Anyone else tried vicodin?

[Chipmunk]

Be very careful with the opiates if you have a heart problem. They can cause central sleep apnea, which can tax your heart (starts beating faster to compensate for the decreasing oxygen levels). I think the effects can be mitigated by a CPAP machine (although I think the one for central sleep apnea is called something else) but it's just something to keep in mind.

[bryher]

I have used Vicodin for 15 to 20 years with no side effects and a sustained symptom relief. It was originally prescribed by Dr. Earley, a researcher and sleep therapist at Johns Hopkins. I take three (3) 5 x 500 hydrocodone daily and it has worked consistently for as long as I have had the problem. I too was concerned by the acetominophen but my pharmacist said that I was well under the daily limit of 3000 mg. As I said....NO side effects. For occasional bachache I take Tylenol....go figure!

Lately, however, my symptoms have become severe and the Vicodin is only marginally effective. (I have been up since 4AM.) Dr. Earley does not return calls and I am very upset. I am looking for another doctor within 100 miles of my area...Lancaster, PA.

In reading another post, I did remember that a current Doctor stopped my Klonapin a few months ago. Yes I took that also and wondered why I did so. Now I realize that it may have been important. I will request a renewal prescription. But, I am actively seeking another physician in the Baltimore / Philadelphia area. If anybody has a recommendation, please respond.

HI Stu, I just found a really good doctor who seems to know a bit about RLS/WED. He's a sleep specialist in Paoli PA, definitely within 100 miles of Lancaster. Dr Elliot Freidman. Have only been seeing him for 2 months or so but best doc I've found so far.

[SleepyCharlie]

I have been medicated for RLS/WED for the past 20 years. Sinemet worked for ten, then Mirapex worked for 10, the past two years I have been taking .25 mg Mirapex plus 10 mg Vicodin at 8 PM to control symptoms. It works very well. I am not crazy about taking an opiate on a regular basis, but do not have trouble with addiction. I would love to get off the Mirapex entirely, as I had a bad reaction the other night when I got up quickly in the night and had a sudden drop in blood pressure. Has anyone been successful on only Vicodin (Hydrocodone) to control RLS? Symptoms are creeping in earlier in the day now. (I am turning 65 this January and the RLS started when I was in my early 50s.) mysleepycharlie

[ViewsAskew]

Sure, it has been using successfully, SleepyCharlie. The main concern with it is the acetaminophen. It's better to avoid taking that daily if you can.

I don't think I've met any of us that WANT to be taking opioids! Some of us are in your shoes - we tried everything else and there just isn't anything else.

Since your symptoms are happening earlier, I'd wonder about augmentation - when the drug itself causes the symptoms to occur more frequently or with greater fury. Most people augment within a couple years of starting a dopamine agonist like Mirapex, but some people do not. You also could try taking an opioid for a month or so, then starting Mirapex again. That could 'reset' the receptors and allow the Mirapex to work again and have the symptoms be reduced.

[badnights]

The medication that's helping is hydrocodone, which is the opioid component of Vicodon. Your doctor should prescribe the opioid by itself instead of adding all that unnecessary acetaminophen to your poor liver.

But in answer to your question, as Views said, lots of us. I am taking hydromorphone to control it.

To read more on augmentation see http://www.rls.org/Document.Doc?&id=2112