Re: restless legs/folic acid...non-drug alternative?

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Posted by Athena on April 24, 2001 at 17:22:40:
In Reply to: restless legs posted by Potassium Legs on April 16, 2001 at 04:48:52:
Many years ago I was living with a pre-med student. She saw me writhing on her sofa, and she got up and got one of her medical texts, opened it to a particular page, and pointed at a listing for Restless Legs Syndrome (which was the first I'd heard about it). It said that RLS is caused by a folic acid deficiency. I tried taking folic acid, and for me, at least, it worked like magic. At the time, I could take one 400 mcg tablet of folic acid, and within 45 minutes to an hour, I got complete relief.
I discovered that just taking a folic acid tablet each day didn't help. I had to wait until the RLS started, THEN take the folic acid. But it cut my suffering time from 6 to 8 hours down to less than an hour.
I have always eaten foods that are high in folic acid....I have a fondness for dark green veggies, especially broccoli which I can eat by the pound...what's more I can eat a complete package
of frozen broccoli, and still have a RLS attack later that same night. I have reason to believe that I might also be B6 dificient, and that my mother might have been as well, and B6 deficiencies are often associated with folic acid deficiencies, so I take both.
My symptoms were a creepy, crawling sensation, as if ants were running up and down my legs under the skin. Originally, they occured only after 1am in the morning...if I were asleep before then, I never got them...and about once or twice a year. (alcohol could precipitate an attack, however) As the years went on, they occured more and more often and earlier and earlier in the day, until they were taking place every single day at about 3pm (at work, in other words). At that point I gave up and just started taking folic acid every day at lunch, and it has pretty much kept them at bay ever since....although I do still occasionally have an evening attack, usually about 8 to 10pm, and I have to take a second folic acid tablet. (which still works, thank goodness) I am currently taking 800 mcg at lunch, with the occasional extra 800 mcg at night. I have been told that since folic acid is a water-soluable vitamin, it is difficult to overdose on it...your body just tends to flush out any extra naturally and quickly, so my doctor's haven't (yet) protested me taking so much.
Hope this helps someone else looking for a non-drug alternative.

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