Advice?

[Jane246]

Please can you help? My mum has very recently been told by the doctor she has Restless leg Syndrome. She not convinced though. Symptoms include: Muscle spasms in her her legs (worse at night) and twitching across her body including her face and neck. As a result this is keeping her awake, causing insomnia. She's having to take sleeping tablets, if not she doesn't sleep!

She's had an MRI scan which came back normal but feels something isn't right. it's getting her really down and has led to depression and anxiety.

This has all started after getting tinnitus, which she is finding very debilitating.

Is there anyone who could help, as getting really worried?

[sarah19902]

This sounds like me. I took a high dose of the RLS medication and it does absolutely nothing for the fasculations (small muscle twitching)

Can you ask if she gets pins and needles in her feet and hands and shivers of like tingles/moving pins and needles?

[Joolsg]

Does she get the unbearable need to move and are the symptoms relieved by movement?

[Hidden]

I think youre' mum may be correct in thinking this is not RLS. As Jools mentions THE defining symptom of RLS is the urge to move which is relieved by moving. If your mum doesn't get this then it's unlikely she has RLS.

Additionally, the symptoms she does have don"t sound typical of RLS.

I wonder, if when the doctor diagnosed RLS, did he/she not prescribe any medication? A useful test of RLS is to take a RLS medication. If it works, then she has RLS, if it doesn't work then she probably hasn't.

I'm not a doctor but it seems a one off test dose of levodopa might show one way or the other. You mustn't consider this as medical advice, it's just my thought.

Is this doctor a GP? If so was referral to a neurologist not considered?

I note the normal MRI scan, but not all conditions that affect nerves are caused by, or cause detectable anatomical changes. The failure of an MRI therefore does not indicate RLS.

It remains the issue that if it's not RLS, what is it.

I'm not qualified to even guess what this is, but as a starting point it might be worthwhile your mum having some blood tests to see if she has any deficiencies which could affect nerves. Potassum particularly, as well as sodium.and calcium (electrolytes) can have a very significant effect on nerves and muscles.

It does seem overall that your mum does need to go back to the doctor.

[martino]

I think the guidance on the RLS-UK web site is well worth looking at.

[Shumbah]

Any chance your mom is taking metformin diabetics medication?