New to group.

Whether new to RLS or new to the site, we welcome you and invite you to share your history and experiences with RLS/WED, introduce yourself, and ask questions. Successful treatment starts with a solid understanding of this disease.
Rustsmith
Moderator
Posts: 6476
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: New to group.

Post by Rustsmith »

Gayle, if you do get to see that psychiatrist, you might ask about Tramadol ER. Tramadol is an opioid, so it is an effective treatment for refractory RLS and it is also a fairly decent anti-depressant. Its only potential drawback is that it has been reported to cause augmentation (the only non-DA that does this), but all of the reported cases had been taking it for several years. I have also heard one of the experts describe Tramadol augmentation as a "rare occurrence". The primary issue on this to me is that there hasn't been a proper study, as there has with the DAs. And the one paper out of Johns Hopkins that reported this doesn't provide enough information to evaluate the chances of it happening to any one patient.
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

curqlink
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:38 am

Re: New to group.

Post by curqlink »

Tramadol has been my mainstay medication for a lot of years. It works as well now as it did when i first started taking it. I have been taking Lyrica for the last few months. It doesn't do much for my symptoms directly...but it does help me sleep. Which is no small thing. Some people have problems with severe depression when taking Lyrica but i never have noticed that. Maybe its because of the anti-depressive qualities of tramadol ?? I just feel they are 2 medications that work together well.

Gayle
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:29 am

Re: New to group.

Post by Gayle »

Well, as of today, the Lyrica at 450 mg is working great. Again, I take it around 4-5 pm, then before bed, around 9ish, I take a 1mg Klonopin. I usually sleep until about 12:30 am, wake up and take another 1 mg of Klonopin and sleep until about 4:30 am. I have not slept this long in years. The herky-jerky legs, arms, chest and neck symptoms are gone. Occasionally, when I awake at 12:30am, there is a grinding sensation in my legs; it's like they WANT to move but can't quite do it. After another, Klonopin, I go back to sleep until 4:30ish. I cannot tell you how blessed I feel after the hellish symptoms and advice I've received, to finally be at a point that I don't dred seeing the evening roll around. I don't check in often but I know what each and every one of you have been through because I was there, too, at one point or another. It's a hideous, horrible, maddening, disease. And that is using polite terms. Bless you all for the strength you show in persevering with this beast.

badnights
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Posts: 6259
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:20 pm
Location: Northwest Territories, Canada

Re: New to group.

Post by badnights »

Gayle that is such good news. I hope it continues!
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
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I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

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