Restless legs syndrome

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Alternative medicine

By Mayo Clinic staff

Because restless legs syndrome is sometimes due to an underlying nutritional deficiency, taking supplements to correct the deficiency may improve your symptoms. Your doctor can order blood tests to pinpoint nutritional deficiencies and give you a good sense of which supplements may help.

Your doctor can also tell you whether certain dietary supplements may interfere with the way your prescription medications work or may pose health risks for you.

If blood tests show that you are deficient in any of the following nutrients, your doctor may recommend taking dietary supplements as part of your treatment plan:

  • Iron
  • Folic acid
  • Vitamin B
  • Magnesium

More research is needed to reliably establish the safety and effectiveness of all of these supplements in the treatment of RLS.

Coping and support Lifestyle and home remedies
References
  1. Restless legs syndrome. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/restless_legs/detail_restless_legs.htm. Accessed Sept. 27, 2011.
  2. Restless legs syndrome: Causes, diagnosis and treatment. Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. http://www.rls.org/Document.Doc?&id=428. Accessed Sept. 27, 2011.
  3. About RLS: Frequently asked questions. Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. http://www.rls.org/Page.aspx?pid=543#7. Accessed Sept. 27, 2011.
  4. Salas RE, et al. Update in restless legs syndrome. Current Opinion in Neurology. 2010;23:401.
  5. Chokroverty S. Long-term management issues in restless legs syndrome. Movement Disorders. 2011;26:1378.
  6. Trenkwalder C, et al. Restless legs syndrome: Pathophysiology, clinical presentation and management. Nature Reviews/Neurology. 2010;6:337.
  7. Patrick L. Restless legs syndrome: Pathophysiology and the role of iron and folate. Alternative Medicine Review. 2007;12:101.
  8. Pregnancy and RLS. Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. www.rls.org/Document.Doc?id=183. Accessed Oct. 4, 2011.
DS00191 Jan. 19, 2012

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