I have had this for as long as I can remember...even as a young child.  I "inherited" it from my mother and grandmother. Of course, I say that in jest because I have no idea if it is inherited or not. 

When I was a child (from age 4 to 9), my Gran slept with me in my bed because she stayed overnight alot and there was no extra bed for her to sleep. I can remember her rubbing her legs into the wee hours of the morning as they danced and spasmed with a mind of their own.  Many a morning I went to school as tired as I was when I went to bed because my Gran's RLS not only kept her awake, it interrupted my sleep too.

After my parents divorced, my mother rented my room out to a boarder, so I had to sleep with her.  Rerun time!  She had the same thing going on that my Gran did. I can remember my Gran complaining about her restless legs over breakfast in the morning and my mother telling her to stop complaining.  Years later, my mother would complain and Gran would tell her to stop complaining!! LOL

My mother was an alcoholic as well (Gran didn't drink) and she tried "medicating" it with booze for most of her adult life.  Didn't help much from what I could see.  When I entered 8th grade, my mother took me to her doctor because between the two of us with restless legs in the bed, neither of us was getting much sleep.  She didn't bother seeking help until "I started keeping her up at night!!"

Doc ordered Valium for both of us, except she mixed it with the booze.  He gave me a list of foods to avoid that might stir up the legs. I was already on a Celiac's disease diet from age 9 and most of the bad foods were already avoided.  So my RLS had to be quelled by my own investigations and research. I learned what stirred it up, activities to avoid or prepare for, and some ways to help with the constant jumping when I didn't get RLS med on time.

I have RLS every single day and night - without fail.  I even get it in my hands, arms and feet.  I take Requip (0.50mg) two to three times a day, as needed, but mostly two hours before I go to bed or go on long car rides.  Our car rides are very entertaining! I often end up putting my legs up on the dash or if it is nice out, even hanging them out the window! LOL  My kids have been exposed to this behavior since birth, so it is actually normal for them to see.  Sometimes I don't get the med in time before a long trip (rides more than 30 minutes!) and I'll end up twitching for maybe the last ten minutes of the ride. Requip has a "set up" time - meaning you need to take it one to two hours before the activity.  It also has an initial spasm period with me, usually 20 minutes after taking it and settles down within an hour.  One dose is good for about 6 hours with me.

My family doc told me to up my exercising during the day, but that only made me tired more often and inhibited my daytime activities. Stretching exercises helped for a short time. But walking does help - I often paced the floor into the night (especially during my children's baby years). 

Eating does not help! LOL Especially if it is food that has spice or high sugar content. I have only been taking Requip since it came out (maybe 7 years or so) and before that I only had Ativan which only mildly helped for short term.  God, how I wish I had this drug all those years ago and during baby years when I was walking the floor with collicky babies.

My first neuro told me that he never heard of restless legs being associated with MS! That was in 1975 and RLS was still but a glimmer in the eye of researchers. My Valium was changed to Ativan.

Now I take the Requip two hours before bed and I am actually getting sleep for at least 4 to 6 hours a night.  To me, it is a miracle drug.  I have tried Mirapex when it first came out but went back to the Requip because the results were better and the side effects were nil.

When I think back to my Gran and my mother having what is now called RLS and suffering all those years with it (albeit not quietly!), I often wonder if they had any other symptoms that could be construed as MS too.  When I got out of med school in 1980, I did ER duty for more than 20 years.  Everytime I met someone with MS, they would complain of RLS as well.  Part and parcel.  At least now, we have something tha actually WORKS for us.  I thank God for Requip as it has changed my life for the better and helped me get better sleep.

Sorry for the long comment.....it is beginning to be "my trademark" when commenting on the web.  But this is an important issue for so many people. I hope you will (or have) seek help and give Requip a tryout.  Dosage adjusted according to frequency of symptoms and body weight/metabolism.

Anne

http://disablednotdead-anne.blogspot.com

Valerie

7/ 4/10 2:01pm

Thank you for your RLS information and very accurate description completely.  I could have written this to describe my experience.  Requip holds me for 6 hours, and I need to make sure I don't miss the open window to take it.  Otherwise I will be waiting for it to begin working which is hard when you are already tired.  My daughters both had colic.  So, I suppose the night walking was good for that!