OT - Restless legs

The common reasons for restless leg are low hemoglobin, low iron, poor iron transport, or low B12 and B-complex.

Ask your doctor to do blood work for hemoglobin, ferritin, transferritin and B12.

Some people have normal ferritin (iron stores) but low transferritin so the iron isn't being transported properly. The most common reason for low transferritin is not enough protein in the diet or poor absorption of protein.

I also heard about iron and/or potassium deficiency associated with restless legs. And early research points to magnesium deficiency:

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8363978

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9703590
“Our study indicates that magnesium treatment may be a useful alternative therapy in patients with mild or moderate RLS-or PLMS-related insomnia”

/www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/bone-joint/restless-leg-syndrome-rls/
“Try 500 mg of calcium citrate and 250 to 500 mg of magnesium to calm nerves and muscles.”

Magnesium oil applied topically has helped me with restless legs when I struggled with it.

UC, I had restless syndrome several years ago. It was extremely bad at night when sleeping, my legs & feet jumped & kicked so much I would wake up. In addition to this I was having charley horses in my thighs & arches of my feet. My dr put me on Mirapex because of the severity of it. I stayed on the Mirapex for a couple of years & was finally able to get off it. For the foot issue he had me use a regular belt to stretch my arches with twice a day plus rolling a tennis ball around to stretch them.

My husband has it something awful. He kicks all night long every freaking night. The dog sleeps with us in the middle on his back. He dreams a lot & runs in his sleep with his legs kicking too, sleeping with these two gets a bit much some nights. Some nights I give up & sleep in the recliner!!

I agree NCOT. After a couple days I had a near panic attack from it. I have no idea why. Most likely because it's such a large muscle group feeling sickly it set my anxiety through the roof.

I've ordered a magnesium spray. I'll report back.

@Uniform Charlie - Good luck with the magnesium spray. Do report back. If it works well for you, I may give it another go. But with a different brand this time, I think.

Yeah, I've heard of Epsom Salts. I only take showers though <_<.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579607/

It's commonly reported that transdermal magnesium (Epsom salt bath, sprays etc) increase magnesium levels, but there actually is little or no evidence that it does.

Small dowse of oral magnesium are considered more reliable. Dietary sources are the safest, and you could get your levels tested, of magnesium and other minerals.
A nice bath does make people feel better though.

Coffeemate rarely posts, he does like to stalk me, lol. He has been pretty abusive, so I applaud his civility this time.
I realise that studies, and science, are rude words for some people. There's no need to fear either of them.

I was a chemical engineer for over a decade. Then I became a yoga and t'ai chi teacher after Crohn's disease arrived.
People can report anecdotes, and also peer reviewed studies. And there is a vast difference between the two.
Most people know that.
Take care.

Thank you all for the info. My PCP believes it is the duloxetine causing the RLS and anxiety. I am going to try to wean myself off. I'm conflicted on this but I can always go back on if needed. I have a physical next month and will request vitamin levels be checked at that time. @NCOT and coffeemate, I may hold off on using the spray until my duloxetine experiment is finished. I have a habit of changing multiple things at once and never figuring out what's causing me issues because I confuse things. @Ambling and Connor- I am going to add magnesium and iron rich foods.

@straydog, thanks for the info on mirapex. I'll keep that in the back of my mind if things progress.

from the internet:
High magnesium foods include dark leafy greens, seeds, beans, whole grains, fish, nuts, dark chocolate, yogurt, avocados, bananas and more. The current daily value (DV) for magnesium is 400mg.

notice the bolded (by me) source of magnesium. Health food.