Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Hi all,
I have been feeling a little down, tried a few prescription drugs, the last was Wellbutrin and it made my legs go nuts, but it made me feel good. It felt like my brain cleared and I could see better, not sure if that makes sense, and I felt awake for the fires time in a long time. I know I have a mild case of depression but I still feel down and don't want to do anything.

I am currently on 5 mgs/4 times a day of Oxycodone IR and 10 mgs/1 once a night of Oxycodone ER and have decided to try St. John's Wort it was recommended on the web that it could help mild depression. Has anyone tried this and has it worked? Did it make their legs get worse? The research said it might help RLS so I am hoping it might help my legs, has it helped anyone?

Full disclosure I do take 3 grams of kratom when my legs are bothering me badly. I wait at least an hour after I take the oxy before taking the kratom. My neurologist knows about this too.

If there are any other antidepressants, that are not supposed to bother RLS sufferers, that anyone knows of for me to try let me know!

Thank you ~ Lissa

An antidepressant usually works by increasing seratonin and this is what worsens the symptoms of rls. Wellbutrin works differently by increasing availability of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine but not serotonin, It is thought that Welbrutin will not exacerbate the symptoms of rls and it is unfortunate that this wasn't the case for you.
It is considered that if an antidepressant is needed then it should be taken and any extra rls symptoms dealt with accordingly.

I don't know of any other antidepressant that will not bother rls but perhaps another member will be able to advise further.
I have been taking the antidepressant Sertraline for 4 weeks now and, fingers crossed, have not yet felt any extra rls symptoms but it is of course very early days.

St John's Wort should not be taken while using any antidepressant as it might increase the accumulation of too high a level of seratonin in your body i.e. Seratonin Syndrome.

I used to find St John's Wort helpful, but besides Betty's warning that it shouldn't be taken alongside prescribed antidepressants it should not be taken alongside various other prescription drugs. If you purchase it, read through both the patient info leaflet that comes with it and check the same for any other drugs that you are on: if in any doubt check with your doctor/pharmacist.
As far as antidepressants go, bupropion (Wellbutrin) and trazodone (Desyrel, Oleptro) are generally regarded as RLS safe - although some trazodone users say otherwise. Sertraline (Zoloft) and other antidepressants make RLS worse for many (Betty: you're one of the lucky ones on sertraline)

Andy, it's early days yet with the sertraline , only 4 weeks, so I don't want to be smug about it. However I will remain hopeful.
Some years ago I was taking Citalopram for several years and at that time was also unaware of any negative impact.

Hi all,
I started with sertraline, as I had taken that in the past with no issues, but I was on tramadol at the time, but this time it caused major RLS so I had to stop it. I was surprised that Wellbutrin caused issues too, as I was told it was a better fit for RLS suffers. It was like my symptoms were hyper-exaggerated to the point that I ended up calling in sick to work on the 5th day and had to stop taking it. Each day my RLS just got worse and my oxy just was not touching it even when I took extra. Once I stopped the Wellbutrin my RLS went back to my normal.

I guess I could ask my neurologist if she would be willing to up my oxy enough to combat the effects of the Wellbutrin but I am not sure she would. If my oxy goes from 5mg to 10 mgs, that would put me at 90 mme's a day and doctors do not like to go that high.

I will treat the St John Worts I did with the Sertraline as it had precautions due to too much serotonin. I will see how that goes, if it doesn't work I will ask to see the doctor will increase my oxy.

Thanks all! Lissa

Lissa, out of interest, how long were you taking the sertraline before it caused you major Rls issues.

Lissa, I also had a bad reaction to Wellbutrin. I took two doses and could not sit for longer than 20 seconds at a time and obviously not sleep for the next week. My doctor finally doubled up the dose of all my RLS meds (combined methadone and tramadol plus double my normal dose of gabapentin and pramipexole). Wellbutrin is now on my list of "allergic" medications. Turns out that it is chemically similar to Sudafed and meth, which explains my severe reaction to it.

Speaking of tramadol, it is both a mild opioid and an antidepressant. Years ago the manufacturer tried to get FDA approval for it as an antidepressant, but the FDA refused since the didn't want psychiatrists prescribing an opioid for depression. I was able to use it for my RLS and it helped a bit with depression. Unfortunately, its AD properties also dulled my emotions and almost wiped out any libido.

I am now classified as antidepressant resistant. I used to run and all of my doctors are now telling me that my only option is to take up running again (at age 72). I used to coach runners, so I know what I need to slowly ramp up both speed and distance. So, it may take me a year or more to get back to where I would like to be. In the meantime, I am trying to walk 2+ miles/day at a pace fast enough to elevate my heart rate.

Polar Bear wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 05, 2024 10:43 pm

Lissa, out of interest, how long were you taking the sertraline before it caused you major Rls issues.

I was on it for less than a week. I noticed my RLS was a problem the first time I took it but thought I would be okay, but by day 3 it was getting pretty bad so I stopped taking it.

@rustsmith I am sorry to hear you also had problems with antidepressants. When I was on tramadol I thought the world was a great place, same with Mirapex. My libido on tram was also close to non-existent but was worth giving up for no RLS.

I am hoping the St Johns Wort works, as I am not a runner, I don't need much to get me over the hump, I don't think, but just enough to get me out of my chair and back into the world at large.

Thanks, everyone!

Lissa, so you had a negative effect from Sertraline after only 3 days. I guess it's a good thing that it showed itself quickly.
I'm at 4 weeks today and no negativity (so far).
Thank you for taking time to let me know.

I couldn't tolerate sertraline because of various side effects. I had a number of antidepressants over the years, the ones I tolerated (didn't worsen RLS) were trazodone and valdoxan (Agomelatine), but neither did anything for my mood. I guess both helped a bit falling asleep for some time but not long term, bottom line is I don't think either was worth taking.

As for mood, golden root (rhodiola rosea) is the only thing that helps me without any side effects. Takes about 2 weeks to kick in for me, I take 500mg a day but your mileage may vary. Might cause a bit of sleep problems for the first week or so, best to take it in the morning.

Polar Bear wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 08, 2024 8:15 pm

Lissa, so you had a negative effect from Sertraline after only 3 days. I guess it's a good thing that it showed itself quickly.
I'm at 4 weeks today and no negativity (so far).
Thank you for taking time to let me know.

Yes, my system is very sensitive to medications and I can usually tell in a few hours if not a few days. I have a list of medications that I am "allergic" to, not truly allergic but cause various issues like bothering my legs or my stomach that I refuse to take due to the issues with the medication.

It is funny as a few years ago I was able to take sertraline, with no issue but I was on tramadol, now I am on oxy and cannot take it. The first day it made my legs tingle but by day three I was up all night and wanted to just cut my legs off!

Frunobulax wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:09 am

I couldn't tolerate sertraline because of various side effects. I had a number of antidepressants over the years, the ones I tolerated (didn't worsen RLS) were trazodone and valdoxan (Agomelatine), but neither did anything for my mood. I guess both helped a bit falling asleep for some time but not long term, bottom line is I don't think either was worth taking.

As for mood, golden root (rhodiola rosea) is the only thing that helps me without any side effects. Takes about 2 weeks to kick in for me, I take 500mg a day but your mileage may vary. Might cause a bit of sleep problems for the first week or so, best to take it in the morning.

I have not heard about golden root, I will look into that, thank you! I will check to see if it causes any issues with my other meds. Appreciate the help. ~ Lissa