I was traveling back from Switzerland several years ago and I had the incredible fortune to sit next to a neurologist who had literally just spoken at an RLS conference! I was eager to pummel him with questions and one that I asked him was "if I had unlimited resources and could build a lab with all the latest equipment, would I be able to find a cure?"
His answer surprised me. He said "Yes, but it would probably only work for you because everyone's body is slightly different and responds to medication in different ways."
He went on to explain that my nervous system was like a car engine, where dopamine is the fuel. He said that my "engine" runs fine when the fuel (dopamine) was flowing, but my starter is broken and it's hard for me to great that engine moving. That analogy resonated strongly with me, because when I was active or playing Call of Duty, or doing something that fully engaged me my RLS symptoms went away. But as SOON as I sat down or laid down they hit me like a brick!
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