Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

I have been through the wringer with RLS/WED. I am so grateful to my new docs who got me off Requip (what a nightmare). After trying most of the other meds, I am currently on 10mg of Percocet per day, which gives me 4 or 5 decent nights of sleep per week. I have discovered the hard way that I cannot tolerate ANY antihistamines (including the non-sedating ones). Now I am wondering if it is time to get off Lexapro. Has anyone else found that to worsen WED? Looking back, I see that WED began in earnest about a year after I began taking Lexapro. At this point, I believe sleep will be more helpful to my mood than anti-depressants!!

Thanks so much to all of you for sharing your experiences. It is so refreshing to be understood! I am blessed to have a most supportive husband who encourages me through clinical trials, iron infusions, and my revolving trips between bed and the sofa, but it is also wonderful to know that I am not alone!!

Yes, every AD can worsen RLS/WED, including Lexapro. They don't always do it - the risk is about 10% chance that any AD will cause problems for any given person. And, there's no way of knowing which ones may cause problems and which won't.

If you can manage without Lexapro, definitely talk to your doctor about stopping it.

Yes, it can definitely worsen the WED in some people. Perhaps start by cutting the dose down instead of stopping altogether?

My neuro wants me to start taking Lexapro. Even though I told her it made my symptoms worse she said to give it 2 weeks to get in my system. Is it possible to notice a worsening of symptoms after taking a drug 2 days? I tried to tell her anti depressants made my symptoms worse (once tried Prozac for impulse control but RLS didn't let me take it long.)

I don't want to give it 2 weeks if my problems will only intensify. Will time with this drug lessen the symptoms?

Any personal experiences and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I hate to say this, but no one else's experience will match yours. The ADs do cause trouble for some, but it's not consistent about which causes trouble for whom - it's highly individualized.

I do think that trouble with them, though, can show up quickly. Just because it's not at a level to make the AD effects consistent, doesn't mean that it's not affecting your WED.

That said, you're in a tough spot to be sure it's the AD. You honestly aren't sure what your symptoms are like because of the potential augmentation. Until you that settles down, your can't really know what is the augmentation and what is the drug. Just my opinion - as someone who augmented and went through h-e-doublehockey sticks, I strongly believe that the best solution is always to stop ALL dopamine agonists and wait to find out what your baseline symptoms are. Then you can figure out how to treat it. Until the augmentation has stopped, you may be throwing all kinds of things at it that aren't necessary in the long run. And as long as you are taking a DA, even the patch, you can't be sure that the DA isn't part of the problem. It can take up to a month for the symptoms to revert to baseline.

Why does the neuro want you to use an AD? Is it for the WED? There is no research to my knowledge that shows any of the newer ADs help WED and a bit of research to show that they cause problems up to 10% of the time. The only exception is Wellbutrin - that actually can help WED in some people and very rarely worsens it (but does a very small percentage of the time).

People who need an AD for depression or other issues and who have WED often have to do a trial and error with them. Try one, see what happens. Many people get lucky right away. If one that helps the depression (or other issue) worsens WED, some doctors up the WED drugs to cover. Some people opt to try a different AD to find one that doesn't worsen WED. If you find that the one that works best for other issues also worsens WED, you pretty much have to use more WED drugs if you really need that other issue resolved.

I take 2 different ADs. I take amitryptiline for fibromyalgia... a small dose of 20mg, not sufficient for actual AD properties. I also take Citalopram - an AD. I argued with my GP over both of these drugs and did not want to take them. Doc believed they would really help my fibro and my lowish mood and he promised that if I had any diffs with regard to increased WED symptoms that he would do all in his power to help me deal with it.

I don't believe I had any ill effects from either the amitryptiline or the Citalopram. And I feel so much better emotionally and can once again see the sparkle in the sunshine.

I am truly blessed that I've been able to take these 2 drugs (so far) and that Doc encouraged me to give them a go. It was only his promise of help should anything go wrong that allowed me to try them. I almost had him write his promise in blood .

This just goes to show how different we are in our reactions to medications and what helps and what does not.
And how different it is to relate to another's experience of treatment. It's all trial and error.

ViewsAskew,
Yes, my neuro believes that the patch in conjunction with Lexapro will help. I am looking for a GP. I think I really need someone to take a look at my meds. I have been having trouble with pain in my right arm, so I am taking an anti inflammatory that blocks the absorption of some of my heart meds. The dose of the Neupro patch that relieves my legs makes my heart race. I am still in disbelief that she told me to keep taking the patch despite its affect on my heart rate and call her in 2 weeks to let her know what dose I need her to write the script for. It is a $500/month medication that I do not want. She is basically telling me that is all I get. I take 9 pills per day due to WED. There has got to be a better way.

I don't know of any WED specialist that would prescribe Lexapro for WED/RLS. For fibro? Sure. For depression? Sure. But, not WED. It's an SSRI, which is great if serotonin is the issue. It's not for those with WED - dopamine is. It's thought that the excess serotonin may actually inhibit the dopamine, making it worse.

I had some blood work done on the 6th. The doctor hasn't called me with any results so I requested a copy be mailed to me. I am interrested to know whether she checked my iron and if so, what it was. I am prone to low numbers, which it why 9 times out of 10, I don't qualify to donate blood.

The reason she gave me Lexapro is because I told her I had itching all over, which is anxiety. Ativan would have been a better choice, but at the time, I didn't know Lexapro was an AD.

Itching can be a side affect of opiods, maybe some other drugs too. You'd have to look your drugs up.

FYI: it might help to know that when you want to try an AD research has shown that you know within 5 days max if it is going to make your RLS worse or not.

Corie

Lexapro made my symptoms worse the 2 days I took it. Since I am not hurting now, and I don't take as much Mirapex, I will try it today to see if it causes problems.

Lexapro made my symptoms worse the 2 days I took it. Since I am not hurting now, and I don't take as much Mirapex, I will try it today and tomorrow to see if it causes problems.

I believe it was polarbear who made the observation, but I am likely augmenting on DA's and until I can find someone to help me get off them, I can't really tell what is causing me to hurt. All I know is my symptoms start around 10am and if I don't handle them when they first start, I sit in my chair at work and shake my legs so hard, ppl across the room feel it. Trying to type at that point is practically impossible. If I didn't have understanding coworkers who finish my thoughts when my memory fails me, or will repeat directions 3 words at a time so i can write them down, I wouldn't have a job.

I can vouch for the worth of good co-workers. Many would have thought me a nut case !! with all the jiggling and walking I did.

jakesmom wrote:The reason she gave me Lexapro is because I told her I had itching all over, which is anxiety. Ativan would have been a better choice, but at the time, I didn't know Lexapro was an AD.

Do you have generalized anxiety, or is the itching your only symptom? You might find the Calm Clinic website helpful. They talk about itching due to anxiety and how to deal with it.

If it's your only symptom, it may be an extension of the WED symptoms. WED can manifest in many different ways: pins and needles, static electricity, restlessness, itching, pain, etc.

FWIW, any anti-depressant will make my WED worse (including Wellbutrin). Right now I'm on a very low dose of Celexa (citalopram) just because I can't be off of it. I would like to up the dose but can't without my legs going insane.