tens unit for periodic limb movement disorder

I was just diagnosed with PLMD...in looking at a sleep center site, I saw that the tens unit is used to treat this disorder. It said applying it for 15 to 30 minutes before sleep reduced jerking.

Has anyone tried this? Does it fix or only reduce and where does one apply the electrodes.

Any information on this would be appreciated as I don't think I want to take the drugs requip due to possibility of serious side effects.

If you are taking requip, how long have you taken it and what, if any side effects did you have. Does it start wearing off and need to be increased (also miramax

but definitely let me know if you know anything about tens unit and PLMD. Thank you!

I have never heard of ten units for PLMD. The gold standard today for PLMD is with the use of Requip. It's vey safe and effective with fewe side effects that some of the older meds like miramax. Talk to your doctor, he will know best.

good luck.

What is miramax? I use Mirapex .375 of a mg. for Restless legs. It's working wonderfully with no side effects for me.

like I said before it would probably be easier and the list shorter if you just named the disorders and syndromes you don't have.


I used to own a 55' houseboat, we had a sign hanging behind the bar, it said:

-Boat-
A hole in the water in which you pour money in.

I think the doctor you are going to thinks he is a lake.

Hey what did the Hypochondriac have engraved on his tombstone?

..see I told you I was sick...

SleepyJane,
Per referral from my neuro doc, I have an appointment for next week at the Movement Disorder Clinic of a local hospital. (Been waiting for nearly 3 months to get in.) I will ask if they consider the TENS Unit an option for treating PLMD and report back their response, as well as any other recommendations they may make in that regard. My visit is more for determining whether some waking movement irregularities are medicine side effects, dystonia, or cataplexy. But PLMD is a major issue for me, so we'll be discussing it also. Will let you know.
Kathy

What are "ten units"?

Thanks - just curious.

Kteague - good luck at your appt. My thoughts are with you - Sleepyred

sleepyjane re your post on p.l.m.d. is this condition similar or the same as restless leg snydrome ? I have r.l.s. and take mirapex with miracle results ! Major drawback / sideaffect is onset (sudden) sleepiness which unforetunatly exacerbates my already serious daytime fatigue ! However , I have no choice . All my research points to mirapex being far superior to requip . my guess is tens will help but only temporarily and would need to be repeated as frequently as your episodes occur. two mirapex a day gives me TOTAL relief for 24 hours ! hope this helps . harryoh

thank you, Kathy, I would appreciate that.

to snoredog, my illnesses including PLMD are all DIAGNOSED by a doctor. Real illness/es are not hypochondria and my plmd was observed and recorded in medical diagnostic testing.

I hardly think he is making money off me since I haven't been there in over 5 years. If you are going to throw stones, snoredog, I am sure there are others on here with an equal or greater number of illnesses and who go to doctors a lot more than I do that you can insult but I think it has become quite a sport for some rude and immature people to pick on the newbie as several of you have done.

I am wondering why the nice people don't care about the people being continually insulting and non-welcoming and presenting this board in a bad light since they so highly speak of the warmth of this forum. A few brave people have come to my aid, but most are silent or just join in the bashing.

I guess you are another person I will add to my do not read anything from them list.

Kathy, I am sorry I allowed this person to throw me offtrack. You have been so nice to me from the start and it is appreciated now more than ever BTW.

I hope you find the answers you are seeking and I would be most interested to see what they have to say about tens as I have one somewhere from some past car wrecks I got from my sister who owns a medical supply company if I can find the unit, I can just get the patches from her if need be. The doctor's website was not the first place I read about tens and PLMD but it does give it some validity since he is highly respected and quite intelligent and well educated. Since I am reluntent to take miramex or requid, (sorry I got the name wrong), this at least may help.

My doctor is quite knowledgeable and was formerly the director of the largest hospital in my city. The tens unit was mentioned as a treatment in his website newsletter on sleep disorders.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): newsletter, newbie

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): newsletter, newbie

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): newsletter, newbie

harryoh,

Actually I went back and got the info and I misread it. It is used for RLS and people with RLS and PLMD (I hope it will still help if you just have PLMD).

I pasted and copied the information on the site below.

"A non-drug approach called transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) may improve symptoms in some RLS sufferers who also have PLMS. The electrical stimulation is applied to an area of the legs or feet, usually before bedtime, for 15 to 30 minutes. This approach has been shown to be helpful in reducing nighttime leg jerking."

I am not certain why the doctor prescribed requiop over mirapex as it says requip is for RLS and says nothing about PLMD on the label but in researching I saw requip was just newly OKed for use in PLMD.

Both illnesses are treated with similar drugs (that increase the dopamine in the brain). The difference between the two is that RLS bothers people (with itching, creepy, crawling skin sensations and an overwhelming desire to move the legs while they are conscious and awake and also causes jerks and leg movements in their sleep. About 80% of rls also have plmd.

PLMD sufferers often do not have RLS and they have effects only in their sleep which they are usually unaware of..they flex/jerk in a rhythmic pattern every 20 seconds to minute or two (with regularity) for at least three periods of time within which the jerks occur and I think it happens more in the front of sleep than the end. These movements are involuntary. Interestingly, the same drugs used to treat it are the ones used for Parkinson's patients (but in smaller doses) and Parkinson's involves dopamine disturbance and involuntary movements. They tend to go for a series of rhythmic every so often exactly the same interval and then stop and then restart again. This must happen at least three episodes containing a number of rhythmic jerks. The flexes general involve the big toe, ankle, and knee and sometimes the hips. It can be slight or extreme movements. Many hundreds of these take place a night disrupting sleep.

Both disorders cause micro-awakenings which disrupt sleep and produce the symptoms associated with sleep deprivations which are many and varied. Hope that helps explain it.

I was considering researching dopaminergic herbs since I am reluctant to use the meds and am currently researching it.

sleepred,

A tens unit produces teensy electric sensations in a soothing pattern or vibration and uses electrodes attached to the skin near pain to control pain.

It is kind of like the doctors use when one is in a wreck and has bad pain and such. I used one when I was run over by a car and it did help control the intense pain of sciatic. It feels good usually and can be turned low or high in intensity. When I was going to an MD osteopath she used it with heat packs (and drugs) and my chiropractor also used it. This is a portable version of the one they use. For more info, go to these sites. It is a safer, nondrug treatment.

http://arthritis.about.com/od/assistive ... nsunit.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcutan ... Stimulator

well, I am glad to hear that some of you have not experienced too many side effects. The class action lawsuits and stories of some lives ruined by hallucination and extreme obsessive compulsions like gambling, sex, shopping, and overeating that are associated with the disease scared me off being obsessive compulsive enough already..(like on computer and so forth)

Curtcurt46, thanks for letting me know that requip ios safer than miramix..that makes me feel better as I was uncertain why he prescribed that over mirapex.

sleepyjane wrote:well, I am glad to hear that some of you have not experienced too many side effects. The class action lawsuits and stories of some lives ruined by hallucination and extreme obsessive compulsions like gambling, sex, shopping, and overeating that are associated with the disease scared me off being obsessive compulsive enough already..(like on computer and so forth)

So I guess I can't blame my mask addiction on my mirapex since the mask addiction started WAY before I started the mirapex.