Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Well, I made what is hopefully the last step to be ropinirole free: dose cut from 2mg to 1mg. At the present, keeping the gabapentin dose at 300mg twice a day, knowing it can be increased if necessary. It has not always been easy but I am pleased that I am almost finished.

Ann, I am in the process of determining if I am a good candidate and following the Medicare rules which require at least six months of a supervised diet. It will be at least June before a decision is made. In the meantime, I continue my weaning off ropinirole (getting ready to move from 2mg down to ...

I saw that, too, and asked about it at my initial consultation this morning. They said the bariatric vitamins I will have to take for the rest of my life have a healthy balance of nutrients intended to help keep iron in check. Of course, my lab results showed low iron … again. They did check my ferr...

Has anyone had bariatric surgery for weight loss and did it have any effect on their RLS?

Started to struggle with the transition down to 2mg of ropinirole. Consulted with my doctor and we decided to add 300mg of gabapentin. So my regimen is 300mg of gabapentin at 7:00 am, 1/2 of the 2mg ropinirole at 11:00 am, then the other 1/2 with 300mg of gabapentin at 7:00 pm. I have been on this f...

That’s a bit helpful but what is the difference in the roles played by iron and ferritin in RLS? Does a low iron level necessarily mean the ferritin level will be low? Does the iron supplementation for low iron levels also raise low ferritin levels? Can ferritin levels be low and iron levels normal?

I have searched through the boards and was not able to find any clear explanation of the role ferritin plays in RLS. I am continuing to work with my PCP in the transition from ropinirole to gabapentin. My iron level has been very low and I am taking an oral supplement twice a day. I mentioned to her...

For several days I have taken 1/2 of my 2mg ropinirole at noon. Then at 6 pm I take my 300mg gabapentin followed by the other 1/2 ropinirole at 9 pm. It seems to be working really well. I had never thought of taking the evening meds at different times. Here’s hoping it continues to be effective.

Yes. I take 1/2 ropinirole at noon and the other 1/2 with the gabapentin at 7 pm. It is the time from about 6 am until noon that the RLS acts up. Tomorrow I am going to try taking the evening dose an hour later and the noon dose an hour earlier to see what happens.

Day five and I’m seeing some improvement. There’s about a six hour period when the RLS is very active. The rest of the time the meds are keeping it under control. This is very similar to the last time.

Day two and I’m ready to either rip my legs open or cut them off.

Sorry, just needed to vent and have someone understand.

Thanks, Betty. I’ll keep in mind the size of the cut in ropinirole and if I have issues, will contact my doctor to adjust. In regards to the twice a day dosing of gabapentin, should it be my 300mg dose divided into two or 300mg twice a day?

I am beginning the next transition phase, reducing the ropinirole from 3mg to 2mg. We decided to keep the gabapentin at 300mg to see if it effective or may need to be increased. I am pleased with how the transition is going; maybe one night per week I have issues but for most nights, I am actually g...

I’m continuing my current transition plan (3mg ropinirole and 300mg gabapentin) until I see my doctor in early August. I take 1/2 of the ropinirole at noon to get me through the daytime movement then the other half and the gabapentin around 7:00 pm. I have actually had several nights of sleeping for...

A lot has happened since my transition from ropinirole to gabapentin. Because of these health concerns, we opted to stay at this level another month (3 mg ropinirole and 300 mg gabapentin).