Hello, new here =[
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twitch
Hello, new here =[
Hello all! I was recently diagnosed with RLS by my doctor after a sleep study. He told me that 5 or less leg movements per hour was normal, but I averaged 45 leg movements per hour. Each time my legs twitched, it brought me out of my sleep cycle back to stage 1. He also said that during the 8 hours I was asleep, only 2% of it was REM sleep. I do take 100mg zoloft /day for anxiety and depression. He prescribed Requip, but it caused terrible insomnia, and after the 5th day of taking it the sleep deprivation caught up with me. He then prescribed Mirapex, but this just had the same effect as the Requip. I notice my hands and feet convulsing as I am about to fall asleep which makes it difficult for me to finnaly fall asleep. My fiance tells me that my feet and hands convulse enough at times to wake her up at night. Is there any other type of medication I shoudl consider? It seems like dopamine agonists cause me to have insomnia regardless of the brand. It sucks being in a perpetually fatigued state =[
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ViewsAskew
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Hi Twitch, so sorry no one responded more quickly. I think it may be because we really aren't sure of the answer!
Technically, jerks in your sleep are called PLMD, periodic limb movement disorder. RLS happens while awake and is relieved by movement. The convulsions you are feeling when falling asleep are quite likely sleep starts, a type of myclonus that most of us have, whether or not we have RLS or PLMD. Mine a terribly strong. I've sort of learned to ignore them, but my DH still is sort of freaked out by them. There is not treatment for them, and they aren't even quite sure what causes them (or weren't the last time I read abou them). Some people have PLMs that do not cause them problems. Since yours are keeping you from getting the sleep you need, it's important to find out how to make it better.
For many people, SSRIs like Zoloft can make RLS worse. Not sure if they also make PLMD worse, though. I don't know why you take it, but it could be that stopping it might really help you. www.rlshelp.org may provide more info. You can read about the anti-depressants and what might work better, and you can write a letter to the doctor who monitors the site. He can better tell you if Zoloft could contribute to PLMD, and what you might do instead of Requip or Mirapex.
How much Requip and then Mirapex did you take? I seem to remember one of the RLS researchers telling me that for PLMD, a tiny amount of the DAs might be enough to really help. So, you might only need a little bit, and it might not cause the insomnia. It also might be that after taking the Requip or Mirapex for a longer period, your body would adjust and you wouldn't have the insomnia - of course, that could be a difficult thing to find out - how long do you want to be miserable? I only say that because these are supposed to be the best drugs for PLMD. There isn't a lot of research about it, however, but most of the other drugs we take don't seem to help them much.
Hope you can get some better info from Dr Buchfurer. And, please, let us know what he says. It will give us some more information in case another person asks.
Ann
Technically, jerks in your sleep are called PLMD, periodic limb movement disorder. RLS happens while awake and is relieved by movement. The convulsions you are feeling when falling asleep are quite likely sleep starts, a type of myclonus that most of us have, whether or not we have RLS or PLMD. Mine a terribly strong. I've sort of learned to ignore them, but my DH still is sort of freaked out by them. There is not treatment for them, and they aren't even quite sure what causes them (or weren't the last time I read abou them). Some people have PLMs that do not cause them problems. Since yours are keeping you from getting the sleep you need, it's important to find out how to make it better.
For many people, SSRIs like Zoloft can make RLS worse. Not sure if they also make PLMD worse, though. I don't know why you take it, but it could be that stopping it might really help you. www.rlshelp.org may provide more info. You can read about the anti-depressants and what might work better, and you can write a letter to the doctor who monitors the site. He can better tell you if Zoloft could contribute to PLMD, and what you might do instead of Requip or Mirapex.
How much Requip and then Mirapex did you take? I seem to remember one of the RLS researchers telling me that for PLMD, a tiny amount of the DAs might be enough to really help. So, you might only need a little bit, and it might not cause the insomnia. It also might be that after taking the Requip or Mirapex for a longer period, your body would adjust and you wouldn't have the insomnia - of course, that could be a difficult thing to find out - how long do you want to be miserable? I only say that because these are supposed to be the best drugs for PLMD. There isn't a lot of research about it, however, but most of the other drugs we take don't seem to help them much.
Hope you can get some better info from Dr Buchfurer. And, please, let us know what he says. It will give us some more information in case another person asks.
Ann
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.
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.