My mother swore by putting a bar of Ivory soap under the bottom sheet. Good luck!

I have the soap in the bed under the bottom sheet but so far it has not stopped my restless leg or my feet cramps but I am still trying.

I found if I take a Soma it stops it, I take the soma which is a muscle relaxer for my back, an added bonus was it also helped with the restless leg. I have also taken potassium and magnesium, and some pills I get at CVS pharmacy that say they are for leg cramps.
Hyland's Leg Cramps

I read somewhere that iron deficiency can contribute to RLS.

If you aren't a red meat eater than have your iron levels checked. You may need iron supplements.

I find I only suffer from RSL when I've haven't had enough red meat (like missing it for longer than a day or two) in my diet or allow myself to get dehydrated.

Hyland's Leg Cramps works well. Also "Emergen C" a vitamin drink with potassium magnesium and electrolytes, it also hydrates. Iron could be a possibility I hadn't considered...I am anemic and do take an iron supplement (when I keep it sitting on my placemat at the table, put it away and I forget).

I've had rls since I was in grade school! Now 63, about two years ago I found relief with quinine water! Quinine is a muscle relaxant. WebMD says anecdotal evidence suggests it works, but that in reality there probably is not enough quinine in q water for it to do any good. Whatever! I don't mind one bit that it may be a placebo - my restless legs settle down within a few minutes, and it lasts for hours. It takes less than a glassful for me to be relieved. Lucky for me, I love q water, always have, even without gin!

Restless legs syndrome is miserable for those of us who have it. Relief is wonderful. But....why would ivory soap help?
I'm not anemic, and I can't make any connections to anything I eat or do not eat, whether I exercise or not, have a glass of wine or not, or anything else. Until quinine came into my life I had rls the moment I sat down every single night. When I was a kid, my teachers would stand next to my desk and tell me to sit still. I couldn't!

For me, q water is a godsend. I hope you find relief somewhere, somehow...I know your misery!

DH takes Requip (prescription med) and says it really helps him (and he generally won't admit that any pill works).

Jamie, in the link is my favorite site for remedies. They have several suggestions including the Ivory soap, baking soda and blackstrap molasses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Earth Clinic

I will swear by Vitamin E ..I take 1000 units per day and have so for many many years. I suffered all through school and high school with drs. saying it was growing pains and I would outgrow them. Since taking them I have only forgotten them a few times and by the second or third day I have trouble with my legs, enough to remind me I didn't take the E. I have three brothers, two of which suffer with the same. It took years for them to believe me and to at least try for one month. They now tell everyone about vitamin E, and the success they have with it.

I've heard of the soap solution also You migh search the Health Forum for posting there too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Health Forum

Hi. . I have restless leg and it can be so annoying. I just realized that I haven't had it for quite a while and Im wondering if it is because Im taking iron. That is something I haven't done before but because of anemia from internal bleeding I have been on it everyday for about three months and I have not had a problem with my legs. I would never have made the connection between the legs and the iron if I hadn't read this. Thanks for the info and this may be an answer for the original poster. Satine

I've watched a friend suffer from RLS for 30 years and my heart goes out to him. He has a serious case of it and sometimes it involves his arms too.

He's on Sinequan and Klonopin which gives him some relief. Deep knee bends help also and for some reason he said it's not as bad when he wears socks to bed and he only has one cup of coffee a day.

I have a mild case which only comes on rarely and that's plenty for me. I had a particularly bad episode one night so I placed the effected leg on my Shiatsu machine and let the machine do a deep massage. RLS stopped and didn't come back for a very long time.

Jodi-

My mother (aged 90,) has had this condition for decades. Unfortunately, over the years it has worsened to the point that the two Parkinson drugs she takes for it, which are standard, don't work well for her anymore. She has to combine Oxicodone with it to get any sleep at all. Yes, the condition is believed to be brought on by the body's inability to metabolize iron into the brain and so far, no one has figured out how to to this. There is a newsletter, "Nightwalkers" that comes out @ 3-4 times a year.

The drug that has worked best for my mom is Sinemet and the other one is Mirapex*. However, lately she has once again switched to Mirapex as Sinemet is no longer working for her, (she has to wait a few months to try again,) and has recently realized the side effects to Mirapex make her feel as if she has a full-blown case of the flu. This is odd since she has taken this drug on and off for many years and doesn't recall this problem; perhaps these effects will diminish after her body is used to the drug.

Jamiela, one thing that is important for you to note is that anitdepressants often interfere with RLS drugs. Mom takes emotional nosedives sometimes, recently because of my sister's accident and complications with infection, and was given an antidepressant. She can only take a small amount so that it doesn't make the rls worse. It's all a tricky balance with her!! Please consider sending for the newsletter as it will give you the most recent information. Unfortunately since rls isn't a life-threatening condition, there isn't a lot of money being spent on finding the true cause and cure. Good luck in finding what best controls yours!!

*Requip has never worked for her.

Magnesium is an easy fix for some.

Magnesium and Restless Leg Syndrome

wish i could take potassium! but with kidney problems, that's a huge no no...sigh...

i did do teh soap thing for quite a while...don't know if it worked or not...

I never had heard of the soap in the bed either till someone here posted about it, try doing a google search for it you will be amazed at the number of people that do this. In most of the ones I read it said it did not matter the brand of soap in fact some said specifically not to use Ivory others named other brands, so it sounded really like any soap would do. I put mine in a stocking sock tied the sock and tucked it between the bottom sheet and mattress. It has been there for several months now and I have still had rls and feet cramps so I don't think it is working for me.

Quinine is now frowned upon but that is what my father was given for years for his, quinine pills. I know when I take the pills with quinine my rls quietens down quickly. I have not tried drinking the tonic water, which contains quinine, but I have used various pills with it and they all work, my fave used to be the QVel but they are no longer available. The stuff available today has very small amounts of quinine so doubt there would be any worry with it.
I also find if I have my husband rub or massage my calf on each leg it really does help. Some nights when it is so bad I just get up and walk the house sometimes that does help.

Magnesium (250 mg) and DEEP KNEE BENDS.

I get RLS in the evening while watching tv, especially if I wasn't too active that day. My legs seem to need to be exercised, hence the deep knee bends.

The prescription drug Mirapex works well for me. I've had RLS since I was a kid. I hope you can find something that gives you relief, Jamie.

Restless legs and cramps are 2 different things,in dialysis alot of people suffer from this .I do I take clonopin or another name clonopam.You take it at night when you go to bed.It will drive you crazy if left go.Imagine sitting on a cheap recliner for 4 hours strapped in cant get up.Thats dialysis,with restless legs..

I too suffer from RLS...Went to Walmart and got a bottle of Hyland restful legs....used it twice and it worked for me...May want to try that...Mary

My DH suffers from it too. When it's really bad and keeping him up, he gets out of bed and does deep knee bends and drinks a glass of milk. It seems to help him enough that he can sleep. I usually end up having to go to the couch because I can't stand the bed shaking. I've noticed that if he sits around too much or gets more or different activity than he is used to, it is much worse. It seems to also be worse if he is very tired. I'm not sure why though. I'd say try the simple things first before going the pill route. But after sleeping with someone that suffers with this, I can understand why you need relief.

Does anyone here ever get restless legs other times than in bed? Sometimes I get it sitting down, usually in auditorium-style seating (like at concerts, programs, etc.). Maybe it's in my head, but I just feel like I need to stretch my legs, but that doesn't help. It's why I don't like to attend these events, and if I do, I like to sit in an end seat.

I have been known to kick like a Rockette. Been told to go sleep somewhere else...ended up on sofa with stuff piled on cushion and my legs under it....
I have been on Darvocet since 94 from back problem/surgery. Since they recalled it in Dec, the nice Doctor wanted to prescribe Percocet. I work 7 days a week, and have to drive out of town on Sat and Sun, I didn't want something to impair my driving/working...
I agreed to Vicoden (hydrocodone and ibuprofen)to try for a bit. I came home and Googled it and saw immediately that there had been usefullness for RLS from the Mayo Clinic website...YaaHoo!
I haven't had but 1 night of misery in the leg department since going on this medication. I have pain in my foot that wakes me up several times a night, but with increased dosage for a couple days, that is down to about once, near time to get up anyway...

Socks, I hate to hear that because I'm worried I will get rls too, just as bad as my mother's someday! I do get the feeling sometimes when I'm sitting that I need to stretch my legs but like you, that doesn't help. I'm trying to ignore it for now! Yes, you can get restless legs (and arms!) any time of the day.

I often have it when I go to bed. If it really bothers me I get up and walk around a bit, works every time.

To me, the best place for info is the RLS Foundation. Someone mentioned Nightwalker's Newsletter - it's from the Foundation. They also have a message board that is extremely helpful.

RLS is hereditary in at least 50% of cases. My whole family - ever person in 3 generations on my mom's side - has it. Weird.

It's also really mild in most cases, so drugs aren't needed. I used to be able to walk it off. It also tends to worsen over time, but not for everyone. When it affects your quality of life, many people find they cannot manage anymore without drugs, even if they did before.

To me, the best thing you can do is find out about it so you know how to approach it. Here are some facts:

1. As stated above, iron is implicated. But, taking iron doesn't always help and you can have enough iron in your body and still have RLS. ALWAYS get your ferritin level checked - should be at least 50 and preferably over 100 - by your doctor. If it's below that, start taking iron (65 elemental mg per day up to 3 x per day) and get your ferritin checked every 3-4 months until it's high enough. Too much iron CAN harm you, so never take a high dose of iron without this test.

2. RLS is highly treatable with placebo. That means soap, quinine, magnesium, and many other things will often work for someone. But, in research, they do not work consistently or for many people. If something works for you - excellent! Don't assume it will work for others, though. Also, don't assume anything will work for years. Often we find one thing works for awhile, only to stop.

3. There are many genes implicated in RLS. This may mean that there are actually different variants that respond to different treatments. As with above, if something works for you, excellent. Just don't assume it will work for everyone else.

4. There are some excellent books on RLS. These help dispel myths and teach what works, how to approach your doctor, how to cope with RLS, and more.

5. There is a lot of incorrect information about RLS floating about the internet! Of course, some things are subjective (see above), but some things are not. For example, most people believe that antidepressants will always worsen RLS. The research shows that to be incorrect. Some of them do, but the percentages are low.

6. People with chronic RLS have a similar quality of life to other people with chronic diseases such as diabetes.

7. People with RLS are more likely to have anxiety disorders and depression. They are also more likely to have PLMs - periodic limb movements. These can be while sleeping (PLMS) or while waking (PLMW) or both.

8. RLS can occur in any part of the body. It almost always starts with the legs, but can progress after that. My brother gets it in his arms more than his legs.

9. RLS can occur at any time of day, however it's always worst in the evening. Researchers believe it may be connected to our body's clock. If you move your bedtime later, for example, eventually the RLS will start happening later.

That's all I can think off offhand. Consider the RLS Foundation for more info - see link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: RLS Foundation

i have restless legs that really bother me during my dialysis treatments. My doctor prescribed Clonopin, which is in the Valium family. Very addictive but i take only 3 pills a week.

My RLS really bothers me more mid-afternoon through the evening, because I can't settle down and enjoy anything.
I go to a neurologist for my RLS. Mirapex worked for a while, but soon the dosage had to be increased. According to my Dr. both of the dopamine drugs, Mirapex and Requip that are used for RLS will need to have the dosage increased over time, until you need to be weaned off the drug and revert to standard pain meds for a while. Later, the Mirapex or Requip should work again. I'm now on Requip, but it's not very effective for me. I took Requip XL for a couple of months and it worked, but it cost over $350 a month and my insurance didn't cover it.
At night I take pain meds for my back, etc., and that keeps the legs calm, eventually. I usually sleep fewer than 4 hours, even with pain meds. Often, I think the RLS is initiated by discomfort in my lower back.

I have read of the iron deficiency connection, also some suspicion that caffeine might increase it. Be careful about magnesium. I had been taking it for leg cramps, not the same thing as RLS, but the Requip information lists many forms of magnesium that should not be taken while on Requip.

Sometimes, riding the exercycle for a while will tire my legs and help, but not very often. Sitting in a very hot bath for 30 minutes helps for a couple of hours. I'm still looking for other aids.