COLD TURKEY ON REQUIP - HAVE HAD RLS 12 HRS

[stitch]

I have been trying to type this post for over an hour but can't sit still to type. I have not been able to sit still all nite because my legs are hurting and jumping so bad. It's the right one now but then goes to the left and sometime both.

I have been on requip for three yrs and all was great along with neurontin. The legs started to get worse and when i got roxicodone 20mg's aday I thought it was going to help. Just had to get up again and walk

I was reading a lot of stuff about reuip the wonder drug for RLS I cut it back from 6mg's aday to 3 and now today I am going cold turdey. I don't know how long this will last but if goes on much longer I will not get any sleep. WHAT DO I DO, IS THIS THE WRONG WAY "COLD TURKEY"?

Also, all this kicking is killing my back and I am in so much pain. I have read many things about requip, good, bad and indifferent. I don't know if I am doing the right thing but I have to get off this requip. It would be OK if I could walk but my back is hurting so bad. What a mess.l

I have never had augmentation this bad and for this long. I'm so close to crying and trying to walk. I'm almost thinking of going to the ER but don't know if they can help.

I had to leave and go get into a a hot tub and soak with bath salts. The legs have settled down for now but so afraid if I lay down they will come.

So am I doing the right thing going cold turkey on the requip. I don't ever want to take that again.

While rereading this MY legs started again. I NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!Thanks so much Jeannie

[dv]

Hi Jeanne

What happened to the narcotic the doc gave you? That is what the doc gave me while I waited for the augmentation to calm down. Pain meds are the only thing that work for me so far. Well, the Sinemet works for me, but if I take it more than 2 times a week, I get augmentation...

Anyway, I thought the doc gave you some pain meds in spite of your eye thing....if you have any left, go take that.

Dana

[stitch]

Hi Dana, And yes I got roxicodone 5 mg's 4 times a day and you know that is not going to work. After the 1st post I said I had a nice bath and everything was good, well they are back

I'm going to call the old pain dr tomorrow to see if I can get more at a higher dose, but I don't think she will do it .

Even my surgeon said that is not a enough meds for break through pain. I am hoping to see this new pain dr later this week but right now i am in a bad place and don't know what to do.

Thanks for the response Dana,, , Jeannie They are so bad right now

[Polar Bear]

Hi Jeanne, I hope your legs have settled and you got a little sleep.
What an awful thing this rls is.
Chin up... Betty

[becat]

Hi Jeannie,
Honey I'm so sorry your in this place right now.
I'm no doc, so please don't think I can cure much for you, but 6 mg was alot of Requip to take. Ann remembers things like this much better than I, but I think my doc said tops 3 mgs.. So you would have been doubled up on the old amount.
I haven't taken Requip, I was taking Mirapex and was at 3 mgs of that when I went off cold turkey because of a killer miagrane. It was a horrible week until I got pain meds and the headache left. But I hurt so bad I couldn't tell the difference in much.
I can't even begin to think what your feeling right now, but honestly one of those docs needs to step up. The surgeon knows and confirmed that your not getting what you need. I'd put a call into him as well, maybe he could get this moving in a good direction for you.
You paid him, he cashed those checks, make him work for you! If it's about his ability to write meds and keep his practice this is a no brainer. he knows your in pain and the question is, is he wiling to help?
Honey stay strong and I know how minutes just take forever some days.
Cry and scream if you want to, let it out my dear. At least it will be a good energy release for you.
I pray your back and legs just calm down until you get some help.
Hugs and the moon shines love down to you.
Lynne

[ctravel12]

Oh Jeannie I am so sorry for what you are going through. I also augmented on requip last year and I went through h..l which I am sure you are doing that now.

I did not quit requip cold turkey, but was weaned off of it and went on another med.

Please get ahold of your dr and see what he can do for you. Like Lynne said you paid him, let him work for you.

If crying and screaming works, do it as I did.

Please let us know how you are doing and hope that you got ahold of your dr and was able to get some relief. If I could take the pain away, I would do it in a heart beat. I know what you are going through and the road is very rough

Take care and will talk to you soon my friend

[SquirmingSusan]

Jeannie, it is so hard to quit that darn drug. I quit when I had augmentation - took my last pill on a Wednesday night, and by Friday I was in agony. Terrible pain and PLMs all day long. It was almost like having convulsions. I got in to see my primary care doc, and she wouldn't even acknowledge that I was in pain, let alone give me anything for it. (I have a copy of my medical records from that day; not a mention of pain anywhere! Unbelievable.) Fortunately my dh had a bottle of hydrocodone from his cancer treatment last Winter, and I helped myself. Then I got my own script from the sleep doc on Monday. I seriously thought about going to the ER - if my husband hadn't had the meds, I would have. I was literally flopping like a fish. It was horrible.

Getting of those DAs is tough! The best way to get through the "withdrawal" is with the opiods. Hopefully your RLS will settle down soon. It's taken mine a couple months and I'm starting to finally feel like before I started taking Requip. And I was only on it a couple weeks.

Dr. B says it takes a few days to a few weeks for the dopamine receptors to get back to normal after augmenting.

Best wishes!

Susan

[stitch]

Lynne,

This goes way back and no I never posted after you left that wonderful post for me. and if that made you thinking I was mad at you that could never be. Yes, I feel like I have found angels here and so much help and surrport.

I use to look at this board way back in the 90's but never posted, spelling is not that good and my story was way too long. And then my RLS got better and when things aare going good we do forget about the bad things .

Lynne, like I said you are my soft stop to fall and yes we all help each other and now I feel like I am one of the gang.

Love you all so much, Jeannie

[trixie]

I was just niagnosed with Rsl and put on requip,i would appreciate any positive or negative feedback on this drug from any one who takes it.
Thanks
I"d really like to get some sleep

[ctravel12]

Hi Trixie and welcome to this board. I am so sorry that you have rls, but you have found an excellent support group. As far as Requip, I took it and did not agree with me; however every person is different with the meds. Some members do well with it.

Did your dr give you the starter pak and have you started taking Requip? I guess that it is just trial and error in meds that a person takes. I know this is probably not the answer that you were looking for, but like I have said before it all depends on how the person's body reacts to any meds. I hope this is of some help to you.

I would read as much as you can on the old and new posts as I know there are some posts about people taking requip and do good and some do not. One thing to remember is what works for one may not always for another person.

Being sleep deprived is miserable as we have all been down that road and can be very rough at times.

Being new to the board read the forum New to RLS "Managing RLS" there is a good article from the Mayo Clinic Algorithm which is very informative. You may want to print it out and bring it to your dr. Another good site is www.rlshelp.org

Good luck and please keep us posted on how you are doing.

[musiclover]

Hi Trixie - I've been on Requip (1 mg/day) since July and I'm doing fine. I take it around 8:00 at night - it works best if I take it a few hours before bedtime. I still have occassional bad nights but nothing like before - and on those nights I take an extra .25 or .5 of Requip. I'm also slowly weening of Klonopin - down to .5mg/day from 2 mg.

Hope it works out for you!

[stitch]

Hi Trixie,

Welcome to the boards and yes everyone here is wonderful and very helpful. I think I may have started this post way back and requip I know all about the good and the bad.

I have had back surgery and together with that and the rls I was on neurontin and then when requip 1st came out the neuro dr I went to see who was the expert on rls put me on the requip.

I am trying to remember when but I believe it was the fall of 03 or 04. He started me on the starter pack and all was well with the world and later he upper it to maybe 2mg's a day.

But my pain dr knows nothing about rls and he got me up to 6mg's a day, WAY TOO MUCH. It worked for awhile and I forgot I had rls but then the augmentation started and I had rls 24/7.

This was over a period of 3 yrs and 2 more back surgeries. Now I am going through a big change in my meds and a new pain dr.

So, I would say if it's working at what you are taking now and then you find you need more don't do it. Keep in touch with your dr about this and don't let it get to the point that you keep needing more. That was my mistake and a dr that didn't know about rls. Also, my fault that I didn't go back to the neuro dr.

Like we say, what works for some doesn't work for others. It worked for me and then it back fired and now I am trying to get off of the requip and I am down to 2mg's a day. My pain dr wants me off of the requip but right now I can't do that.

So Trixie, take what he says to take and if you have any problems let him know. There are many other rls meds to take and a good site to check out is www.rlshelp.org. and that is what Charlene also posted.

Good luck and keep coming back, we are like a family here, Jeannie

[trixie]

My dr didn't start me on a starter pack of requip,he gave me a 0.25 mg to take 1 at bedtime,I have epilepsy and am already on 1mg a day of Klonopin and that still didn't help my feet and legs,does anyone else have severe burning in their feet at night that only walking end sometimes nothing else helps?? I'm now to the point where my back is starting to hurt contantly and I don't think my Dr even want to go to pain meds
what should I really do??

[becat]

Fight for your right to have a good Quality of Life.
You have to let the doctor know that you expect a partnership with them. See some still think we are the kind that follow....we're not.
You sign the front of the check Right? So you hired that doc and now he needs to understand that an RLSer is likely smarter than he or she might be about the subject.
Of course that means you have to educate yourself, but no problem your here......and we have the best education going right here on this board.
We have to say a step ahead of the docs, we know our bodies, whats working and not........and we will fight for the right stuff.
If something is working for you, then you stay right there. If something is not, you have 2 choices.
1. Make sure you have given the new med time enough to work into your system and be of use to you. Always ask, how long before I should see a difference?
2. If the med your on is not working, try breaking your symptoms down to things that can be managed. i.e. sleep, pain, or whatever your symptoms are.

You have to be prepared to trial and error some meds before you find what is your ideal med or combination. Yes, it sux, but it's the way this goes.
My genetics call for burning feet too. As long as you know that this is not part of a larger problem, like nerve damage or your not diabetic, then try magnesium for you feet.
I take about 500 or sometimes 1000 mgs a night. Helps with GI issues as well. You can try magnesium and see if it helps.
Sorry you had to find us, but welcome and glad your here.
Lynne