Do any supplements help with restless legs syndrome?

I use a homeopathic preparation - Cell Salts mag / phos - just before bed along with a magnesium cream rubbed into my knees ( which is where the restlessness originates). Usually works great, but occasionally I put a heat pad ( the kind one heats up in the microwave) on my knees too. I'm 82.

Taurine powder, swallowed with water, plus a little under the tongue does it for me. Works almost instantly.

I just ordered a product called "Quiet Legs Pro" containing vitamine B6, Magnesium glycinate, Ashwagandha powder (root), Turmeric Root extract,L-Theanine, Lactobacillus Planatarum, Bifidobacterijm Longum, BioPerine for my sister who has RLS both day and night. I don't know if it helps or not she just started taking the pills. But she also uses melatonin at night and drinks many cafine free, diet colas containing aspertaine. I will let her know about the info shared here.

I have a PEMF mat made by QRS that greatly helps me with RLS. If I am unable to fall asleep due to RLS I go out to my recliner that has a PEMF mat on it. I set the QRS-PEMF for 8 minutes in the Relax mode and then go back to bed after the session ends. Ninety percent of the time eight minutes is sufficient. Another eight minutes will work three more percent of the time. Twice in three years, PEMF failed to work on me. I'd say those odds are very good. (I have no financial interest in QRS.)

Iron! By the comments, it seems there are multiple reasons for RLS. For me, I found that a multivitamin with iron relieves my restless legs. When I accidentally bought a multi without iron, my RLS came back. My daughter had severe restless legs when she was pregnant. She asked her doctor about iron. Her blood test showed she was severely anemic. Once on iron supplementation, her restless legs stopped.

I have been prescribed Pramipexole for my RLS and it changed my life. No more crazy bicycle legs every night.

For me, the RLS is worse if I am dehydrated, so I drink water to mitigate the symptoms. It's a tricky dance to get enough water to be able to sleep, but not so much that I have to keep getting up to go to the bathroom. Good luck!

I also find massaging my feet, legs and glutes at bedtime, reduces my rls.

I have mild RLS and when it flares, I get out of bed and use a foam roller on my legs. That seems to relieve the symptoms.

Thank you for sharing that. My partner has awful RLS and I never thought or heard of this!

The potassium treatment described in the 2016 Rouf study from Bangladesh, along with iron supplementation, has turned out to be the most helpful for my severe case of familial RLS.

When I talked to my doctor about the study and she gave me a prescription for a sustained release form. While the sustained release potassium was convenient and covered by my insurance, the sustained release format didn’t work as well as the immediate release supplement. I do get some RLS during the daytime, but it is worse at night, so taking the supplement at around 6 pm or so worked the best for me. I use Nutricost brand. I’ve been taking the potassium citrate for more than 2 years. A sleep clinic had prescribed the iron supplementation, as well as a dopamine agonist, but that med caused augmentation and other severe side effects. The potassium has caused no side effects for me that I'm aware of. While taking iron, I do need to have my ferritin level checked once a year, to ensure my iron level doesn’t get too high. What a relief to find something that helps my RLS, which I have had since childhood, gradually worsening with age.

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Having restless leg syndrome myself, I couldn’t find any fix for it, but a natural response was to pound my legs with my fists, which helped immensely. Then some YT doctor, who also had the condition, did the same to calm the nerves. After searching Google many times, I came across an article that implicated caffeine and melatonin. So I stopped the melatonin and reduced caffeine intake. Condition improve 80-90%

I have had RLS at times since childhood, gradually increasing. Yes, it can be maddening and destroy sleep, which can destroy health. But rather than taking a medicine that has its own adverse effects, I do 2 minutes of certain leg stretches before bed. Sometimes, when I don't do them, I will get fed up, get out of bed, do the stretches, and when I get back in bed, they are gone, and I go to sleep immediately. The stretches are very simple, and involve stretching the calf muscles, the thigh muscles, and the hamstrings. Ask any physical therapist or look up online the standard leg stretches for this. I don't even have to turn the lights on and can get right back in bed and sleep. This works 99% of the time. The other 1% is eliminated by another set of those stretches.

We have found pine bark extract to be the most effective. Tried this in capsules, but those never worked. Only the powder extract in bulk seems to be effective, at least for us. Have tested this for over a year, with consistent results. By taking a rounded 1/4 tsp every three days keeps the rls in check.

I have pretty severe RLS and there are a few mechanical fixes that work for me: wet socks (cotton), silicone toe-spreaders, a very-strong foot-massaging machine and orgasms (not sure why bug they work). Medicines that have worked are niacinamide, quinine and now I’m taking gabapentin. I’m probably exacerbating the condition by also taking an SSRI but I suffer from depression without it.

I take pickle juice for foot cramps, seems to help.

I was plagued by daily episodes of restless legs for over 20 years. I came across a letter online suggesting that aspartame, the artificial sweetener, may have a connection for some people. I immediately stopped all diet sodas and found relief from restless legs within 24 hours. That was 15 years ago. I've maybe had 3 episodes in all those years.

Epison salts help, with cramping, too. There are creams or bathe with it.

My husband, who has Parkinson's and is 74, tried a bit of potassium gluconate, and it helps. I use it after exercising, and it helps, but sometimes does not prevent all, leg cramps. Since I take generic Benicar for high blood pressure, I'm assuming that I'm excreting too many electrolytes. Why magnesium does not help, I don't know. There is a prescription medication for restless leg, but the Parkinson's specialist said, sternly, DON'T take it.
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I have had RLS for years (as does my adult daughter); we both take Hyland's Restful Legs with consistent and reliable success (the amount that we need are 6 tiny sublingual tablets per day/evening). When I forget to take the tablets, I am often awakened with restless legs, especially after days when I engaged in aerobic exercise (which is most days). I look forward to seeing the results of research studies conducted with this product.

Hey guys, there's a simple solution for leg cramps. My hairdresser told me about it and it sounds nutty but it has worked 100% of the time for my husband. A tablespoon of mustard! Works almost immediately. There are lots of online comments about its effectiveness and even some scientific reasons.

I took a prescription drug for a while. It worked but I preferred doing something more natural. Although the studies mentioned in the answer to the original question states that the research does not support the effectiveness of magnesium, I was told by a friend, who had the problem for years, that combining 400 mg magnesium with 400 mg folic acid and 2500 mcg of B12 (methylcobalamine sublingual form) works beautifully. I take the combination 30 min before bed and haven't had problems since I started that 2 years ago.

When my husband began having episodes of RLS, the doctor put him on a Parkinson's medicine - which did not help much. We then figured out that there were two causes: his weekly 30 mile bike ride and too much whiskey. He curtailed the whiskey but would not give up cycling. After much research and testing he found if he drinks coconut water right after his bike ride and another when he gets home - he does not have RLS during the night. He buys Kirkland brand coconut water at Costco. I have also found it resolves my foot cramps from wearing high heals or when my feet get too cold.

A homeopathic remedy - Rhus Tox - works wonders for my RLS,. Taken before bedtime, it has worked for me for decades without fail, if I begin to feel a bit of RLS prior to going to bed.