Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

I just recently spoke to my docotr about my restless legs, after a few years of suffering (including through a pregnancy) and he prescribed Trazadol. There seem to be a lot of side effect and even some long term issues that can arise. Has anyone used it?

Hi erinhinze and welcome.

I have to admit i did go searching for trazadol and found nothing.But now you say trazodone it makes more sense.

This is a quote from the rls/plmd treatment page found at
http://www.rlshelp.org/rlsrx.htm

Antidepressant Medication
This class of medications should be used with caution in RLS patients. Antidepressants can worsen RLS symptoms more often than help them. As depression is a common problem, especially in patients with severe and persistant RLS problems, antidepressants are often prescribed for RLS patients. RLS patients who are put on antidepressants and notice a worsening of their symptoms should inform their physician of this problem immediately

If you go to the link above it gives more details on medication and rls.But if you are having a hard time with the trazodone you may need to change the medication you are on.


I personally have not tried trazadone so i cannot say from experience but i do hope the information above is helpful

claradragon

erinhinze wrote:I just recently spoke to my docotr about my restless legs, after a few years of suffering (including through a pregnancy) and he prescribed Trazadol. There seem to be a lot of side effect and even some long term issues that can arise. Has anyone used it?

Hi Erin,

Welcome to the group! Yes, I was prescribed Trazodone by my Dr. who didn't know much about RLS. And yes, it made the symptoms SOOOOOO much worse. Did your Dr. prescribe it for the RLS specifically? Definitely, call your Dr. right away and let him know what's happening. If he's not very knowledgable about RLS, which he doesn't seem to be or he wouldn't have prescibed Trazodone, there is a very easy to read RLS algorithm which you can print out and give to him. Here is the link for that:

http://www.mayo.edu/proceedings/2004/jul/7907crc.pdf

There are number of medications which are much more successful in dealing with RLS. In addition to the link Clara gave you, here's one describing all the different types of medications:

http://www.rlshelp.org/rlsrx.htm

I am 33 years old. Have had RLS since I was 19 and yes, it's HORRIBLE during pregnancy! Right now, I am taking 1mg of Mirapex 2x a day and 30 mgs of Restoril before bed. It's working well for me. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have. Someone here will be able to answer you or, at least, point you in the right direction. The best thing you can do is read and keep reading! Educate yourself because you'll find that you're your best advocate. RLS is still a mystery to much of the medical community. Have a great day!