Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Has anyone tried this medication and how is it any different from taking Gabapentin???

Horizant is Gabapentin, its just extended release. So would imagine no different!

Horizant is an extended release medication but I understand that it is not quite the same as 'ordinary' gabapentin. The difference I think, is the way it is absorbed.
Perhaps someone else will be able to more fully explain what the difference is between the two drugs.

It's not only extended release, it's a gabapentin prodrug. That means it's not gabapentin until your body absorbs it and some sort of conversion takes place. The form that it's in is absorbed less erratically than gabapentin.

So, my guess is that even if a person had tried gabapentin and it didn't work that it would be worth trying this?????

yes, that's the impression I get too. There are a few people talking about it on facebook and isn't rubyslippers taking it now too? but I don't know of anyone who has tried both.

Gabapentin enacarbil for the treatment of restless legs syndrome (RLS).
Burke RA, Faulkner MA.
Source
Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. rachelburke@creighton.edu
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Gabapentin enacarbil is a new treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS). It is a prodrug of the anticonvulsant gabapentin. However, unlike gabapentin, gabapentin enacarbil does not demonstrate saturable absorption. This allows for once-daily dosing and less variability in serum levels. AREAS COVERED: This review focuses on therapies used to treat RLS, both historical and recent. Data from available trials are summarized, with a particular focus on the efficacy and safety of gabapentin enacarbil. Potential advantages and disadvantages of this therapy in comparison with other RLS treatment modalities are discussed. EXPERT OPINION: Placebo-controlled trials of gabapentin enacarbil demonstrate considerable efficacy in the treatment of RLS. However, head-to-head trials comparing gabapentin enacarbil with other medications used in the treatment of RLS, including gabapentin, are lacking. Potential advantages with gabapentin enacarbil related to its pharmacokinetic profile are thus difficult to ascertain. Efficacy of gabapentin enacarbil appears comparable with that of the dopamine agonists, long considered the therapy of choice in patients with RLS. Given the lack of direct-comparison trials, and the significant cost differential of gabapentin enacarbil versus established therapies, the drug is likely to be used for patients who have failed other medication trials, or those who experience prolonged symptoms and prefer once-daily dosing.

cornelia wrote:Gabapentin enacarbil for the treatment of restless legs syndrome (RLS).
Burke RA, Faulkner MA.
Source
Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. rachelburke@creighton.edu
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Gabapentin enacarbil is a new treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS). It is a prodrug of the anticonvulsant gabapentin. However, unlike gabapentin, gabapentin enacarbil does not demonstrate saturable absorption. This allows for once-daily dosing and less variability in serum levels. AREAS COVERED: This review focuses on therapies used to treat RLS, both historical and recent. Data from available trials are summarized, with a particular focus on the efficacy and safety of gabapentin enacarbil. Potential advantages and disadvantages of this therapy in comparison with other RLS treatment modalities are discussed. EXPERT OPINION: Placebo-controlled trials of gabapentin enacarbil demonstrate considerable efficacy in the treatment of RLS. However, head-to-head trials comparing gabapentin enacarbil with other medications used in the treatment of RLS, including gabapentin, are lacking. Potential advantages with gabapentin enacarbil related to its pharmacokinetic profile are thus difficult to ascertain. Efficacy of gabapentin enacarbil appears comparable with that of the dopamine agonists, long considered the therapy of choice in patients with RLS. Given the lack of direct-comparison trials, and the significant cost differential of gabapentin enacarbil versus established therapies, the drug is likely to be used for patients who have failed other medication trials, or those who experience prolonged symptoms and prefer once-daily dosing.

So what does all this meen Cornelia...I have already read this and does this mean that there is a potenial for this working on me even though I have already tried Gabapentin and it didn't work??? Thats my question...how is it different than that of regular Gabapentin in someone that has RLS??? And is there that possibility that it has a better potential to work with us??? The study is foreign to most of us

It's possible it might help even though gabapentin didn't, but I would suspect that if gabapentin had no effect on your RLS symptoms, then this drug is not likely to help. On the other hand, if gabapentin was no good because of its side effects, or because it helped a bit but not enough, then Horizant might be worth a try. That said, if what you are on now is working, there's no reason to change.

badnights wrote: That said, if what you are on now is working, there's no reason to change.

I am not on anything....all the meds i did try either didn't work or worked for a little bit but not enough for me to get good sleep so I am so I am drawing at strings to find something

It sounds like the improvement over original gabapentin is that it lasts longer and blood levels are more stable, rather than a spike and taper off like usual.

Worth a try, Jan. Sleep is wonderful.....

Ok you all...there is a drug study going on here in Michigan...I have decided to join the study....something has got to work to give me some relief from this crap....I so hate my jerking and the pain now I can hardly stand it...so wish me luck i am a bit nervous yet excited at the same time that I get relieve from this

Good luck...and thanks for doing it. It helps all of us in the long run. I hope you get the meds and that they work.

We'll be thinking about you. When do you do it? How long is it?