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I'm new, my name is LeighAnn and my doctor thinks I have RLS. He has put me on requip and my iron levels have been extremely low so iron and vitamin c as well. Its been kind of shocking to me. I had heard of RLS before, but never really thought I had it. About 3-4 months ago I started noticing that I would get completely exhausted during the day despite sleeping all night. So fast forward to now and I'm taking my requip. I've been on it for almost two weeks now. The first week was horrible. I woke up more than ever before at night and moved around more than ever before. Then it was time to up my dosage to two pills a night and thats where I'm at right now. The first night of taking two was horrible. I got muscle spasms in my legs and it was just not fun. I get a lot of those now still. I talked to my doctor and he told me to up my dosage to 4 a night next week. I'm kind of concerned that maybe I really don't have RLS and that the medication is just flaring up whatever the real problem is. Has anyone else felt like that?
Its been a long 3-4 months and I'm just ready to not be tired all the time.
Hi LeighAnn,
To me it sounds more like you have PLMD(Periodic limb movement disorder) this is when your legs/arms jerk/jump while sleeping, keeping you from going into the deep sleep needed to feel rested the next day. So many Drs just combine RLS and PLMD as one, when actually they are two different things.
I suggest that you start at with the Sticky pages at the top of this board and read all that you can about RLS and PLMD. Print out any info that you feel will be helpful to you Dr in treating you.
Educate yourself as much as possible and you will find it will help you find the best medical help possible, so many many Drs still know so very little about rls. Most of us have had to educate our Drs about this.
PLMD is when you jerk/jump while sleeping never going into deep sleep, RLS is when you can't sleep and you end up walking the floor all night due to strange sensations within your legs. I call it creepy crawly feelings, like ants crawling on the inside of my legs, this sensation becomes so strong that you will absolutely have to get up and walk!
While those with PLMD usually don't even know they have it, until a partner will tell them how they kicking and move some much during the night. They do however feel very tired the next day.
You might wish to have a sleep study done, as it will never you how many times during the night you move with PLMD. There are no test for RLS, its diagnoised by the symptoms described to your Dr.
LOTS of great info about RLS/plmd on this site and several others. Read all you can!
Sorry I can't comment on the Requip as I have never taken the Parkinson meds, but there are several here who will be able to talk with you about Requip and what dose is best.
I've copied and pasted the criteria for diagnosis of RLS, from the rls.org website. A doctor can only diagnose RLS from your description of symptoms. Do you have these symptoms, or just the feeling tired all day long?
I'd be really leery of taking Requip if you don't think that you have RLS. Especially since it is making the quality of your sleep worse.
It sounds like you need a sleep study to figure out what is wrong. You could have PLMD, or apnea, or another condition that messes with your sleep quality. If it were me, I would ask for a sleep study and get off the Requip.
What is RLS?
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological condition that is characterized by the irresistible urge to move the legs. In order for you to be officially diagnosed with RLS, you must meet the criteria described in the four bullets below:
* You have a strong urge to move your legs which you may not be able to resist. The need to move is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. Some words used to describe these sensations include: creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging, or gnawing. * Your RLS symptoms start or become worse when you are resting. The longer you are resting, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be. * Your RLS symptoms get better when you move your legs. The relief can be complete or only partial but generally starts very soon after starting an activity. Relief persists as long as the motor activity continues. * Your RLS symptoms are worse in the evening especially when you are lying down. Activities that bother you at night do not bother you during the day.
RLS can also cause difficulty in falling or staying asleep which can be one of the chief complaints of the syndrome. A substantial number of people who have RLS also have periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS). These are jerks that occur every 20 to 30 seconds on and off throughout the night. This can cause partial awakenings that disrupt sleep. Sleep deprivation can seriously impact your work, relationships, and health.
Hi LeighAnn, it would be wonderful if you did not have rls.
You have said that you take 4 pills of requip. I wondered what the dose is of each pill, and do you take them all at one time?
I have been sleeping a little bit better in the last few days now that I think my body is starting to accept the requip a little. Or maybe its just the fact that its the weekend and I stay up a little later so I tire myself out enough to sleep well. I think it is very possible I could have the PLMD, which my doctor did give me a pamphlet that blanketed both. My husband has been gone for the last year because he's deployed with the military right now, but he's never mentioned before that I kick or anything in my sleep, and I don't feel like I really do. They are still testing me for thryoid problems as well though so maybe something will come of that, who knows. Its frustrating to say the least though.
The requip that he gave me is .25 mg's and I haven't started taking 4 yet. I am leary to do that because I really don't find the requip to be a big help. I will probably call on Monday and see what they want me to do. I'm supposed to be taking a home test soon to test for sleep apnea as well and then depending on those results and how the requip is working they will do a sleep study after that.
LeighAnn, what is it that keeps you awake at night? Is it the urge to move your legs or something else? Susan posted the criteria for you. . .do any of those apply?
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.
I re read your post to make sure I had read it right the first time, in it you said "About 3-4 months ago I started noticing that I would get completely exhausted during the day despite sleeping all night. " Your statement that you were sleeping all night is what told me that you probably do not have RLS, because with RLS you usually do not sleep due to the strange sensations within your legs, most RLSer's are up walking the floor at night.
I am really amazed that your Dr gave you requip without doing a sleep study, to find out if you even have PLMD. Like Susan said you could have sleep apnea and if so I do not think that requip would help that at all.
I certainly am not a Dr, but I am concerned that you are taking a med, without knowing exactly what is going on with you. I think I would go back and ask for a sleep study, to make sure that you are then given the right med to control what ever your problem is.
Again I have never taken the Parkinson meds (requip) but I think your Dr is upping the dose rather fast. Some Drs do not understand that it takes alot less requip for RLS than for Parkinson. That is something I would really talk to the Dr about also. I am sure there are folks on this message board that do take Requip that can tell you about how/when/and how much requip to take.
Again I am not sure I would continue taking the requip until a sleep study is done.
This is just MY opinion!
I agree with all the other comments. You need to be sure it is rls before starting down the requip route. Having said that, I have been doing ok on requip but had to figure out how and when to take it for myself. My dr. did not know enough about it for rls. but was willing to work with me. I found that 'staying ahead' of the symptoms is the most important factor. At the start dr. told be to take it just going to bed.. definitely not the way to do it. I spread it over the day and evening and find this is how it works best for me.
BUT PLEASE BE SURE IT IS RLS
Good luck, Betty
leenabeana wrote: I had heard of RLS before, but never really thought I had it.
Most of us have the exact opposite reaction to learning about RLS. The first time I read an article about it I KNEW that was what I had been experiencing for years. It is a lightbulb moment for most of us when we first hear about RLS and it a releif to know that we are not just crazy that this is a real disorder and that other people experience it too.
As someone else said, RLS is diagnosed by the symptoms, and at the top of the list is the uncontrollable urge to move your legs (and resulting loss of sleep). People with RLS will desrcibe the sensations in the legs differently (creepy crawly, pulling, painful) but despite this everyone with this disorder seems to agree on the urge to move, we just can't lay still. Sometimes we may fall asleep only to be awakened later by our legs.
If you don't experience the uncontrollable need to move your legs you probably don't have RLS.
