Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Little blue book?? This discussions is interesting, though somewhat depressing. I am nearing the end of my two-week trial with gabapentin 100mg. I have mixed feelings about it. But I am still experiencing side effects. If I can't tolerate 100mg of this drug, it is probably not for me. I see my lates...

Beth, the irony is that tramadol is available over the counter! Most of what you would call prescription drugs are available over the counter here, with narcotics being the main exception. In fact, doctors don't write prescriptions for anything in Thailand. The doctors either work in a hospital wher...

Hi, guys. I really appreciate your efforts on this. You need to understand that in Thailand, we are talking about a society that considers people who use (abuse) drugs to be BAD people – not even sick people, just bad people. The doctors probably have a better understanding of drug addiction as an i...

Ann, your last two posts got me thinking. I now believe that the pain and heaviness I am feeling in my legs is NOT related to the RLS. I think it is probably a neuropathy or, more likely, a build up of fluids in my legs. I am off to see the neurologist in a few moments to explore this further. In Th...

It's not a sharp pain, Ann. I describe it as a dull ache. Also, when I experience this my legs feel really heavy. I suspect that the pain you describe is related to the creepy crawly sensations that many people with WED report. I never had these. Maybe I have been misdiagnosed?! I suspect that it do...

I saw another neurologist here in Pattaya. (I live in Pattaya, a two-hour drive from Bangkok. The other neurologist I was seeing is in Bangkok which, generally, has much better hospitals than Pattaya.) My GI doctor, who is slowly becoming the GP I lack and so sorely need here in Thailand, recommende...

Thanks, Beth. I did write to Dr B and he replied. He said pretty much what you did, that without an opioid I would have a lot of pain/discomfort. I agree that physician education is important everywhere, not only in Thailand. If she were a GP, or a neurologist not specializing in RLS/WED, I might tr...

Thanks for the suggestion re kratom. I did some research on the Internet and discovered that the kratom plant is widely grown in southern Thailand and many people there use kratom. However, it is illegal, for now at least. You might be interested in this article: m Anne, do you know whether some peo...

Thanks, Anne and Beth for your responses. I am not sure whether I will see the neurologist in Bangkok again. She is emigrating to the US – Hawaii to be precise, in a couple of months. I think the advice she has been giving me is just plain crazy. I have been having a rough time lately with my legs. ...

Just to correct something in my first post – I am currently on 0.5mg of pramipexole and 100 mg of tramadol.

Hi, all. I have not posted in a while. The neurologist that I see here in Thailand, in Bangkok, has some views which I think are out of the mainstream with respect to dosage of the medicines to treat RLS. Regarding pramipexole, she maintains that the dosage range is 0.25mg to 4.00mg, and that if 0.5...

[quote=That's pretty funny.

Per above - the max one-time dose is .25 mg. Not sure how much per day total. Apparently, taking more at one time is one of the things that worsens risk of augmentation, so they try to keep it really low.[/quote]

I did not know that. Interesting. Thanks.

Ann, I expect you will get a kick out of this (no pun intended): I applied the patch at 9 am Thai time Saturday. Some time during the day, it fell off! I have no idea when. I discovered it was missing 11 hours later. And, yes, I did apply pressure on it after I put it on, for more than 30 seconds. S...

Ann, I agree with you about the Neupro. I will consult my neurologist about the dose. For pramipexole, I take 0.5mg once a day. I am not sure from your post whether you are saying that the recommended maximum dose is 0.25mg a day, or 0.75mg a day.

Hi. I have been on 0.5mg of pramipexole, taken each evening, and 150mg of tramadol (100mg ER evenings, 50mg afternoons), with the occasional extra 50mg tramadol during the night. Over the months and years, I found myself needing to increase the dose of both medicines in order to handle my symptoms. ...