restless legs

[allniter89]

Does anyone else have to deal with restless legs ? Have you found any relief?

[Scott5114]

I have them intermittently, which I think is due to rolling an ankle once when I was a kid. Taking an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen seems to help.

[J3ebrules]

Yes, I have had RLS since my early to mid 20's, so about a decade. Mirapex is the only medication that helps considerably. Since it's a dopamine related issue, medical marijuana lozenges help too - not enough to get high, but about 2.5mg of THC right before bed.

Edited to add (mods, erase if you find inappropriate, but I'm being factual here and not puerile) that masturbation before bed actually helps considerably as well, if you're prone to falling asleep afterwards. The rush of dopamine doesn't last as long as my meds, but enough to get to sleep.

[Scott5114]

I've actually noticed I'm more likely to get restless legs after having smoked, though it usually makes me sleepy enough that I can still fall asleep despite it. As is always the case with cannabis, your mileage may vary.

[allniter89]

Thanks for all the good info guys !I wasnt aware there were prescription meds available. I will talk to my Dr Monday. I've considered med cannabis but never followed thru partially cuz I wanted the high. I hear u dont get high on med cannabis. If med cannabis will help me with arthritis, anxiety, depression & COPD w/out the high I'll be very happy. I cant smoke anything anyway b/c of the COPD but I can use edibles.

How often do u get RL? Luckily I only get it once every couple weeks but when I do its intense! From what I read online exercise may help prevent or reduce episodes. Next time I will take a walk around the yard to see if I can walk it off..fingers closed.

[Scott5114]

Thanks for all the good info guys !I wasnt aware there were prescription meds available. I will talk to my Dr Monday. I've considered med cannabis but never followed thru partially cuz I wanted the high. I hear u dont get high on med cannabis. If med cannabis will help me with arthritis, anxiety, depression & COPD w/out the high I'll be very happy. I cant smoke anything anyway b/c of the COPD but I can use edibles.

How often do u get RL? Luckily I only get it once every couple weeks but when I do its intense! From what I read online exercise may help prevent or reduce episodes. Next time I will take a walk around the yard to see if I can walk it off..fingers closed.

You may be thinking of CBD vs. THC; CBD is a cannabinoid that is associated with many of the medicinal effects but which does not induce the high (which is caused primarily by THC). CBD extract can be sold in all 50 states, as it is not considered a Schedule I drug like the full flower. There are strains of Cannabis indica that have been bred to produce CBD with only trace amounts of THC. However, in Oklahoma, at least, there is no restriction requiring the use of only these strains for medical use. Here, medical cannabis is exactly the same as recreational cannabis; someone with a medical cannabis license is free to consume the same strains bred for recreational use, containing THC. The only thing making it "medical" is that the state will only let you consume it with a doctor's permission.

[J3ebrules]

Thanks for all the good info guys !I wasnt aware there were prescription meds available. I will talk to my Dr Monday. I've considered med cannabis but never followed thru partially cuz I wanted the high. I hear u dont get high on med cannabis. If med cannabis will help me with arthritis, anxiety, depression & COPD w/out the high I'll be very happy. I cant smoke anything anyway b/c of the COPD but I can use edibles.

How often do u get RL? Luckily I only get it once every couple weeks but when I do its intense! From what I read online exercise may help prevent or reduce episodes. Next time I will take a walk around the yard to see if I can walk it off..fingers closed.

I get RL symptoms nightly, but I have primary RLS (as in, it's its own problem rather than being a symptom of an underlying issue). If I do not take my meds, I feel it in my arms and chest as well. You should see a sleep doctor/neurologist who specializes in sleep medicine because it is important to know if it's primary or secondary RLS - treatment varies widely between the two.

And medical marijuana can make you high in the right doses - the nice thing with lozenges is you can treat it like a pill. Every dispensary's lozenges vary, but you usually know how many mg of THC is in them. I think my local dispensary's lozenges, which aren't my favorite because the strain they use makes me so tired I can't use them during the day, are 10mg THC/1mg CBD. I take a quarter of one to sleep (in addition to Mirapex), half if it's a particularly bad night, and one full one to get high recreationally because in that one edible strain, there are kind of two separate therapeutic dosages depending one what I want. Very flexible drug, is cannabis.

But yeah, definitely talk to your doctor, because there are a TON of reasons for RLS, and just as many treatments. Although if, like me, you have Primary RLS, you probably will respond immediately to medications that affect your dopamine levels, so that's usually a good tell.