It is wonderful to find this place. A brief history of me - - first "creepy-crawlies" began 21 years ago when I was pregnant. Doctors said it was probably related to the pregnancy...give my body time to get back to normal after pregnancy/nursing. OK-it never did go away! Went to dermatologists, OB/Gyn, neurologists, internal med. doctors, psychiatrists, etc. NOBODY had any explanation - said "use milder soap", "don't worry so much", "have more sex", "I don't doubt what you're saying, I just don't know what to tell you",enjoy life, etc. Was ready to commit myself to psych ward (JK) until my friendly "new"psych put me on ELAVIL. It knocks me out but my creepy-crawlies go away. Most of the doctors thought I was crazy or got a good laugh out of my situation. I described my symptoms to the doctors as being "like thousands of ants with hot feet crawling up and down my legs"; pacing the floor (and clinching my hands) while crying was my only relief before ELAVIL. If that ever stops working don't know what I'll do. But....I have found you all now and plan to keep abreast of all the new findings on RLS. And in response to someone's question somewhere (?) on the board - it can occur in other parts of your body. In my 21 years, it has gone from my lower legs and inside ankles; then the upper legs & buttocks; then my upper arms and lastly my back. It's not all places at all times, but I am worse in the hot summer. I hope some of this description might help someone else going through this realize they are not alone. It is not just your legs & their night "jerking". RLS does take other forms. Don't think you are crazy. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor (or doctors if you are on a search for one who will help you.) If there are 12 million RLS sufferers, then you certainly ARE NOT ALONE....
God bless you all............I look forward to being part of your group.
FINALLY - I DON'T FEEL ALONE IN THIS!
FINALLY - I DO NOT FEEL ALONE IN THIS!
Hi Linda and welcome to this group. I am so glad that you have found relief for your rls. Thank you for sharing your story with us. You never know by just sharing this you may help someone else. I hope that this med continues to work for you.
Unless someone walks in your shoes, they have no idea what you are going through. We do know as we have and still do walk in your shoes. We are glad to have you as part of our group.
Please keep us posted on how your progress is doing. You have definitely found a wonderful support group.
Unless someone walks in your shoes, they have no idea what you are going through. We do know as we have and still do walk in your shoes. We are glad to have you as part of our group.
Please keep us posted on how your progress is doing. You have definitely found a wonderful support group.
Charlene
Taking one day at a time
Taking one day at a time
-
mackjergens
- Posts: 406
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 5:10 am
Linda/Elavil/RLS
Linda,
I noticed you are taking an antidepressant for your rls, I am happy it seems to be working for you, but I think you should know JUST IN CASE your rls should become worse it could be the elavil causing the increased of your rls. I have copied and pasted some information from www.rlshelp.org about RLS and antidepressants. I thought you might like to be informed about this.
_________________________________________________________+
(3) Antidepressant Medication
This class of medications should be used with caution in RLS patients. Antidepressants can worsen RLS symptoms more often than help them. As depression is a common problem, especially in patients with severe and persistent RLS problems, antidepressants are often prescribed for RLS patients. RLS patients who are put on antidepressants and notice worsening of their symptoms should inform their physician of this problem immediately.
There are several different classes of antidepressant medication. If a medication in one class causes problems, then a medication from another class may be of more benefit. As with most RLS medications, much trial and error must take place to see if these medications are helping. Due to the long list of antidepressant medications, we will only list them in their appropriate categories.
There are no specific guidelines for using antidepressants in RLS, and generally they are used for RLS in the same doses as for depression. The oldest antidepressants, the tricyclics, tend to worsen RLS more than they help. The SSRI's will worsen RLS more often than helping but they seem better tolerated than the tricyclics. There is only one antidepressant drug, Wellbutrin, which has dopamine like effects, so it may benefit RLS. This however, has not been looked at systematically yet although there are some case reports of Wellbutrin helping RLS. Trazadone may not help RLS but it does not seem to worsen the condition.
Tricyclics & Combinations
Ascendin (Amoxepine)
Elavil (Amitriptyline)
Etrafon (Perphenazine and Amitriptyline)
Limbitrol (Chlordiazepoxide and Amitriptyline)
Norpramin (Desipramine)
Pamelor (Nortriptyline)
Sinequan (Doxepin)
Surmontil (Trimipramine)
Tofranil (Imipramine)
Triavil (Perphenazine and Amitriptyline)
Vivactil (Protriptyline)
MAO (Monoamine Oxidase) Inhibitors
Nardil (Pheneizine)
Parnate (Tranylcypromine)
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's)
Paxil (Paroxetine)
Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Zoloft (Sertraline)
Celexa (Citalopram)
Lexapro (Escitalopram)
Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI's)
Effexor (Venlafaxine)
Cymbalta (Duloxetine)
Tetracyclics
Ludiomil (Maprotiline)
Miscellaneous Antidepressant Medications
Desyrel (Trazadone)
Wellbutrin/Zyban (Bupropion)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Medications
Luvox (Flovoxamine Maleate) - This is serotonin uptake inhibitor which is chemically different than the antidepressants above.
Anafranil (Clomipramine) - This is in the class of tricyclic antidepressants.
Noradrenergic and Serotonergic
Remeron (Mirtazapine) - This is the newest class of antidepressants. It enhances both the noradrenalin and serotonin systems. Remeron may have less side effects than the serotonin uptake inhibitors and the tricyclics, and it even seems to promote sleep. There are 2 case reports of Remeron causing worsening of RLS, so it should be used with caution in RLS patients.
I noticed you are taking an antidepressant for your rls, I am happy it seems to be working for you, but I think you should know JUST IN CASE your rls should become worse it could be the elavil causing the increased of your rls. I have copied and pasted some information from www.rlshelp.org about RLS and antidepressants. I thought you might like to be informed about this.
_________________________________________________________+
(3) Antidepressant Medication
This class of medications should be used with caution in RLS patients. Antidepressants can worsen RLS symptoms more often than help them. As depression is a common problem, especially in patients with severe and persistent RLS problems, antidepressants are often prescribed for RLS patients. RLS patients who are put on antidepressants and notice worsening of their symptoms should inform their physician of this problem immediately.
There are several different classes of antidepressant medication. If a medication in one class causes problems, then a medication from another class may be of more benefit. As with most RLS medications, much trial and error must take place to see if these medications are helping. Due to the long list of antidepressant medications, we will only list them in their appropriate categories.
There are no specific guidelines for using antidepressants in RLS, and generally they are used for RLS in the same doses as for depression. The oldest antidepressants, the tricyclics, tend to worsen RLS more than they help. The SSRI's will worsen RLS more often than helping but they seem better tolerated than the tricyclics. There is only one antidepressant drug, Wellbutrin, which has dopamine like effects, so it may benefit RLS. This however, has not been looked at systematically yet although there are some case reports of Wellbutrin helping RLS. Trazadone may not help RLS but it does not seem to worsen the condition.
Tricyclics & Combinations
Ascendin (Amoxepine)
Elavil (Amitriptyline)
Etrafon (Perphenazine and Amitriptyline)
Limbitrol (Chlordiazepoxide and Amitriptyline)
Norpramin (Desipramine)
Pamelor (Nortriptyline)
Sinequan (Doxepin)
Surmontil (Trimipramine)
Tofranil (Imipramine)
Triavil (Perphenazine and Amitriptyline)
Vivactil (Protriptyline)
MAO (Monoamine Oxidase) Inhibitors
Nardil (Pheneizine)
Parnate (Tranylcypromine)
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's)
Paxil (Paroxetine)
Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Zoloft (Sertraline)
Celexa (Citalopram)
Lexapro (Escitalopram)
Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI's)
Effexor (Venlafaxine)
Cymbalta (Duloxetine)
Tetracyclics
Ludiomil (Maprotiline)
Miscellaneous Antidepressant Medications
Desyrel (Trazadone)
Wellbutrin/Zyban (Bupropion)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Medications
Luvox (Flovoxamine Maleate) - This is serotonin uptake inhibitor which is chemically different than the antidepressants above.
Anafranil (Clomipramine) - This is in the class of tricyclic antidepressants.
Noradrenergic and Serotonergic
Remeron (Mirtazapine) - This is the newest class of antidepressants. It enhances both the noradrenalin and serotonin systems. Remeron may have less side effects than the serotonin uptake inhibitors and the tricyclics, and it even seems to promote sleep. There are 2 case reports of Remeron causing worsening of RLS, so it should be used with caution in RLS patients.