Thanks, Betty...for your comments and you certainly have my sympathy.
My friend also often suffers insomnia which may be the result of meds. Specifically, right now, she is using Neurontin since it is the ony one she has been able to get insurance help to pay for. It appears that both Mirapex and its generic form Pramipexole are totally rejected by her insurance. She has not had much success with Requip but it is also rejected by her insurance. At times she needs to take Ativan to sleep and that seems to work most of the time. She is reluctant to switch to any of the newer sleep meds like Ambien as she has a friend who has done some strange things under its influence like getting up and doing things with no recollection of doing them.
Both my friend and her doctor have avoided the use of any Opioids because of potential addicting problems even though they are indicated in extreme cases. My friend's RLS appears to be much more intermittent than chronic which gives her some nights of good sleep. She does not seem to have the energy she should have or would like to have if she was getting sufficient regular sleep but it does not sound nearly as bad for her as it does for those who seem to have RLS every night or continuously.
Every description I hear or read about concerning symptoms seems to vary a bit so it appears that each individual is almost unique. And, that makes some sense in my mind because each individual has a unique existence when all factors are considered. This has to make it more difficult to treat effectively since there does not seem to be any one size fits all solutions so far.
I can and do sympathize with all sufferers but having never experienced RLS symptoms, I am obviously in a very different position than are those of you who do have to deal with the regular recurring discomforts. I don't think that makes me any less concerned but it is a significant difference.
I hope you continue to make progress toward a much more comfortable situation. Thank you, again, for sharing your experiences.