Medication Efficacy

Use this section to discuss your experiences with prescription drugs, iron injections, and other medical interventions that involve the introduction of a drug or medicine into the body. Discuss side effects, successes, failures, published research, information about drug trials, and information about new medications being developed.

Important: Posts and information in this section are based on personal experiences and recommendations; they should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a healthcare provider.
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Obewan
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 9:51 pm

Medication Efficacy

Post by Obewan »

Does anyone have any guidance on how long you need to keep taking an RLS medication like alpha 2 delta ligands or opioids before you know whether it is effective for you? I have been prescribed both of those medications at different times recently and found neither really alleviated my RLS symptoms. I was on the A2D (Horizant) for several weeks and then stopped. Cost was a big issue and I didn't want to pay for another 30 day amount if it wasn't working. I discontinued the opioid after about 5 to 6 days when I felt it was not effective since I was so worried about taking it. I am now beginning to wonder if I was too quick to stop taking these medications, especially the opioid (oxycontin) and whether it takes a longer period of time for them to be effective. My primary doctor is the one who has been prescribing these for me as we follow the treatment recommendations of the RLSF medical advisory group, but he does not have much experience with RLS so he has deferred to me on whether they are effective in treating my RLS.

QyX

Re: Medication Efficacy

Post by QyX »

Opioids are effective for me within 30 to 60 minutes after taking them. However the dose needs to be high enough. I started with 10 mg Oxycodone (5 mg, twice a day) and while I noticed some small benefit, it wasn't enough. In case of Oxycodone, it might make sense to try doses up to 20 - 30 mg per day before one can conclude if it is helpful or not, especially when you have more severe symptoms.

Meanwhile, my average opioid dose equals to about 100 mg of Oxycodone (or 200 mg of Morphine) per day. I've been taking opioids for over 7 years now and they are still very effective, especially when it comes to the urge to move things.

In general, opioids treat the urge to move 100% and symptoms related to pain up to 60%. For the rest of the symptoms I use antiepileptics (Oxcarbazepine, as an alternative to alpha 2 delta ligands since they don't work for me) and medical Marijuana.

Regarding alpha 2 delta ligands: they sometimes work and sometimes they don't. Personally I could tell that even while I was only taking small doses, that those drugs were not effective for me.

Regarding the opioid: did you at least feel some improvement or you hadn't any improvement at all and it was like nothing has changed?

Obewan
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 9:51 pm

Re: Medication Efficacy

Post by Obewan »

When I took the 10mg pill of oxycontin one hour before bedtime, I found it had not effect at all. In other words, no change from what I was typically experiencing with my RLS symptoms. I appreciate you sharing the comment about the dosage. I have wondered whether I need to go to a higher dose. I typically find that medications don't have the same effect on me that they do on other people, so increasing the dosage may be the best next step and it is something I can talk to my primary doctor about.

QyX

Re: Medication Efficacy

Post by QyX »

Are you taking any other medication?

Have you taken any other medication for RLS in the past?

If you don't get any effects from opioids, it might make sense to try Dopamine-Agonists, too ... just to see if there is any effect on your RLS whatsoever ...

Obewan
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 9:51 pm

Re: Medication Efficacy

Post by Obewan »

Yes. I was on pramipexole for about 7 years and had to wean myself off that medication this past summer due to severe augmentation. The pramipexole was effective but I kept needing over time to increase the dosage to achieve the same effect.

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