RLS occurs more frequently in certain populations, including people with end-stage renal disease, women during pregnancy, and people with iron deficiency. Also, RLS/WED in the elderly and children brings other challenges. Sharing your experiences may be extraordinarily helpful to others.
SG, I just looked up carbamazepine on Google, and got a Wikipedia article about it. I was trying to remember the brand name - Tegretol here in the states. Anyway, I thought you might be interested in this comment:
Common side effects include drowsiness, motor coordination impairment and/or upset stomach. Carbamazepine preparations may also greatly decrease a person's alcohol tolerance.
I don't know why cutting back on drinking would make it worse, but people react differently to just about everything. One gal here likes to quote her relatives about RLS and drinking: "If your not getting relief, you're not drinking enough."
I do hope you can sort it out in the healthiest way possible. Please keep us posted on how you're doing.
I wonder how long the side effects last, I didnt notice any nausea in the first week but now I feel sick constantly. Also have the other side effects but they are expected with anything that helps you sleep right. I can't even stomach alcohol right now, the thought of it makes me sick or I would still be drinking probably. My dr will be happy with that, she wants me to quit alcohol. And I want to lose weight so that should happen too but I'm not sure how long I can keep going with this nausea, I didnt realise it was from carbamazepine, I guess I figured it would have happened in the first week if it was from that.
Well I have been taking carbamazapine for over a month now and it has worked really well. The side effects didn't last long and the only time RLS comes back now is if I drink heavily for 2 or more days in a row, then it is torture, but with no alcohol I am now sleeping solidly for at least 9 hours a night and not waking up even once. Actually the only reason I wake up after 9 hours is cause I need to go to the bathroom. I haven't had a drink in 2 weeks and I'm going to try coming off the carbamazapine soon I think and hope for the best.
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.
Thanks for the support. I want to try and come off it because I'm hoping that now I'm not drinking that I don't need it. If the RLS comes straight back I will just resume taking it. Not a lot is known about how carbamazepine works so I'd prefer to not be taking it if I don't need to. Also most drugs lose or have a decrease in effectiveness if one stays on them all the time, I'm not sure if carbamazepine works like that but it is something I have considered.
Another thing I wanted to share is that carbamazepine seems to have a synergistic effect when combined with either melatonin or clonazepam, I'm not sure which one as I take them both, but when I have taken carbamazepine by itself I have not felt tired or had much relief from RLS but combined with small doses of the other 2 meds I feel like I have had a sleeping pill before I go to bed and I sleep for 9 hours straight. Just something I thought you people might want to consider if you did not find carbamazepine effective by itself or are having trouble with other medication.
As someone who's recently come off of melatonin after taking it for a very long time, I can tell you with near-certainty that melatonin consistently made me want to sleep longer. I'd want 9 1/2 hours, easily (which I seldom got, but it's what I wanted in the rare cases I could get that much). Now I tend more toward 8 to 8 1/2.
And then there's clonazepam, which used to put me out like a light. I don't remember if it made me sleep longer, but it did make me sleep deeper, so it's possible. (I was only on it for a few months, as part of a benzo taper.)
Anyway, what I'm saying is that either or both of those two drugs could very easily have made you sleep longer/deeper even without synergy, or even without simple additive effects, from another drug. (Note: synergy usually implies that 1+1=3, versus additive where they just sum up normally.) They apparently weren't doing that, but they could have been close to doing so. If so, it wouldn't take much to tip you over into oversleeping, I'd think.
I always suggest using one of the web utils to check interactions. I think drugs.com has one, and I bet webmd has one too. They're always keen to tell you about synergy, so I'm sure you'll find out if it's a known issue. It's always a good idea to check any new drug against your existing drugs. I never take something new without doing research, and I also don't take just one source's opinion as gospel. It's just too easy to get an interaction that can harm or even kill you, and you don't get a do-over if you screw up.
Disclaimer: I often talk about what I do and what works for me, but these are specific to me and you should always consult a healthcare professional before trying these things yourself, lest you endanger your health or life.
I have been taking melatonin for over a year and clonazepam for about 9 months and although I would fall asleep easily (apart from when the RLS reared it's ugly head) I never got that real tired feeling like I had to go to bed and I never slept for more that 5 hours - EVER. But combined with carbamazepine I sleep better than I have in years, every night (unless I have been drinking.) I'm certain there is a synergy there. My Dr has a drug interaction checker online that screens all my prescriptions and no interaction came up. But carbamazepine is usually prescribed for mania and epilepsy so it's affect on sleep or on RLS may not be fully researched.