FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

danagrace — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:36:58 GMT

RLS is a very real horrible sleep depriving thief of a problem. I have a severe form and get it in my arms and legs -mainly my thighs and upper arms. I have tried everything alternative that has come along to help. I do not drink coffee and take magnesium, calcium and melatonin at night as well as other sleepy time herbs. I practice good sleep hygiene according to Mercola's 33 good sleep hygiene habbits. I am an active 43 year young, although not nearly as active as I was years ago, especially if i do not get sleep.

As much as i don't like intense rigorous exercise especially here in Houston where it is already so hot and sweaty 9 months out of the year, I plan to figure out a way to try that, even if it means moving to a cooler climate so i can work out outside.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

PlantLady — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:10:06 GMT

I have always had mild RLS that didn't bother me too much, but 18 months after the birth of my third child and being approximately 2 lbs. from losing all my pregnancy weight, I suddenly began to gain lots of weight...as much as 20 lbs./month. I rushed to the doc who decided a blood test for hypothyroidism was in order. She told me it came back normal. Five years later I had gained 125 lbs. all the while struggling with starvation and trying to keep off the weight. I had so little energy I could barely get out of bed anymore and with 3 kids, that wasn't an option. Finally went back to the doc and another test: thyroid wasn't working at all! Furthermore, getting the test from 5-6 years before showed it was barely working then...a misdiagnosis on a blood test! I never would've thought I needed a second opinion on a blood test! Then came the Type II diabetes. I wish now I had gone back sooner. Lesson learned: get educated, get copies of all tests and learn how to read them! The doc isn't always right.

Shortly after gaining all that weight my RLS progressively increased to the point where I was "walking" in bed and unable to sleep all night. I got maybe 2-3 hours of sporadic, interrupted sleep. I wanted to scream when I couldn't make that urge to move my legs go away. Doc first put me on Vicodin, but that is an addictive substance. Then we tried Mirapex. It worked, but it has progressively turned me into a shop-aholic...something I enjoyed doing to begin with, but could control. Now I have problems trying to control it. Now I am on the search for natural, alternative remedies. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

Ravenwing — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:48:59 GMT

I was suffering from RLS at a time when I was also battling insomnia, hypoglycemia and chronic fatigue. I was very lucky to find information about a stealth pathogen called Chlamydia Pneumoniae on the net. And I was lucky again to find a holistic CFS doc who tested me and found an acute active infection with Cpn and also Mycoplasma Pneumoniae. I began a regime of supplements, diet modification and combined antibiotics (developed by Dr. Charles Stratton at Vanderbilt University Medical Center). It has been two years now since I began the treatment and I am no longer plagued by fatigue---I have energy to work, exercise and have fun. The RLS was one of the first things to go as well as the insomnia.

You see, this intracellular infection causes a huge upset in the metabolic cycle as it feeds off the ATP from the cell's mitochondria. It can also induce secondary porphyria (a disturbance in the heme processing cycle). As I brought my bacterial load down, my immune system began to come online---my white cell counts gradually improving as the months went by. Vitamin D was also low and I now supplement with D3.

I am a true believer in natural treatments and healthy foods but nothing I did could help me until I put all the parts of the puzzle together. I find the drug industry is the new patent medicine show---just treating symptoms with dangerous expensive drugs.

Finally, I found the true cause of my years of misery and I'm on the healing path. More info can be found at http:www.cpnhelp.org

a non profit web site begun by fellow patients with Cpn.

Ravenwing

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

sequence — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:06:27 GMT

Why don't you try massage therapy. Specificaly NeuroSoma. It is very effective, becouse it works with your Musle Spindle.This therapy reestablish communications between the musle and the brain by increasing nerve feedback sensitivity so the system can correct itself. I've been a massage therapist for over 25 years, but never witness such incredible recovery from any neuromuscular disorder. I have NeuroSoma therapy once a week and absolutly love it.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

craynewhope — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:42:54 GMT

If my last comment seemed off base Perhaps you have never been in a place where answers are non effective or as that last idiot a fools response. We have tried everything. The one about Iron overdose is a puzzle. We do not eat processed foods so that supplies no iron as it does for so many. The only iron she gets comes from natural foods as they do for me. Her blood tests show normal iron If it were not for the RLS she would get enough sleep so perhaps it is self propagating once you have the problem. I have read all the above and none of it seems to show me the probable cause. I do know she has sever RLS And if it is not a syndrom then she has sever RL sever enough she gets less than four hours of sleep a night. If that is not an illness then what ever you call it do not pretend it is not important to find the solution for her and many others who have the same problem.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

craynewhope — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:42:50 GMT

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

prescott — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:27:47 GMT

When I have gotten RLS (in my case, the legs jump, prohibiting sleep), I get in the shower and turn on the hot water, letting it run over my legs from the hip down, front and back, for about 1-2 minutes. It works for me every time. However, I found that a fondness for Starbucks' potent cups of caffeine were causing most of my incidents of RLS. No coffee--no restless legs. Could it be that the proliferation of these shops on every corner is helping to promote this ever-increasing complaint?

PS: I got the shower idea from a letter published in David Williams' newsletter from a subscriber. Let's see--shower? drugs? Hmmm . . . .

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

asformei — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 02:37:03 GMT

My husband had restless leg syndrome all his adult life. When we changed to an all natural food diet for the sake of our child the problem went away. It came back when he had to start eating breakfast out. By the process of elimination we found out his was caused by the yellow dyes in food. The restless legs return if he ingest the dyes even when he does not know he has eaten them, which to me is the proof that they are the cause.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

Katee Roux — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:03:56 GMT

People here saying that if you don't believe RLS is real that you're ignorant. Other people saying that it is a fake diagnosis. Can't we just realize that just as we all have different & individual dietary requirements, that our physical experiences are not the same? People experience discomfort at different things, & as our bodies don't respond to stimuli the same, we exhibit different symptoms along a spectrum of different intensities. Because we are so complex, it is difficult at times to find the cause.

I'm tired of listening to some calling others ignorant. Perhaps the basics we believe here are close to the same: Standard American diet is not healthy & disease promoting. Drugs don't improve the situation. The amount of money spent advertising to try to get us to eat unhealthy & take drugs is ridiculous. The way to change this is to make choices which are positive & healthy & to take responsibility for our actions. Actual diagnosises such as RLS, etc, are not really the issue.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

Marnie1 — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:55:27 GMT

Has any one tried putting a bar of soap in the bed under the sheets by your feet? I've known many people who swear by this. It doesn't seem to matter what brand or kind of soap, so it must be related to the lye, as that's really the only common denominator of all the different soaps available.

If you like, I can "write a prescription" and bill you $85 for the "office call" if it will make those who need drugs feel better.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

webwitch6 — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:56:18 GMT

Isnt acid reflux disease also one of those "new" things that requires some kind of medication too? I wonder when they will come out with a pill for boredom or the inability to "choose the right handbag" disease.

People just seem to WANT to have an excuse to see a doctor and take medication. I have known so many people who revel in discussing their medical problems and conditions and the drugs they take for each and every little thing. Sometimes they need more drugs to combat the SYMPTOMS of the drugs for the condition.

And yes, I too have "RLS". Mine comes from a pinched nerve in my back and the inability to sleep for 8 hours due to the new community I moved into. I moved to the country to live a quiet life, and the tractors and sit down mowers are constantly up and running, not to mention the chickens and cows that need attention at 5 a.m! Maybe they will have a pill for the effects of the country life on a city girl next..

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

Sarasmiles — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:32:52 GMT

I find I get restless legs (not to be confused with muscle spasms) when I eat things to which I am allergic. My sister also notices this to be true for her.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

nonsumdignus — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:01:49 GMT

I first noticed RLS when in college - it had no name then and I eventually realized it was a sign of sleep deprivation. I simply wasn't sleeping the 8hrs that my body needed. Since then, it has only come back during pregnancy (when I need 9hrs) or other times I've missed sleep one night and need to go to bed the next. So since sleep was the easy cure for me, I almost fell off the couch when I saw the ad for this - talk about killing a mouse with an elephant gun!

Fascinating reading about the magnesium and B vitamin connection. This makes sense, as too little magnesium/B (they work together) during pregnancy cause excessive Braxton-Hicks contractions, which I have for 9 months, every time. Magnesium is tied in with muscle contraction - this is making a lot of sense! I wonder if switching gradually to all whole grains over the years, combined with more sleep, is why my RLS has greatly decreased over time.

Are these really scientists out there? The solution is so low-tech. WHY, WHY, aren't there honest medical scientists working on solutions? I know the answer is $$$, so why is it so hard for Americans to believe that the med solution is a false one?

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

Dog — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:42:51 GMT

Restless legs in a REAL CONDITION! It's not made up and just because you don't have doesn't mean it didn't exist before you learned about it. If you don't have it, don't compare it to anything that you think it's like. If you don't have it, you don't know what it is; and to me the pontificating looks like an expression of ignorance in a place where compassion should be..... This is true no matter what credentials one claims to have.

I have SEVERE restless legs and took Requip. I had none of the mentioned serious side effects, however, the medication became less effective over time and I needed to take more and more of it. One of the things I didn't like about the Requip was that it often left me with a hung over feeling the next day. I should mention that I tried all the different holistic treatments; maybe for some people they work, but not for me.

After years of investigation my understanding of restless legs is this: it is caused by a mild form of sleep apnea. The restless is almost like a suffocation response. Drugs like Requip DO NOT help because they simply dull the symptoms so you can fall asleep. Caffeine doesn't cause the restless legs, it only seems to make the nervous system more sensitive to the symptoms. (In a similar way that an itch seems more intense if you're hopped up on caffeine.)

I would like to close by repeating just how horrible the symptoms can be. Please, avoid saying that it isn't real or in the imagination... or that it is the drug companies manufacturing a disease. IT'S REAL and it's horrible. I have had many nights of walking around till 3 am. Sometimes I walked around till the sun came up the next day, all the while I was wanting to just lay down and fall asleep.

re: FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

T_rex — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:39:50 GMT

Dr. Mercola's comments are right on the money. We need more people to read them so we may have a better world.