There is a silent condition out there that is causing millions of people severe discomfort. It is called Willis-Ekbom Disease which is more popularly known as restless leg syndrome. It has been called a neurological disorder and it has been noted to affect more women than men.
Most of the time restless legs syndrome goes under diagnosed or passed off for other diseases. Some may be more serious and some less serious which is nerve wracking to the patient. Here we will discuss restless leg syndrome, and treatment options as well as similar types of restless leg syndrome disorders so you can have a clearer path to the right diagnosis.
What Does Restless Leg Syndrome Look Like?
What makes RLS so frustrating and hard to diagnose is that the RLS symptoms are so different from person to person. It can be quite elusive to both patient and physician. It can also look like other disorders and even more serious conditions in the way the symptoms can appear. We will show you what that looks like later.
Symptoms of Willis-Ekbom Disease:
1. Inability to stay still
2. Severe urge to move arms and legs when at rest
3. Disrupted sleep
4. Weird and sometimes indescribable crawly or tingly sensations in the limbs which some sufferers describe it as a ticklish feeling or an urge to move or stretch the limb without a real reason for doing so.
5. Symptoms will either appear at night or later in the day or will get worse at night or later in the day.
This can get to an urgent level when one is diagnosed with idiopathic RLS. This condition gets worse over time and the disruption of life can be akin to Parkinson’s disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.
What does the medical community think Willis-Ekbom disease is attributed to?
Though unproven, the medical community holds the belief that Willis Ekbom disease is from a dopamine deficiency in the central nervous system. This may explain why it occurs more often in females than males. Women lose magnesium and folic acid, especially during pregnancy, and have fluctuations in dopamine because they menstruate. During menopause, the symptoms reportedly get worse in some people.
So how does one treat Willis-Ekbom or RLS?
This is the tricky part. Because the underlying cause is still unknown, a lot of guesswork is being done in relation to treatment options. People with mild RLS can normally relieve RLS symptoms with diet and lifestyle changes with special focus on rebuilding magnesium stores safely and stress reduction, as well as exercise and the cessation of negative habits—such as the consumption of alcohol and smoking which could have an adverse effect on both the nervous system and the body’s ability to absorb magnesium properly.
There are a lot of folks we speak with who have had success avoiding certain foods that tend to be major triggers for restless leg syndrome. Here are the major food triggers that seem to cause symptoms to become more severe:
– Dairy
– Wheat
– Salty foods
– Soy
– Cured meats
– Monosodium glutamate
People with Moderate to Severe Willis-Ekbom Disease:
People with moderate to severe Willis Ekbom disease have been prescribed pharmacological treatments 
for this condition with special focus on the central nervous system and the dopamine receptors to the brain.
What are the medications they use to treat people with moderate to severe RLS?
We will place these in order from most harmful to least. Yet, we must note that multiple studies have shown that oral medications such as these are beyond the scope of what this article is able to discuss due to regulatory laws.
1. Opiates: These are a HIGHLY addictive form of treatment and we strongly suggest only taking these after a few opinions from several doctors including a neurologist or two. It is well worth the time and energy. If you become addicted to opiates—you may be opening a whole new world for you that you may have some real trouble climbing out of.
2. Dopamine Agonists: From what we know from speaking with RLS patients, and according to Web MD and Mayo Clinic—these are the first and most widely prescribed medications used for Willis Ekbom disease and moderate to severe RLS.
3. Sedatives: Benzodiazepines such as Xanax is prescribed just to get you through the night.
4. Anticonvulsives and Alpha 2 Agonists: These are meant to stop the involuntary motion at night while you sleep. The Alpha 2’s are actually affecting your brain stem and will power-down the part of the brain that controls involuntary muscle movements.
Some of the Side Effects from Least to Worst:
Nausea and Dizziness
Vertigo
Daytime Sleepiness and feeling lightheaded
Confusion
Headache
Dry Mouth
Loss of Appetite
Loss of Libido
Lethargy
Spontaneous Convulsions
Addiction
Brand Names of Some of the Above Drugs:
Dopamine Agonists:
Mirapex
Neupro
Requip
Dopaminergic Agents:
Sinemet
Carbidopa
Benzodiazepines:
Levodopa
Restoril
Klonopin
Xanax
Opiates:
Vicodin
Anticonvulsants:
Neurontin
Horizant
Alpha 2 Agonists:
Catapres
Conclusion for Willis-Ekbom Disease:
Though we are not in a position to give medical advice, it would be wise to consult a trusted physician and seek another opinion with a specialist or neurologist or two before going on to any medication that can potentially harm you or bring another condition on that can be detrimental.
Feel free to print this information and take it with you so that when your physician suggests a medication you can ask them if it is one on the list so you can better research the drug and the side-effects and interactions.
Our eBook, entitled, How to End RLS Naturally, is a great companion to the Seratame supplement and goes into detail on exactly what foods are likely to be aggravating your symptoms and keeping you in the cycle of restless legs. Willis Ekbom disease is something that many people have been able to minimize in their lives by adjusting their diet and supplementing with Seratame for restless legs.