Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Is anyone else like me? I read that Gaba and Taurine were good to take for rls so I got some. I didn't know when I should take it so I went ahead and took it in the morning. Well, I had rls all day...and I don't ever do that. Also, my Dr. has tried 4 different sleeping meds. because I have a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep even when the rls isn't bothering me. They also made the rls worse. In the information about rls it doesn't say that these meds. cause rls. Does this happen to anyone else?? I take tramadol and gabapentin and they help some but not as much as I would like.

Well Gabapentin works for some people but also sometimes takes quite a while to get going. The medicines that actually work the very best for restless leg legs are typically the dopamine agonists, requip, mirapex, neupro patch. The dopamine Agonists certainly have their share of problems and side effects but if you haven't used any of those you might talk to your doctor about whether that would be advisable. Most people that use Gabapentin take it in the evening. I use a dopamine Agonist and take a Gabapentin dose at bedtime to help with sleep. For me Gabapentin doesn't help with the legs jumping but does help with sleep.

Also it is extremely common for people with rls to not respond well to any type of sleeping medicine. But a lot of them say Gabapentin works much better for sleep than any regular sleeping medicine.

My experience is a perfect illustration of Holland's point about not responding well to sleeping medicines. I was complaining of insomnia problems for several years before I was eventually diagnosed with RLS (by a different doctor). I was given prescriptions for several benzos, Ambien, Lunsta, and Sonata. Only Lunesta had a positive effect, but only on those nights when my RLS movement symptoms were not in full swing. I was even given a prescription for the latest sleeping med, Belsomra. My insurance company flat refused to pay for it so I get a trial pack from the manufacturer. I might as well have been taking a placebo because it did absolutely nothing. And the benzos, did not do anything for my insomnia, but did make me walk like a staggering drunk.

Skippy wrote:Is anyone else like me? I read that Gaba and Taurine were good to take for rls so I got some. I didn't know when I should take it so I went ahead and took it in the morning. Well, I had rls all day...and I don't ever do that. Also, my Dr. has tried 4 different sleeping meds. because I have a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep even when the rls isn't bothering me. They also made the rls worse. In the information about rls it doesn't say that these meds. cause rls. Does this happen to anyone else?? I take tramadol and gabapentin and they help some but not as much as I would like.

Skippy - when you said you tried Gaba dn Taurine, for the Gaba, did you mean gabapentin or something you bought at a herbal or similar store that is called Gaba?

Per the sleeplessness, as already noted, it's very common for those of us with RLS/WED - and meds often do not help us the same as they do people without our strange disease. I've long wondered if there is a variant of RLS/WED with a longer body clock. I tend to be very happy to keep about 26-28 hour days. I spent almost a year just going to bed when tired and getting up when I was ready. In the year, I lost weight, used fewer meds, slept the best I've slept since being medicated, and was happiest and most productive. Fascinating, isn't it? Except most of us need to work in the 24-hour world!

I'm in the "Sleepless in Seattle" camp. Most meds do not make me drowsy or sleepy. Having said that the benzos did make me sleepy but quickly required hire and hire doses to do the job. Getting off them was extremely difficult. The Ambiens, Lunestas, etc. caused extremely vivid night terrors which put me on the edge of a breakdown. I think that if I lived in a "city that doesn't sleep" like NY or some other large, vibrant city, I might adopt the "whatever hour" awake/sleep cycle that Views mentioned. My hobbies or interests are not particularly rls friendly. I wish that I had taken up woodworking or something like that so I could just go in the garage or basement at any hour and go at it. Come to think of it, i wish I had a garage or a basement. Anyway, sleep is good.


Wishing all who visit here have some peace this night

Gaba is an herb, I believe. It is not gabapentin. It just seems like everything that is suppose to help RLS just makes it worse for me. I have taken just about everything that is prescribed for RLS or sleep.

Skippy - just my opinion...but things like GABA and taurine and all the millions of other anecdotal things that one or a few people say work...well, they rarely work for the rest of us. There are lots of reasons for this.

There are few things that work - at least that are proven.

skippy wrote:Also, my Dr. has tried 4 different sleeping meds. because I have a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep even when the rls isn't bothering me. They also made the rls worse. In the information about rls it doesn't say that these meds. cause rls. Does this happen to anyone else??

Sleeping meds relax us, and relaxation triggers WED/RLS. So maybe that was the problem you were having.