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Dear All: Granny Flame aka Granny Pothead has been busy trying to get some real answers to really important stuff - like does Marijuana (baked in brownies or steeped as a tea) really help pain like Restless Legs Syndrome. Depends upon whether MJ is a stimulant or a mellow soother I suppose. I tried nicotine gum to see what it does for RLS and guys and gals it just about blew my legs off - I didn't know nicotine is a stimulent. RLS doesn't do well with stimulents (caffeine etc). Actually RLS doesn't do well with any drugs except opiates and they don't cover more than 2-3 hours and maybe not worth the problem with constipation which can be a killer. Sinemet is often used but almost always aggravates a rebound problem and leads to further escalation of the total daily Sinemet dosage and further rebound RLS and so on a vicious cycle. Permax or bromocriptine are treatment options for RLS for some people. Not me. with Permax I get so much upper respiratory congestion I can't breathe through my nose and my eustachian swell up so much I can barely hear. That and early morning sparkling blue lights and sore chest muscles have scared me off Permax. I think it is quite toxic even at the lowest dosages. Then there is Klonopin (clonazepam) an atiepileptic drug which is a popular treatment for RLS. Some people I've talked to say that it makes them too drowsie the next day. I tried it and I felt like a zombie. Nothing works well for very long on RLS. No joke - RLS is no joke. I'll wager that quite a few alcoholics can blame it for that condition. I'm sure more than a few suicides are the end result of RLS. When my RLS is severe I have entertained the thought of putting on my snowshoes some night when it is -30F and walking out to the woods with a bottle of Southern Comfort. I have joined the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation and receive a their NIGHT WALKERS newsletter. Many physicians and scientists are getting on the research bandwagen now (especially those who have RLS) and taking sleep deprivation seriously. If you have RLS get in touch with RLSF at 4410 19th St. NW Suite 201 Rochester MN 55901 - they will send you (and your doctors) lots of information regarding effective treatment and universal awareness of this awful condition. If any of you with PD as well as RLS let the foundation know as we need doctors well trained to both diseases and frankly I don't see this mentioned often in their newsletter and I know I'm not the only one with this combination. If you are a physician with PD/RLS all the better - I talked with Arthur S. Walters MD from Rutgers who is on the RLSF board and he thought I said I know a doctor with both conditions and he was very excited. Interest is springing up all over North America and more and more sleep labs are opening in medical centres. "Have a Good Night" [log in to unmask]