicodin it is. sporadically. When I couldn't take it anymore and exhaustion had me crying lying on the floor on legs raised in a recliner...

it's not a change in diet...or counting how my fruit/wheat/vegie intake. But it's what worked for me.

Good luck.

OH...if you have the arm pain, get a brace. it was the ONLY thing that made the pain go away. or at the very least bearable.

I know how bad this can be - I did have it while pregnant (been almost 4 years ago) but started getting it again, and worse. I read up about it and these things worked for me:

-Drink some water with baking soda in it
-Vinegar really helps - try this way, luke warm or warmer water with a little honey and vinegar. It doesn't have to be a lot of water. Do this at night.
-I took supplements, Cal/Mag., Vit.E, Potassium (or eat bananas)

Hope they work for you! Good luck!

Oh, and I do have a bar of soap under my bottom sheet, still wrapped. Think it helps too - go figure.

I'm not sure I can offer great advice...but I am currently going through the same thing! I am 30 wks pregnant and have a 12 month old too! So I know how precious those hours of sleep are. I too have an iron deficiency... for which I'm taking supplements. The ONE thing that seems to help me is #1 to make sure I don't lay in bed or relax too long on the couch before going to sleep. (For example, I don't watch TV in bed before falling asleep...when I go to bed, it's straight to lights out) That way, I'm not laying there getting uncomfortable before trying to sleep. The other thing, is for my husband to massage my feet and calves before bed. I use a lotion I found at Target made by Burt's Bees (Mama Bee's soothing foot lotion I think) and it works great. Hubby just massages it in and the slight "cooling" sensation it gives seems to be enough of a distraction to allow me to get to sleep. Hope it helps!

The only advice I can give is to lay a pillow over your legs at night. Sounds simple and strange, but it worked for me. I would put either my bed pillow or my body pillow over or across my legs, whichever worked. I think the little weight of it is what helped.
good luck, I know it is awful.

Although I don't know exactly what will ease your RLS, I know that nutrition plays a huge roll in everything. Right now I am researching how to ease symptoms of hypothyroidism, but I've come across a lot of articles about depression, deficiencies, depression, etc. during my search. I too had gestational diabetes. I always thought I age fairly healthy and a great variety. I've learned that I honestly had no idea what "healthy" was. The human body is amazing. It can heal itself if given the right nutrition. Most Drs would rather treat patients with a "pill for every ill" than to look at the much larger problem of what we put in our mouths.

A couple of articles I've read about RLS mentioned vitamin D and B vitamins and since you are pregnant, the baby will begin leaching vitamins from you if you are not getting enough in your diet. I would look into your diet and see if you can find the answer. Since you have GD, do you drink diet soda? If so, it has phospherous that leaches vitamin D and calcium from your body. Also, if you have constipation, it could create some problems for you too. When you are not eliminating normally, the toxins from the food you eat stays in your body.

Try eliminating anything that comes from a pre-packaged source and although it's very hard, anything with sugar, sugar substitutes (splenda, sweet n low, equal) and corn syrup and anything from a drive through. Try to concentrate on mainly fresh and raw vegetables, multicolored is best. A book I recommend is by Alex Jamieson's The Great American Detox Diet. Don't be intimidated by the word diet, she has a lot of really good information. She is the girlfriend of Morgan Spurlock, the documentarian who age McDonalds for a month. His movie was called Super Size Me. I also just bought a DVD called Foodmatters and it has tons of information about nutrition and health that I was ignorant of. You are welcome to borrow it, just send me a private message.

K.

I'm so sorry to hear about your discomfort. I wish I had an answer for you. I've got restless leg also but had it while not pregnant so it's not to do with that. My RLS is a little backward though...I only get it when i'm really tired but then it will go away as long as i give into being tired and just go to sleep. It doesn't keep me up, in other words. weird i know. So, what i was thinking....perhaps try to nap when you aren't having your RLS symptoms. I know you are a SAHM with a small child but if your 15 month old takes a nap during the day and you aren't having RLS, make SURE you take a nap too b/c you may not get to sleep that night b/c of it, right? I know there are things to do while the toddler takes a nap etc and perhaps she/he doesn't even take a nap but chances are they do. So take advantage of that, forget the cleaning or chores and get some sleep. if you aren't as exhausted you may find that you'll sleep better later that night too. good luck!!!

I always read The People's Pharmacy in the Dallas Morning News. We've found several remedies there that have been very effective. There are some things to try for restless leg. The link to the articles is here :

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/Search/search.asp?zoom_que...

If the link doesn't work, go to www.peoplespharmacy.com and then put restless leg into the search box.

I always search here for anything I have concern for. I like to try natural things before heading to the doctor, and usually we find something effective.

Best wishes!

E.,
Have you talked to your ob-gyn about this? You don't say. You are probably right about RLS, but it's always good to run something new by your doc.
Are you on pre-natal vitamins? I believe everyone should be on good basic supplements. Admittedly, that is what I do for a living. I'm a Shaklee Distributor, but I can attest to the difference supplements make. My husband is a diabetic and supplements have made a huge difference in his health.
But first, consider checking with your doc.

I'm surprised at your ob. Call again and have her do some more research. I had rls with both my pregnancies. With the first I needed more calcium, with the second it was potassium. I took supplements and ate more green leafy veggies and drank a glass of milk and a glass of oj every day like medicine. I also chewed tums at night for the calcium before bed. My mom had this and she would drink evaporated milk. I also started naps and going to bed earlier. I found that the more tired I was the worse the rls. Vicious cycle, huh. Hang in there!

The first time I experienced RLS was when I was pregnant with my second and in my third trimester. It was absolutely awful and I can totally relate. The only thing is, that I didn't know what was wrong with me until I brought it up at my midwife appt. and she told me it was RLS. I had never heard of it before then. Anyway, she told me to take liquid calcium/magnesium about 20-30 minutes before bed every night and it worked! I actually took about a half a shot glass' worth. Calcium/magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant and relaxant in general. Good luck!