Saturday, January 14, 2012

Support Group Leader

The RLS SUPPORT GROUP has been inactive for too long now and I am looking for help in getting the group active again. I need someone who would be willing to take over the leadership of the group. I would help however I can but I am not able to take on the leadership of the group. Please contact Delores at 360-635-1939

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Welcome!

We are so glad you have found our site. This is our local site for information for those wanting to educate themselves about Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS).

Be advised that any health-related material is provided for information purposes only.
Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient's medical history.

This is an initial work in progress still open for enhancements (including 'quick link' buttons to help with navigating through the website) and much more information including

~ What is RLS?
~ Resource information
~ Books
~ Doctor Referrals
~ Medication used to treat RLS
~ Pharmacy links
~ Recommended home remedies
~ Comments/recommendations

Also, for your convenience, we have included links for:

~ Contact/phone information
~ Travel info (road travel, modes of transportation, etc.)
~ Weather

In addition, please be sure to post your comments to the various postings and/or what you have found helpful, or what kinds of things you would like to see.

Be sure to attend one of our open meetings held every other month. In the mean time, if you would like to find out more or have other information you believe would be useful to others, please be sure to let us know by emailing our group leader, Delores Butterworth at surplad@yahoo.com or 360-892-5907.


So make this your home page and/or bookmark this site and check often for information and new findings.
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Wellness and Nutrition Tips

Changing habits may relieve RLS

Wellness and Fitness Planner

Sunday, April 5, 2009

April 2009 Meeting

Be Sure to Join Us in October!




Sunday, March 1, 2009

RLS Information



For RLS specific information, click here...

Friday, December 26, 2008

What are common signs and symptoms of restless legs?

People with RLS feel uncomfortable sensations in their legs, especially when sitting or lying down, accompanied by an irresistible urge to move about. These sensations usually occur deep inside the leg, between the knee and ankle; more rarely, they occur in the feet, thighs, arms, and hands. Although the sensations can occur on just one side of the body, they most often affect both sides.

Because moving the legs (or other affected parts of the body) relieves the discomfort, people with RLS often keep their legs in motion to minimize or prevent the sensations. They may pace the floor, constantly move their legs while sitting, and toss and turn in bed.

Most people find the symptoms to be less noticeable during the day and more pronounced in the evening or at night, especially during the onset of sleep. For many people, the symptoms disappear by early morning, allowing for more refreshing sleep at that time. Other triggering situations are periods of inactivity such as long car trips, sitting in a movie theater, long-distance flights, immobilization in a cast, or relaxation exercises.

The symptoms of RLS vary in severity and duration from person to person. Mild RLS occurs episodically, with only mild disruption of sleep onset, and causes little distress. In moderately severe cases, symptoms occur only once or twice a week but result in significant delay of sleep onset, with some disruption of daytime function. In severe cases of RLS, the symptoms occur more than twice a week and result in burdensome interruption of sleep and impairment of daytime function.

Symptoms may begin at any stage of life, although the disorder is more common with increasing age. Sometimes people will experience spontaneous improvement over a period of weeks or months. Although rare, spontaneous improvement over a period of years also can occur. If these improvements occur, it is usually during the early stages of the disorder. In general, however, symptoms become more severe over time.

People who have both RLS and an associated condition tend to develop more severe symptoms rapidly. In contrast, those whose RLS is not related to any other medical condition and whose onset is at an early age show a very slow progression of the disorder and many years may pass before symptoms occur regularly.
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What causes restless legs syndrome?

In most cases, the cause of RLS is unknown (referred to as idiopathic). A family history of the condition is seen in approximately 50 percent of such cases, suggesting a genetic form of the disorder. People with familial RLS tend to be younger when symptoms start and have a slower progression of the condition.

In other cases, RLS appears to be related to the following factors or conditions, although researchers do not yet know if these factors actually cause RLS.

People with low iron levels or anemia may be prone to developing RLS. Once iron levels or anemia is corrected, patients may see a reduction in symptoms.

Chronic diseases such as kidney failure, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and peripheral neuropathy are associated with RLS. Treating the underlying condition often provides relief from RLS symptoms.

Some pregnant women experience RLS, especially in their last trimester. For most of these women, symptoms usually disappear within 4 weeks after delivery.

Certain medications-such as antinausea drugs (prochlorperazine or metoclopramide), antiseizure drugs (phenytoin or droperidol), antipsychotic drugs (haloperidol or phenothiazine derivatives), and some cold and allergy medications-may aggravate symptoms. Patients can talk with their physicians about the possibility of changing medications.

Researchers also have found that caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco may aggravate or trigger symptoms in patients who are predisposed to develop RLS. Some studies have shown that a reduction or complete elimination of such substances may relieve symptoms, although it remains unclear whether elimination of such substances can prevent RLS symptoms from occurring at all.

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Medical & Scientific Information

RLS and MS
High prevalence of restless legs syndrome in multiple sclerosis. Manconi M; Fabbrini M; Bonanni E, Filippi M, Rocca M, Murri L, Ferini-Strambi L. European Journal of Neurology. 2007;14:534-9.
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system. It can cause a variety of symptoms involving sensation, vision, speech, strength, mobility, and pain. “Secondary RLS” is a term used to describe RLS that has either a known cause or a known association. Some of the neurological diseases associated with RLS are peripheral neuropathy, spino-cerebellar ataxia, and Parkinson’s disease. Patients with MS often complain of RLS symptoms. This has always been viewed more as coincidence than as a real association between these two conditions.
Research: The researchers wanted to see how common RLS was in patients with MS. Over the course of one year, every patient with MS that came to one of the two neurology clinic research sites was evaluated for this study. Patients were not allowed to be in the study if they had any other neurological condition or other medical condition that could cause secondary RLS. They were also excluded if they were on dopaminergic or neuroleptic drugs or clonazepam, and if they: (1) were diagnosed with MS within 6 months; (2) their MS had relapsed within the last 6 months; (3) had any drug or alcohol abuse; (4) had any dementia; (5) or if they were younger than 18 or older than 65 years old. In total, 156 patients (100 females and 56 males) were enrolled in this study. Each patient was examined by two physicians and evaluated for MS and RLS. They each had an MRI as well.
The results of this study showed:
• 91 (58.3%) patients never had RLS symptoms.
• 51 (32.7%) patients had RLS symptoms more than once a week in the last 6 months.
• 12 (7.7%) patients had RLS symptoms less than once a week in the last 6 months.
• 2 (1.3%) patients had prior history of RLS but no active symptoms.
The Bottom Line: In patients with MS, the rate of RLS is three times higher than the average population. The researchers in this study suggest that MS be considered a cause of secondary RLS.
New Questions: The brain lesions of MS can be found in many places, but there was no association between the locations of the brain lesions and whether the patient also had RLS or not—why is this? What is it about MS that makes a person at higher risk for RLS?
* * * * *
RLS and Transplants.
Restless legs syndrome in lung transplant recipients. Minai OA, Golish JA, Yataco JC, Budev MM, Blazey H, Giannini C. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2007;26(1):24-29.
Background: There has been very little research on transplant patients and RLS. In one study, 45% of heart transplant recipients with periodic limb movements were diagnosed with RLS.
Research: The researchers in this study found 42 patients who had received a lung transplant. All the patients were on standard therapy which included immunosuppresion and prophylactic medicines. To be in the study, theses patients could not have a family history of RLS. These patients filled out two questionnaires. The first was to determine if they met criteria for RLS, and the second was to determine the severity of RLS if present.
The results of this study showed that 47.6% (20 of 42) of the patients had RLS. Of those with RLS, 80% had symptom severity that placed them in the moderate to severe category. Of interest, 75% of those diagnosed with RLS were women. All of the patients that were hypothyroid (4 of 42) had RLS. Also, the patients with RLS had a higher concentration of calcium in their blood than the patients without RLS. Finally, the patients with RLS were more likely to test positive for cytomegalovirus (CMV), a virus that is found in transplant patients, due to the immunosuppression medications.
The Bottom Line: Lung transplantation significantly increases a person’s chance of getting RLS. The risk increases if that patient is a woman, if they are hypothyroid, if they have higher calcium levels, or if they test positive for CMV.
New Questions: What is it about transplant recipients that increases their risk of getting RLS— the immunosuppression medications, the prophylactic medications, how the body responds to a new organ, or something else entirely? Does CMV infection cause RLS or could it possibly be exposure to the medication that treats it?