Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

A follow-up question: Because DAs can lead to augmentation, I wonder if I can use only gabapentin at night for RLS, since I am already using it to prevent chronic cough. I've been taking pramipexole, 0.125 mg for almost 15 years with no augmentation. What dose of gabapentin is considered therapeutic...

Does Dr Buchfuhrer give a reason for the full Iron Panel vs. only a Ferritin?

I have a percussion massage gun that I use on occasion for a sore shoulder. The Physical Therapist told me not to use it more than a few minutes at a time. Maybe I should give it a try on my legs in the evening.

When getting annual lab tests, I get a Ferritin level done. The last one was above 100, probably thanks to taking a 65 mg iron supplement daily. I still take 0.125 mg pramipexole a couple of hours before bedtime, as I have for more than a decade, with no adverse effects, including augmentation. Shou...

I'm still being helped--nothing dramatic--with sleep by taking low-dose melatonin. One change in my dosing from a few years ago is that I now take a 6-hour extended release form, 750 mcg (3/4 of a milligram).

It seems that this drug has been around for a long time and used for a wide variety of conditions. I've only been on Gabapentin for a week and it seems to have helped reduce the amount of coughing , which was affecting my speaking, and has had no noticeable side effects.

Thanks for your helpful information, Steve! I appreciate your sharing your experience with this drug. The laryngologist did tell me that it is a very safe drug and in many cases helps eliminate or reduce chronic cough. I'm also working with a speech therapist to strength the vocal cord muscles.

I've had a chronic cough for many years, but it has gotten worse over the past few years. After ruling out other causes, i was sent to a Laryngologist who diagnosed irritable larynx and prescribed Gabapentin to reduce coughing. For RLS I've been taking 0.125 mg pramipexole for more than a decade wit...

Let me weigh in with an update on my weighted blanket experience. I really like it and the way it holds me in place at night. I still get occasional middle-of-the-night episodes of restless legs, in which case I get up and walk around for awhile. I am leary of exceeding the 0.125 mg daily dose of pr...

I started on a one iron tablet a day routine when I got my first ferritin reading of 19 several years ago. It has gradually increased to over 100, and has greatly diminished my RLS symptoms.

I never thought much about a weighted blanket until I got a torn right shoulder rotator cuff. I move around a lot at night, in addition to RLS, and any time I'd shift to my right side, the pain from pressure on my shoulder would eventually wake me up. My reasoning was that a weighted blanket would k...

Hi Tim G How did you get your ferritin level to 175? How much iron are you taking and when? I'm struggling with an adequate dose of iron vs. stomach upset My ferritin level was 19 about five years ago, when I started taking a standard daily iron dose in the morning. Fortunately, I am able to take t...

I've been taking 0.125 mg of pramipexole at night for over a decade. Symptoms are manageable and no augmentation. I used to get the 0.25 mg tablets and split them (they're scored) but now take a whole 0.125 mg tablet, the lowest dosage available. It would be difficult to halve these tablets. Is your...

For those of you who subscribe to the Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation magazine, Nightwalkers, one of our forum moderators, Stephen Smith, has an excellent informative article on "Dopamine Medications and Impulse Control Disorders". Of further note, he was one of the featured patients at the Sleep 2...

While general principles may apply, each of us is different. What tends to help me is (1) moderate exercise every day. If I miss a day, it tends to lead to RLS. (2) Stretching helps me keep limber, but also tends to reduce the intensity of RLS if it occurs. (3) I occasionally do a foot soak, which i...