Menopause Support Group

I'm not quite sure what the symptoms of "Reckless Leg Syndrome" are, but an older friend of mine was talking about hers and she was pretty much described how I feel some nights while I am trying to sleep and can't because my feet fell like they are burning and I just can't get my legs to feel comfortable. It drives my husband crazy. What exactly are the symptoms of RLS?

These are the symptoms of RLS
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.

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.

I have RLS as well and it hits me worst in the evening after I've been sitting for a couple of hours watching TV or whatever... It drives me crazy as I cant get comfortable and the only thing that helps is to get up and walk around the house briefly... that makes it go away for a half hour or so....
I've researched it a little and low Iron can be one of the reasons for it. That is mine as my bleeding was so severe for years with peri menopause that I was often anemic.... I find that when I take iron supplements it help a lot!
good luck,
Sharon

My hubby's always had it. Now, I've noticed I have a case of it also. It must be like a cage fight in our bed at night!

When I first started with RLS I wasn't experiencing sympoms every night. I charted my sympoms on a calendar and discovered that I had sympoms on those nights during my cycle that my progesterone was supposed to be up. I started using a progesterone cream and a homeopathic leg cramp with quinine sublingual pill. (I bought both at Whole Foods) Over the yaers my RLS has worsened (probably due to heredity) and was prescribed Mirapex by a neurologist. The Mirapex is expensive (no generic), but is worth every penney.