RLS: vitamins, alternatives...JAN

[Guest guest]

Jan...and group,

You wrote the following:

" Could you share with us exactly what you take and how much you take everyday

for your RLS. Do you take everything together or do you space your doses

apart?

I'm very interested in going with alternative treatment since the meds I've

tried so far really do a number on my stomach and they give me very little

relief. "

First...before I lose readers with my usual long " dissertation " length

letters *cough, cough*....I want to suggest that if you want alternative

methods ideas, and you haven't visited my website, that you do so.

( http://www.netzone.com/~gunzel/rls.html ) It explains my attitude toward

RLS and my " bag of tricks " ..which are all nonprescription methods. The

only thing not on there, yet, is my use of Neuromins and Rutin. The jury

is still out on both of these. Probably the most popular trick on there is

the Tension Tamer tea that I use. Some people don't like the tea, but

they've discovered others that are just as good, if used strong. The other

big idea on the pages is the idea of Zero Tolerance...stopping an RLS

attack in it's tracks, so it can't build up strength. And my favorites,

are the suckers, sex and music. In any order. LOL Please, go see the pages.

Second...on the subject of vitamins. I hesitate to list what I take...just

because I know that all of our bodies and situations are so different, and

in my case, it's just a guessing game. I wish we could easily know what we

are deficient in, and just supplement those things. But you asked some

good questions....like, whether I take everything together or space them

out. Contrary to some people's opinion, I am NOT a vitamin nut, or really

educated in herbals and supplements. I read up on things and then I sorta

do what makes sense to me at the time. It's a real trial and error method,

based on just enough research to get me in trouble. I just don't want to

recommend anything that gets anyone ELSE in trouble. I remember

hearing that some things will inhibit others and shouldn't be taken at the

same time. But I'm NOT good about knowing which things are like that. I

may be doing it all wrong. So, I sure hesitate to say what I'm taking. I

will say it...but I just want to stress that everyone needs to do their own

research and figure out their own program. And in many cases, they need to

do this with a doctor, so they can coordinate it all with other meds and

health problems.

But, for what it's worth, in the mornings, I take a strong multiple

vitamin/mineral pill, a 200mg Neuromins (vegetarian source of DHA), a

1,000mg Vitamin C, 800mcg folic acid, and 30mg CoQ10. I'm not sure why I'm

taking the CoQ10. I bought it for my daughter in law, who didn't want it.

LOL So I think I started taking it, just to use it up....and have no plans

to buy more. How's THAT for scientific reasoning?

For the multiple, I stand there and read all the labels in the

store...especially the ones for pregnant women (they always have good stuff

in them) and for senior citizens...same reason. Then, after getting an

idea of what the possibilities are, I look for the one with the most stuff

and the cheapest cost. I also try to stay away from dark red vitamins. I

think I'm allergic to the red food dye in them, because I get morning

nausea when I've used some of them. Weird, but true.

The Vitamin C, I take for overall health and fighting off sickness.

The folic acid was something I started last January when I discovered the

name for RLS and kept reading that it's highly recommended. What I've

heard, though, is that they recommend mega doses of it, like

5,000-20,000mcg. (Note: mcg, not mg..micrograms). I think it was the

Prevention Magazine site that recommended those doses. One doctor said I

should just get a prescription for a 1 gram pill of it. Well, I took up to

6,000mcg a day for a couple of months (that was 15 little 400mcg pills...no

kidding). The pain that I'd been having with the RLS did stop...possibly

from the folic acid...not sure. But then I cut back to just two 800mcg

pills a day...and noticed no difference. So, I'm not sure I'm convinced

that more is better.

In the evenings, I take another Vitamin C 1000mg, another folic acid,

Neuromins, one calcium/magnesium (500mg/250mg), a B150 that has about five

B vitamins, and, as of this week, 500mg of Rutin.

I don't think the calcium/magnesium is near what is recommended. I used to

take more. Just got tired of the big pills. I see most of this as just

supplementation to a not so great diet. I sure would NOT ever suggest that

what I take would be right for anyone else. BUT...I WILL highly recommend

my method of taking them. I won't take pills if I have to open five

bottles each time and have to think it all out about what to take. So, I

have two containers that have seven smaller pill containers (with four

sections in each). Every two weeks, I sit down with a box that has all my

pill bottles and my list of what I'm taking. Then, I set up my pills for

two weeks. That way, morning and night, I just open two little sections

and take the small handful. My husband, because of some problems with gout

and liver stress (caused by toe nail fungus meds that stay in your body for

almost a year), takes so many vitamins and supplements, that they won't fit

in a pill container. So, for him, every 8 days, or so, I sit down with

snack sized ziplock-type baggies. I lay out all the baggies, open each

bottle ONCE, and distribute the pills. Then, I count them as I slip them

into the bags (just to be sure I didn't screw up.) The morning ones go

into a larger bag that is labeled " Morning " , then another is " Noon " and

another is " Dinner " . This makes it all so much easier and means you spend

about 10 mintutes at it, every week or two, rather than 5 minutes at the

medicine cabinet three times a day. It also helps you stick to a plan for

a week and then re-evaluate....rather than changing things all the time.

Got a little carried away, there. But I know that some of us are taking

LOTS of medications and the sheer coordination of it can be a problem. My

sister takes so much stuff, she just uses old pill bottle and labels

them...and sets up a few days at a time. Just make it work for YOU and

keep good records...dating them...so you can look back and see what you did

differently.

Hope some of this helps.

Jill, 46

Payson, AZ

http://www.netzone.com/~gunzel/rls.html