"Once you start to accumulate sleep deprivation, it's possible that your RLS symptoms will act up."
(CHARLENE GAMALDO)
Q: I was diagnosed with restless legs syndrome two years ago. Now my teenage daughter says she thinks she has it too. Is she old enough to have it or is it just in her mind?
A: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is known to run in families and there's something called early onset RLS, which is when the symptoms manifest before age 40. If you developed RLS early on, it's more likely to have a hereditary component. Even if you didn't develop RLS until later in life, it's still likely that your daughter could have it too. Unfortunately people who get RLS when they're young typically see it get worse as they age.
Q: I wake up sometimes with shooting pains in my calves and it hurts to move them. Could I have RLS?
A: There are four criteria used to determine if you have RLS: You must suffer from uncomfortable leg sensations associated with an overwhelming urge to move, they come on with rest, they are improved with movement, and they are worse at night. Based solely on that one criterion you described, it would be hard to say. RLS is a possibility but you could also suffer from nocturnal cramps and the only way to find out for sure is to probe deeper and answer those four questions.
Q: I've been taking dopamine agonists for my RLS for a few months now, but I'm starting to feel my symptoms coming back. Do I need to up my dosage?
A: You never want to up your medication without talking to your doctor first; treatment always needs to be individualized to fit the patient. When talking to your doctor, you'll find out if it's really your RLS acting up again or if you have developed something else on top of the RLS, like nocturnal cramps.
Some patients will experience something called augmentation after taking RLS drugs for a few months or years. Augmentation is when a certain medication type stops working and your symptoms may come back even worse than before. If this happens, your doctor may recommend you come off of that medication and try a different one.
