Vibration helped me through the drug holiday

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BarryO
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 5:29 pm

Vibration helped me through the drug holiday

Post by BarryO »

So, I had an advantage that many people don't have, but there's still a moral to the story.

When I had increased my Rx dosage a few times, and benefits were declining, my specialist said I was augmenting, and we agreed it was time to wean from Pramipexole.

Timing was bad because my wife and I were to fly from the Seattle area to Maine for a couple weeks together exploring the fall colors of New England. It had been on our bucket list for quite some time. However, I was already dreading the flight; my RLS symptoms started barely 15 minutes after recent flights took to the air. And within 30 minutes it was unbearable. I'd have to spend most of the flight in the gallery with the VERY patient attendants. But... my wife had an idea.

You see, I have a motorcycle. A big vibrating cruiser that I'd taken on long solo rides up and down the Pacific Coast and zig-zagging up and down the Rockies in the past. She said to hit the road and meet her in Maine when she arrived on the scheduled flight two weeks hence. So, off the Pramipexole I went and on the road I went. I would ride between 6 and 10 hours a day, exploring the backroads all along the way. It was a delight! And withdrawal symptoms were only bad when I'd ride less than ~3 hours in a day. No problem.

I deliberately took my time, taking a different route out and back, and saw much of this glorious country, from the Rockies, the Badlands, the Adirondacks, across the Great Lakes to Niagara Falls and up into eastern Canada, back down through beautiful Vermont and New Hampshire in the fall, down through the Appellations, and back through Kentucky, Nebraska, Wyoming, and on. Temperatures ranged from above 100 to below 10, and conditions ranged between burning sun to accumulations of snow/ice. But... I only felt the misery of the drug holiday a couple nights.

I'm not necessarily recommending you go out, get your endorsement, and ride 8,000 miles during your drug holiday. But I am suggesting that if your drug holiday has you in its grips, you might find a health club or weight loss clinic that has a vibration platform and enjoy a good dose at least once a day and more if you can swing it. The higher quality machines you find in these facilities can do wonders on tired and bruised legs, which in turn can do wonders for your mental state.

All the best...
Barry

Rustsmith
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Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: Vibration helped me through the drug holiday

Post by Rustsmith »

Barry, that sounds like a wonderful trip, especially at that time of year.

One of the things about RLS is that counter-stimulation often provides benefits. That is one of the theories for why soaking in hot (or cold) water provides relief for many of us. So it is possible that the vibration of your bike was providing that sort of stimulation to your legs, which is a lot more practical than soaking in a hot tub all day long. Another possibility is that the need to concentrate on riding and navigating helped. Many of us find that doing crosswords, soduko and other games that require concentration takes our minds off of our legs and allows them to calm down on their own.

Either way, glad that you found something that works for you and provided the side benefit of several weeks of pure enjoyment.
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
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.

stjohnh
Posts: 1284
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 3:13 pm
Location: Palo Alto, California

Re: Vibration helped me through the drug holiday

Post by stjohnh »

Barry,

That does sound like a great way to treat RLS. There is a vibrating pad called Relaxis http://myrelaxis.com/ that is FDA approved for treatment of RLS. Comments by the very few users on this forum that have used it haven't been very encouraging however. Maybe because they didn't have the wonderful mental engagement of your motorcycle trips.

I think the reason Relaxis hasn't been tried much is that it is pricey and may need a doctor's prescription. I tried various vibrating massagers, pads, and cuffs from amazon (though not Relaxis) and didn't get much relief.
Blessings,
Holland

ViewsAskew
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Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: Vibration helped me through the drug holiday

Post by ViewsAskew »

I was going to say the same thing that Holland did! Definitely try that out.

I definitely believe that there are multiple "types" of RLS, including some people who have something else and are misdiagnosed. With few exceptions, we seem to do well with very different treatments. Then there is the degree to which we have it and how often. Very different!

I think vibration is like that. Helps some, but not others.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

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.

legsbestill
Posts: 561
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 7:22 pm
Location: Dublin Ireland

Re: Vibration helped me through the drug holiday

Post by legsbestill »

Sounds like an amazing trip.

I have a relaxis pad. For some unfathomable reason it works on my rls if I go for a nap during the day but not at night. In fact, sometimes at night time I think it actually aggravates my rls. I do find it soothing sometimes to run it if I wake up in the middle of the night (but only if the legs are quiet or only very modestly playing up). It's a bit like the ships engine on an overnight ferry - it sort of lulls. I'm glad I have it but if I had known the relatively modest amount of assistance it would afford with my rls I don't think I would have spent the eye-watering amount it cost. In fairness it's a very well built medical grade piece of kit and the aftercare service is second to none. I have read a few accounts of it being helpful for children with rls.

srgraves01
Posts: 106
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:34 am

Re: Vibration helped me through the drug holiday

Post by srgraves01 »

This is what I use the power plate for. A couple of years ago I took a drug holiday for a month because I was taking Mirapex for the second time; the second time I was also taking hydromorphone. I still use it while taking my medications because they don't completely do the job. Unfortunately, my condition seems to have gotten worse. So I am not able to take as many drug holidays as I used to and not for as long as I used to.

Steve

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