My Complicated Relationship With Benzos and RLS

I had a pretty messy, traumatic divorce during the summer of 2020, a summer that was already pretty stressful, as we can probably all attest. I was home...always home...with my kids and going through a major life change, one that I knew would upend my life in all kinds of ways.

A stressful and anxious time in my life

When the divorce first started going down, I stopped sleeping almost entirely. My stress was through the roof and I was up at all hours Googling divorce lawyers, divorce law, houses for sale in my area, and all manner of other panic-induced worry searches. Once I started sleeping more, I was restless, prone to nightmares or frequent wake-ups and body pain.

I also had my first, but sadly not last, anxiety attack. My prescriber gave me clonazepam to use as needed at night. She also gave me Xanax for acute panic. I am sensitive to the fact that these are addictive drugs, so I tried to use them only as absolutely needed.

Benzos are not the first line of defense against RLS

Turns out, studies have been done on the use of benzodiazepines and restless legs syndrome but they do not have enough data to produce definite results. The gist is that patients report fewer symptoms of restless legs including movement and pain when they take benzodiazepines, especially clonazepam.^1,2

However, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says benzos should not be the first line of defense against restless legs. The drugs work to help people calm down enough to sleep and helps people stay asleep who might wake up with anxiety. Since anxiety and poor sleep contribute to restless legs symptoms, benzos work to help reduce restlessness.^3,4

Benzos help with my anxiety

That doesn’t mean that I should reach for the clonazepam every time I get wiggly at night. In fact, my prescriber would tell me that’s a bad idea.

If I was having restless legs as my primary symptom, we would talk about other medication modifications or behaviors I should be doing before reaching for a benzo. However, because my chief complaint most nights is anxiety, benzos do help me significantly.

Reducing the amount of medication I need

I work really hard to use coping mechanisms such as adequate exercise, sleep hygiene, self-talk, therapy, and stretching so that I can reduce the amount of medication I need to keep my anxiety in check.

I’ve also made significant life changes since my divorce started. I’m now in a very different “place” literally and emotionally than I was when I first started taking benzos and, as a result, need them less often.

Benzos are not part of my long-term plan

For me, benzos are an easy enough solution, but the cost is not worth the benefits. If I took benzos every night, I might sleep really well. I might never have restless legs, but I would be addicted to benzos, something that can be very dangerous. I need to be able to parent as needed, even in the middle of the night. I do not want to be dependent on a drug if I have other resources at my disposal.

I will continue to take my prescribed benzos as needed for anxiety and use other strategies to help with restless legs. If I’m having anxiety and take a benzo, I can enjoy a respite for my restless legs. However, I am going to continue to monitor my responses closely and continue to come up with treatment that does not include a drug dependency.