RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome)

[crOOk]

Hi folks. I am curious. Has anyone developed RLS prior to, during or after the time they have been abusing drugs? What substances related to your problems in what way, e.g. attenuated symptoms or caused them, or caused them during withdrawal etc. I'd really enjoy to hear some input from our community about this, so we can work towards a better understanding of this pathological phenomenom which has been known to occur much more frequently in recreational/self destructive/self medicating etc. users of various psychotropic drugs.

I personally had an episode which I sometimes perceived as pure torture, other times as barely noticable, but last night when the symptoms reoccured in a relatively mild manner I realized I had been free of them for over 1.5 years without being able to point out as to why that is. Might be the fact that I started using stimulants 1.5 years ago, might be related to psycho-social factors, changes in my life during that time. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not trying to promote stimulant use or any other form of self medication for this problem at all. The aim of this thread is rather gathering some anecdotal information on the topic. A large amount of substances has already been associated with the syndrome, but I'm hoping the diverse experience of bluelight users with more or less exotic substances might provide some additional insights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restless_legs_syndrome

 

[DeathDomokun]

Did this happen before you started taking drugs or only after?
Does it occur more whist on drugs/shortly after?

 

[Prismatic_Owl]

I have had RLS since I was very young, as far as I can remember really. It tends to come and go. It is supposedly caused by a lack of iron in a certain part of the brain. I have also been diagnosed with an iron deficiency, so I see no reason to disagree this proposed pathology.

Although RLS doesn't sound like a difficult disease to live with it can be very uncomfortable or even painful. Sitting in a cramped area, or even sitting for a long period of time, often aggregates the symptoms. It can also make sleeping very difficult. I often find the discomfort caused by my condition to excruciating or torturous.

I haven't used any substances that seriously aggregated my symptoms, however I have little experience with amphetamines or other dopamine agonists.

I often find that gabaergic substances (benzos, ethanol) help, or at least distract me from my symptoms. I often medicate with cannabis but it does not prevent the symptoms, it just makes things more bearable and helps me get to sleep. Opiates also help in the same way cannabis does, but it's not exactly an ideal treatment option. Restless leg syndrome is often treated using a D1 agonist.

 

[badfish45]

^ A good indica strain should help make it bearable. People tell me cannabis helps with their RLS

 

[Prismatic_Owl]

^ A good indica strain should help make it bearable. People tell me cannabis helps with their RLS

I was debating trying to acquire a medical marijuana card for this purpose, but I honestly find that cannabis doesn't solve the problem. I'm an everyday sesher though so it's not all that effective as a sustainable treatment. Yeah marijuana makes it a little more bearable, but it does that with pretty much everything else in life that I can think of.

 

[badfish45]

I guess it affects people differently. And even more so, I guess that in itself makes it a medicine. If it helps for you, then it's working.

 

[Nodding]

Oh man don't get me started on RLS, hands down one of (if not the) worst part of opiate WDs imo.
For me it's what stops me from sleeping, what keeps me in a constant state of uncomfortable-ness, definitely agree with the people who've compared it to torture.

That said, as long as I'm not WDing I'm lucky enough not to have to deal with it.
I get occasional leg twitches (once every ~5 minutes), but they're not annoying / painful for some reason.

Sorry I can't be more help than that OP, but either way it's good to hear that you've overcome RLS! :D

 

[herbavore]

I have had RLS off and on for many years. By far the best treatment is getting plenty of exercise (with stretching on either end of your exercise session) during the day and then any runner's stretches that elongate the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles. If I do these when I am feeling it and really push myself to the point of discomfort with the stretches I can control it pretty well. If they are really bad and persistent I take a hot bath before stretching.

 

[OTGee]

I already had mild RLS to start off with but definatley psychedelics and synthetic cannabinoids have made it a noticable bit worse. Cannabis used to help a lot before I had taken many other substances but now it only helps slightly.

 

[Mr. Tambourine Man]

I started getting RLS slightly before I started using drugs regularly (4 years ago) and it's just gotten worse since. I usually need 7-8 hours to feel properly rested, and when I do get an attack of RLS then my sleep cycle can get fucked up for consecutive days. I probably consider RLS to be the most physically excruciating thing that happens to me on a regular basis (apart from some episodes of complex regional pain syndrome). It's probably been worse since I kicked methadone a year ago, but it happens at irregular intervals and it's impossible to predict. I occasionally take iron supplements to counter it, but the best pharmaceutical for RLS is ropinirole (if RLS is a problem for you, you should seriously consider giving this stuff a try). I also take Kratom occasionally, especially if its finals or midterm week and I want to make sure I have a full week of continuos sleep.

Weird thing is that cannabis actually makes it much worse for me, which is one of the reasons I don't smoke pot anymore. Ditto for alcohol, although I still drink. Benzo's and Pregabalin help quite a bit, but since I kicked clonazepam those haven;t really been options. The only thing that always cuts it out is Kratom, which is one of the main reasons why I love the stuff so much (but it's too fucking expensive to use regularly ).