Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

charles wrote:For the past ten yrs, I have been taking 2 (two) ten (10) MG hydrocodone daily for my refractive RLS. Two yrs ago I added one 5mg methadone in the eve prior to bed. I do have some nights of sleep/awake, sleep/awake, etc, but generally this program works well. I have had full days where I take methadone only, and it's effective 24 hrs straight ! I've taken the methadone only, because I continue to have roadblocks at the pharmacy, who seem to always have a reason why they cannot fill the RX. Seems as though all opiate users are relegated to one unworthy class of humans. Possibly it's only a problem in FLA based on past and current hype. I'm curious to hear what other legitimate opiate users encounter.
Charles
St Pete, FLA

I've lived in Illinois and California...it's been a problem there. And at multiple pharmacies and with several docs.

I take Tramadol as part of my cocktail and occasionally Hydrocodone. I live in Illinois and have never had a problem with my pharmacy, but my Dr went nuts when all the hysteria started and shut me off from both. His comment was "opioids arn't for restless legs". It's a long story but after 2 Dr visits and trying things that didn't work he finally gave my Scripts back with the understanding that hydrocodone was for emergency use only. My current cocktail of Tramadol, Lyrica and a low dose of Ropinirole is working pretty good. But i'm well aware of how things change.

I have been taking opioids for my RLS for 3 yrs now and during that time I have had issues with my local doctors and pharmacies. Apparently there was a pill mill doctor here about 5 yrs ago, so the town gets extra DEA attention now and the local hospital has anti-opioid policies that make it difficult for everyone. When I first moved here, I had been in augmentation for about six months and knew what I needed. The only way to get an opioid was to travel 100 miles away to the state university medical school in Denver. My doctor there has been great and pretty much lets me decide what needs to be done to treat my RLS. Unfortunately, the local pharmacies insist that they MUST speak with her before filling her prescriptions. I cannot reach her in less than a week, so forget a pharmacist's call getting answered. So, I had to send my prescriptions off to a national mail order pharmacy (actually that is what my insurance prefers).

Since that time I have located a local GP who is willing to write scripts as per my specialist in Denver and because he is local, his scripts are accepted at the local pharmacies. Unfortunately, as Views mentioned, the pharmacies are often out of stock and sometimes even their suppliers are as well.

What has helped recently is that I was temporarily switched from methadone to Tramadol ER. Tramadol is a Sch 4 med and all the rest of the opioids are Sch 2. The rules for Sch 4 are much simpler. There is no 30 day limit on number of pills and scripts can be faxed into the pharmacy rather than having a requirement of having me transfer a piece of paper from the doctor to the pharmacy. Alas, I expect to go back onto methadone in late January, so back to the old hassles.

One last point, this time last year I contacted one of the local TV stations about how the opioid hysteria was harming legitimate patients. It go me an on-camera interview that was aired on the news following the Super Bowl last January. I don't know if the link is still valid, but if you use our search function you should be able to find that link from this past January.

Seems as though all opiate users are relegated to one unworthy class of humans. Possibly it's only a problem in FLA based on past and current hype. I'm curious to hear what other legitimate opiate users encounter

I live in the Northwest Territories in Canada. I have never had a problem. I think it helps that I live in a relatively small city (20,000). I go to the same pharmacy all the time, and the pharmacists there all know my name.They treat me well. I keep track of my meds and never take more than my script will cover, so I'm never trying to pick up before I'm allowed to.
When I travel, my doctor and pharmacy work together to ensure I can pick up early or have a longer script, and if I'm stuck away longer than I expected, like when my father was sick, I have been able to get the refill sent to a different branch of the pharmacy in PEI or Alberta.
I know I'm lucky, and I'm grateful for it.