Hello fellow RSLers

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.
Forum rules
Post Reply
ViewsAskew
Moderator
Posts: 16581
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Post by ViewsAskew »

Not sure if Topamax is on the So Cal Support group site. I think I found out about it by doing searches or at the RLS conference.

Ala, please look at the So Cal Support group site. There is a wealth of info about drugs for RLS. www.rlshelp.org. Elavil can make RLS worse. Sinemet is not recommended by docs who stay current in RLS meds. Most anti-depressants also make RLS worse. Dr. Mark talks about all these and the interactions with RLS. IMHO, it's the best place to start when looking at your meds and thinking of med changes. We are the first line defense between docs that know their stuff and those that don't. I'm on my soapbox now (am cranky today) but strongly believe we can't be overeducated and we can't rely on a doctor to figure it out for us.

OK, rant over. . . :wink:

Ann
Top
jan3213
Posts: 1706
Joined: Wed May 26, 2004 8:46 pm
Location: Illinois

TOPAMAX

Post by jan3213 »

Ann, it's Jan

Topamax is not an anti-depresssant. It's an anti-seizure medication. Go to www.worstpills.org and you'll find information about it. In addition to being an anti-seizure medication, it is used for migraine headaches. Weight reduction was a side effect in most people. However, I just looked up the drug on worstdrugs.org and there is a strong warning, issued in December, 2004, advising doctors not to use this drug for weigh reduction purporses.

I'm sorry if I didn't get back to you soon enough, Ann. I've been through a severe bout of stomach flu and had to go to the ER becuase of dehydration. It's taken me quite awhile to get over it.

Jan
No one is alone who had friends.
Top
ViewsAskew
Moderator
Posts: 16581
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Post by ViewsAskew »

Jan, Dearest, you have no need to apologize to me for anything, let alone because you were sick! Hope you are feeling better. Being here for all of us is something we appreciate, but your life comes first :) .

Interesting that there is a warning not to use it for weight loss. I looked at it several months ago and it was one of those anti-seizure drugs like neurontin - docs were prescribing it off-label for EVERYTHING! Neurontin has 15 or 20 off-label uses. But I didn't see any warnings then about the weight loss, but read many people saying how they had lost weight using it.

For those of you that have used it for anything at all, did it help the RLS? If I could get rid of my "Mirapex pounds" I'd be very happy. But if it doesn't really help the RLS, it's not worth it.

And, then there is Keppra, another seizure med. Anyone used it for anything?
Top
Rachael
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:09 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Post by Rachael »

Rubyslipper wrote:Views is right, most of us have had to experiment to find what works best and there are very few of us who use the same mixture. I was on Mirapex, Neurontin and Wellbutrin until just recently and now I've replaced the Wellbutrin with Klonopin. I am sleeping much better but not tracking too well. That is getting better also tho. It just takes your body time to react and accept certain meds. Sometimes they never do so you try something else. It takes time and extreme patience, especially when your legs are going crazy. But hang in there, read all you can and become educated on your body and RLS. We're here for you.


Thanks Sthomp66, ViewsAskews, and Rubyslipper for your responses! I don't know anyone else (besides my mom) with RLS and so it's hard to get people to understand what it's like. So far I've tried Klonopin and Requip, and last night I didn't even need the Requip! I'm hoping in the next few weeks to slowly cut out the Klonopin (I'm pretty sure the RLS was aggravated by insomnia and now that I'm actually sleeping it's not as much a problem.) Excercise seems to help too, and now that I can sleep I can start to run again, yay!
Top
GaAudrey
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:26 pm
Location: Dallas, Georgia

Post by GaAudrey »

Hi All! Didn't know anyone was interested in Topomax! :D I take 150 mg each night. I also take .25 requip at noon and 2 mg requip at bedtime and I'm on 80 mg prozac just to mention a few things in my meds list. Anyway, the topomax was perscribed because of the depression and my not being able to sleep. Of course the doc was also sweet to point out that it's been known to help with weight loss. I could use some help in that field, and seem to lose when I take the topomax regularly. When I forget and take it sporatically (misspelled :? ) I can tell I stop losing. I still have to watch what I eat, even with the topomax. just not as strictly as usual. It's not a magic pill and like I said I now take 150 mg. Started at 50 mg but it didn't help me sleep so we upped it little by little.

Was going to also suggest to Rachael - I started out taking .25 and it didn't work great, but it helped, so the doctor raised it to 1 mg. Now eventually the kicks started at noon so he's had to up it even more but that's been over time. Maybe just a little more requip would be all you need if it's helping some now. And I was taking the requip long before I was taking the topomax, so it can work without the topomax for some people. I'd just prefer to take as little drugs as possible :lol: which is pretty funny since I take 13 different perscriptions every day for one thing or another. Shhhhh I don't tell just anyone that though, so ya'll keep it just between us! :D Hope my two cents worth helped. Enjoyed reading everyone's post! Audrey
Top
sleepless in ala
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:17 pm
Location: Alabama

Post by sleepless in ala »

I'm new to this, what do you folks mean by tracking?
Top
Rachael
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:09 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Post by Rachael »

GaAudrey wrote:Was going to also suggest to Rachael - I started out taking .25 and it didn't work great, but it helped, so the doctor raised it to 1 mg.


I started at the .25 of Requip, but it actually increased my insomnia, that's why the doctor put me on Klonopin. I still move at night, but only my boyfriend notices (haha). A combination of both seems to work well, only I'm worried about the additiviness (is that a word?) of Klonopin, and that one of the side effects is depression. I've been a little down lately, but I'm not sure which came first, the depression (which could have led to the sleeplessness in the first place) or the twitches? I haven't had a chance to read up about this though, but if anyone out there has a comment or two, I'd love to hear them!

Rachael
Top
Rachael
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:09 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Post by Rachael »

GaAudrey wrote:Was going to also suggest to Rachael - I started out taking .25 and it didn't work great, but it helped, so the doctor raised it to 1 mg.


I started at the .25 of Requip, but it actually increased my insomnia, that's why the doctor put me on Klonopin. I still move at night, but only my boyfriend notices (haha). A combination of both seems to work well, only I'm worried about the additiviness (is that a word?) of Klonopin, and that one of the side effects is depression. I've been a little down lately, but I'm not sure which came first, the depression (which could have led to the sleeplessness in the first place) or the twitches? I haven't had a chance to read up about this though, but if anyone out there has a comment or two, I'd love to hear them!

Rachael
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Just Joined?”