Vitamin D and Restless Leg Syndrome

by Sabrina
(Romulus MI. USA)

I am a 29 y/o female who was recently diagnosed with Restless Leg Syndrome. My physician started me on Mirapex for Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment, but also instructed me to take Vitamin D 1000 IU daily and Magnesium.

I didn't think much of it the time, however, now I am wondering why. Is Vitamin D a Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment?

Thanks!

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Vitamin D and Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment
by: Kerri Knox, RN-The Immune Queen!

Hi Sabrina,

No, as far as I know - there is no studies showing a connection between Vitamin D and Restless Leg Syndrome [KEEP READING AS some studies have come up since this was originally written, and there now ARE studies showing a relationship between Vitamin D and RLS]. I think that your doctor is just being on top of things giving you Vitamin D- even though the dose is almost completely inadequate for an adult, at least he is THINKING about Vitamin D.

Since you are having a health problem- ANY health problem- you should have your vitamin D Level Checked just as a baseline and bring your levels up to the OPTIMAL levels as I outline in my Normal Vitamin D Levels page.

It's likely that you, like about 85% of the western world, is Vitamin D Deficient. Researchers estimate that 75% of breast and colon cancers could be prevented if everyone had adequate vitamin D levels. So, if for no other reason than that, getting your vitamin d levels up to optimal and keeping them there is a smart thing to do.

As far as your restless leg syndrome, trying high dose magnesium as I outline on my Magnesium Dosage page is very worthwhile to try to see if it will help. It has helped many to improve their symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome. And even though your doctor put you on magnesium, it's almost certainly not enough to remedy a deficiency if you truly are magnesium deficient and/or your symptoms are due to magnesium deficiency.

Try the high dose magnesium for about a month or two. If it works, then GREAT. You've discovered WHY you have Restless Leg Syndrome in the first place AND you've fixed it at the same time!

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
Side Effects

PS: If you appreciate the free help that I give on my site, please consider making your next supplement purchase through my Health Store in order to help keep this site in operation.

Vitamin D works for me
by: Anonymous

While I know that there is no literature yet to support a connection between restless leg and a vitamin d deficiency, I would like to say that I personally have found 100 percent relief for my restless legs with Vitamin D Supplements plus magnesium.

Every night for years I suffered with pain in my thighs and jumping muscles, but now I fall asleep quickly and without the Muscle Cramps and twitching. I can't tell you how much this has helped me and while it may not be the same for you, it can't hurt to try.

restless legs
by: julie p from New Zealand

RLS is a neural pathway illness from the same area as Parkinsons Disease. It is not muscular like Muscle Cramps and magnesium would be useless

[Kerri's Note: Except for the fact that magnesium has helped thousands of people with RLS because they have been misdiagnosed. I HIGHLY recommend that anyone with RLS give high dose magnesium a good try for one or two months in order to 'rule out' that it is not magnesium deficiency. If it's not, then no harm no foul, you might feel better anyway. If it IS due to magnesium deficiency, then you've found that out and you might have suffered for another 20 years like this poster did. By the way, YOUR doctor would have likely told you that since RLS is a neural pathway disease, Vitamin D would be useless. Aren't you glad that you didn't listen to them?].

I had really bad nightly RLS for 20 yrs and hardly slept during that time. I did some research and asked doc to put me on Vitamin D. He said Parkisons meds would help but I said no, gimme Vitamin d. So he gave me once a month Colecalciferol tabs 1.25mg and I was cured in 3 DAYS. That was 6 mths ago. RSL sometimes comes back for an hour or so but not often. I regard Vitamin D as a wonderful cure but I suspect that it is the big once a month dose

[Kerri's Note: That is NOT in any way a 'big' dose. It's actually a standard WEEKLY dose for vitamin d deficiency. I'm actually surprised that it helped you because it certainly did not bring your Vitamin D Levels up to normal since it's 1/4 to 1/5 what would be needed to bring levels up to normal.] that did it, not daily small doses. No I am feeling well and happy with tons of energy rather than feeling ill and weak as I did for all those long years.

Good luck

Vitamin D3 For Reatless Leg
by: Anonymous

When you take too much of magnesium it might affect the balance of calcium & magnesium. I do have very bad restless legs problem everyday after 6pm. During earlier stage high dose of magnesium help my Restless legs & sleeping problem.afyer some time it doesn't work anymore.

3 days ago i start 2500iu - 3000iu of D3, my restless leg totally release. I ll be continue taking mag, cal & D.
Hope this information could helps those who facing same problem.

RLS comes from the brain not from cramped leg muscles
by: JP

Restless Leg Syndrome originates from the same neural pathway as Parkinsons Disease. It is not a muscular disease at all. Magnesian may be great for leg cramps but leg cramps are not RLS.

Did you actually read the thread?
by: Kerri Knox, Registered Nurse

Did you actually read the thread? I already commented on this. If RLS is a neural pathway disease ONLY, then why does magnesium help in so many people? And why did the poster below have her RLS CURED in 3 days on Vitamin D Supplements? The answer? RLS is misdiagnosed in tons of people, just like Fibromyalgia is misdiagnosed when it's really just Vitamin D Deficiency.

Why would you encourage people to not even try a therapy that has been effective in significantly improving and eliminating RLS in thousands of people, including clinical studies simply because you have a preconceived notion of what will and won't work.

I've SEEN Magnesium Supplements improve and eliminate RLS. So, don't tell me that it doesn't work. Even the person below will tell you that it does. Am I claiming that it will work in everyone? Nope. It won't work if magnesium deficiency is not a problem for that person.

Even drugs used to treat RLS don't work much of the time (probably because they are actually misdiagnosed with RLS when they actually have magnesium deficiency or Vitamin D deficiency!), hence people looking for other solutions even after getting diagnosed and treated. I'm saying that it will work in many, and that RLS is likely given as a misdiagnosis when it's really magnesium deficiency in many cases.

Studies:
Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate May Relieve RLS in Pregnant Women

Magnesium Therapy for Periodic Limb Movement and Restless Leg Syndrome

In addition, your overly simplistic explanation of RLS is not comparable to what the experts say. They say, "the pathophysiology of RLS remains very poorly understood. This has prevented us from not only generating better therapies but has also led to the "lumping" of all RLS cases into the same basket. It is quite likely that the overt symptoms of RLS used for diagnosis do not represent a unified disorder." RLS Foundation Publication Page 4

and
"No single pathophysiological explanation has yet been developed that covers all clinical features."
Why do restless legs occur at rest?—pathophysiology of neuronal structures in RLS. Neurophysiology of RLS (part 2). So you might want to refrain from telling people exactly why they have RLS when the researchers have not decided exactly why they have it yet.

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

I've had RLS since I was 12 and I'm 64!
by: Midori

The horror of it cannot be described to someone who has not directly experienced it, or to someone who has been "misdiagnosed" with something milder... muscle spasms or the like. I've tried 3 prescription meds (for Parkinson's)... all three worked at first, then slowly stopped, dashing my hopes yet again. I've just been diagnosed with a Vit. D. deficiency. Am I going to hope it helps my RLS? You BET I am. Just as I've tried Magnesium Supplements, although not faithfully, as I was also told it had nothing to do with muscles. But as anyone with this horrid disorder knows, you will try ANYTHING (safe) to get rid of it, and I have great hopes for the Vit. D therapy I just started. Don't let anyone tell you something won't work... what can they possibly be SURE of? It's YOU that's living with this disorder, and it's still under much investigation and study. To me, it's a LOT worse than any pain I've ever had, and I have spinal stenosis, advanced arthritis, etc. Kerri's mind and heart are in the RIGHT place here. Good luck to all who are suffering. I would love to have the peace I have fleetingly had. Wish me luck! :)

Vitamin D3
by: Anonymous

Thank you everyone who posted positive, helpful information. I have fibromyalgia, athritis, and RLS. The RLS is enough to drive someone crazy especially if you are not getting any sleep. It used to bring me to tears.

I would hit my legs, arms just to get a new feeling besides that crazy RLS one. I had been told I was Vit D deficient and was taking Vitamin D Supplements. Somewhere along the line, I ran out and never bought anymore. I take a lot of pills and supplements so I knew something was helping but never sure what.

My RLS came back with a vengeance. I was trying to figure out what had changed. Finally dawned on me. I went and bought Vitamin D Supplements. I took a double dose as I was so desperate for sleep. Had a little trouble the first night but I did sleep. Doubled up again the next night, slept like a baby. If you have never tried this, please do as it very well may help you.

I never tried Magnesium Supplements but different things work for different people. If you have it as bad as I do, you will try anything. Good luck to all. I am certainly a better person. And thank you Kerry for caring enough to start this site and please don't listen to the naysayers. Not worth your time.

New info on restless legs and vitamin d
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen

Some new studies have come out relating the Possible Connection Between Restless Leg Syndrome and Vitamin D Deficiency.

And there are more connections of RLS to nutrition. This study shows that iron deficiency anemia can be a causative/contributing factor in RLS, Iron Status and Restless Legs Syndrome in the Elderly and Sleep disorders: A review of the interface between restless legs syndrome and iron metabolism.

So just 'covering the bases' is good advice after all. SOOOO many things are related to nutrition, and specifically vitamin d deficiency that I never cease to be amazed. And this is not some 'fad' or a panacea or something, it's just that nearly every cell in the body has vitamin d receptors (VDR's). It's very possible that vitamin d is able to 'turn on' and 'turn off' genes that cause disease!

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Vitamin D
by: Anonymous

Vitamin D works wonders. I was awake every night for 3 months. That was my worst flare up. I have had it for over 10 years. It works within 15-20 min. LIFESAVER

Restless legs
by: Anonymous

I had restless legs.I tried every remedy on the net with no success. Then I used Molases blackstrap Molasses(without sugar) diluted in boiling water and within 15minutes the legs would settle down.I also found that Magnesium Supplements at 800mg was very successful.

It works for me.Should I wake up at 2h30 in the morning i use the molases and then brush my teeth and back to bed.

Hope this helps .I also do not try to eat any sweets or starch at night after 5 or take any pain medication .

when i do take medication the restless legs are worse, but controlled by the Molasess

vitamin d and restless legs
by: Anonymous

I know this is true. I suffered for nearly 3 months with RLS. No sleep, night or day. The doctor said there is nothing wrong with you. I asked for 2nd opinion. They took my Vitamin D Level, and I had virtually no Vitamin D. I started on 10,000iu Vitamin D Supplements for a few weeks and the RLS was gone!

Vit D WORKS
by: Angie

I have Been on RLS meds for 8 years....it started with my knees hurting...then I stared getting foot cramps just about every day, the dr at the time just gave me rls meds...what a mistake that was...it made my symtoms worse, so much so I had to increase my dosage...I had been on Neupro patches..same thing there..had to increase dosage.....my current dr is amazing....I Had told him that I really thought that I did not have rls....but the meds I was taking was making it worse and appear that I did.

After blood work, my Vitamin D Levels were extremely low, after a month of taking Vitamin D Supplements, no more meds !!! No more Muscle Cramps and NO rls.....I Would urge EVERYONE who has to me been diagnosed with RLS to start taking Vit D......I think of all the misery I went through....not to mention the costs of the meds.....thank god for good Drs that joist end to you and try to fix the problem rather than use prescriptions as a bandaid......good luck everyone......Vit. D is my godsend

Vitamin D and RLS
by: Anonymous

I started using Vitamin D Supplements 8 weeks ago mainly because of the many known benefits and was totally unaware of the relationship to RLS. I am taking 2000 IU daily. After two weeks of treatment my RLS of twelve year's duration has completely disappeared.

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