Taking low dose ropinirole with clonazepam

[Stainless]

I've started taking a low dose of ropinirole with clonazepam and pregabalin with limited success. My goal minimise these other nasty drugs. For a week I've been cutting 0.5 mg pills so my dose has been 1/8 to 3/16.

At bedtime my legs are calmer than they have for years at 10 pm. The problem is that I just can't get to sleep and am up until 1 or 2 am. Then I get get the best sleep I've gotten in 5 years based on fit bit data. My body does not normally go calm until 4 am but this week the Fitbit shows me going calm 2 or 3 hours earlier. Although this is new to me, I've tried taking it earlier or later but I end up staring at the ceiling, walking around the house, etc.

I feel like although my legs are fairly calm, the ropinirole is working against the other drugs that usually work by knocking me out. This previously worked to allow "sleep" while my legs flail away. This has been painful last few years now got painful. I'm new to ropinirole. I was on it 7 years ago from 1 to 2 to 4 mg extended release for a year and it was a disaster. Obviously my GP did not understand what I have since learned about low dose.

Any comments would be appreciated. Also I need to replace the watch, does anyone a have a good suggestion for a good replacement that tracts sleep? Thx Rick

[badnights]

I avoided melatonin for years because in a study, the onset of melatonin levels rising coincided with the onset of RLS/WED symptoms. I knew that didn't mean melatonin caused WED/rLS, but I avoided it in case it did.

And I'm really sorry I avoided it so long. I tried it a year ago and was almost immediately able to stop the zopiclone I'd been using to put myself to sleep for 10 years.

So it might be worth a try.

Note they sell it in really excessive doses. I use 1 mg, and Ann uses even smaller doses, but they make bottles of 30 mg pills! Beware. Start small. Excessive melatonin will make you sleepy all the next day. Also, take it at the same time evey night, just before you want to sleep. It takes effect almost immediately, 10 or 15 max.

[Stainless]

Thx for the reply. I've only take melatonin a few times. I remember it only working the first day. Maybe I should try it agin for occasional bad nights staring at the ceiling.

The low dose ropinirole experiment is working very well. I take all meds right before bed and the low dose ropinirole last, praying for a good night. Low dose ropinirole worked every night. Still takes a bit to get to sleep, one night I only got 2 hours of sleep. I will try low dose melatonin on my next bad night.

I can't remember the last time I dreamt like this. I pray Mother Nature lets this work for a while. I can cope with the daytime stuff but RLS had come to rule my nights. Rick

[Stainless]

About a month into my low dose ropinirole experiment my sleep keeps getting better. It feels so good not to fight my legs for every hour of sleep.

My neurologist to gave lower dose pills so am getting a consistent dose.

In the evening I am experiencing mild symptoms in my arms and a little more intense RLS before I take the medicine. I've been dealing with annoying RLS for over 50 years so can deal with that if I have to. I'm so tempted to take another 1/8th early evenings also but hate to push my luck.

[Stainless]

1/8 mg failed me after a month. After 3 horrible evenings and nights I started 1/8th at first onset and 1/8 at bedtime about 3 hours later. I know I'm climbing a stairway to disaster but it feels so good. Probably what every addict says.

[Polar Bear]

Stainless - not an addict. An addict seeks the drug to get a' high'.
What we sufferers have is a dependency.

[Stainless]

I'm sorry Polar Bear, I was referring to my addiction in the pursuit in finding relief, just to get in deeper.

[Polar Bear]

Sorry I misunderstood. But an opportunity anyway to make the point of the difference between addiction and dependency..... thumbs up.

[Stainless]

I thought I would update and try not to babble like my previous post. After a wonderful month on 1/8 mg ropinirole in addition to my other meds, I had three really bad nights with intense creepy crawlies on my thighs so I increased to 1/4 mg. Half at first symptoms and half at bedtime 2 or 3 hours later. I've had another month of freedom from PLM type symptoms but now getting some creepy crawlies on my thighs. I'm still sleeping better than I have in about 8 years because my legs are calm even with this odd but not unprecedented symptom. I intend to keep the dose low and enjoy the reprieve.

[Stainless]

Well this experiment ended up as a failure. I'm thankful for the month of relief I got from 1/8 mg Ropinirole. When that failed increasing to 1/4 mg didn't help much after another month. The third month I did sleep better, which I hated to give up, but I had side effects of earlier and more intense onset that got worse and worse with RLS moving to my forearms, which I hate. I went back to 1/8 for a few days and quit without much additional suffering.

Back to the search for Relief.

[Polar Bear]

I'm glad you were wise enough to know to reduce your ropinerole.
Good luck as you continue your search for relief. The journey we all have in our different ways.