Took many years to realize I have restless leg syndrome, but managing it well with meds

I've had trouble sleeping for as long as I can remember. Shortly before I go to bed (or as I am trying to fall asleep), I get this almost

indescribable sensation in my left leg and sometimes in my right that keeps me awake. Over the years I tried heat, stretching, avoiding certain foods, trying to go to bed at a set time each night...all to no avail. My parents showed me an article about restless leg syndrome (RLS) at one point and I did some research, but was turned off by the drugs used to treat it. I knew, at some leve, that RLS was probably my problem, but decided to try to manage through it without seeing a doctor or trying any medications.

One of the things about RLS is as you get older the symytoms sometimes get more severe. And that's exactly what happended to me. Around the age of 32, I started to go days at a time without a decent night's sleep. My symptoms got so bad at one point that I went almost 2 weeks without sleeping more than a couple of hours a night. So I finally went to see my physician. She prescribed clonazepam. Initially I didn't fill the prescription because this medication is also used to treat Parkinson's disease. Kind of freaky. But ultimately I starting taking the medication. When you first start taking this drug it has a bit of a sedative effect (at least on me) and waking up in the morning was a challenge. But once I was up, I felt better and more refreshed than I ever had in my life...ever. Now I know what its like to sleep through an entire night.

Over time, the sedative side effect wore off especially after reducing the dose, and waking in the morning became easier. The only downside I see with my treatment is my body is building a tolerance over time to the dosage. So I've had to slowly increase the amount of clonazepam I take each night to get the same effect. I guess if I look forward 5-10 years in the future, I may have to go to some other drug (and there are several others that can be used), but for now I am making it work.

I know people who have not had good results with the drugs commonly prescribed for RLS, but I have and wanted to pass my story along to others who might have (or think they have) this condition.