Take control of your health and quality of life...

[Guest]

I am 31yo. I have been diagnosed with RLS 1 year and 4 months ago. I have had it since childhood not knowing anything was ever wrong with me or that what I was feeling was just normal. Anyways, mu Neuro doc put me on Requip and I tapered up to where I was on 1mg at dinner and 1mg at bedtime. The Requip was better than taking nothing but there were still nights when (2-3 dAys/wk) the Requip was not working and I wasleft in agony with pain in my legs and being unable to sleep which needless to say had been negatively impacting my quality of life. I have asked him on different appointments to give me something quick acting (like a low potency opioid) for when I have an acute exacerbation or when the Requip is just not doing the job. He always refuses to do so, tells me to take more of the Requip and that I am too young. I went in twice in one week to my regular physician after tapering off of the Requip and the most they would give me is ,5-1mg clonazepam daily as needed. I was waking in the middle of the night in pain and she too would not prescribe an opiate for me even though I have never taken these meds, and I do not use other drugs and have a mak of 3-4 alcoholic drinks per month. They are so worried about addiction potential but as long as these meds are being used appropriately to manage symptoms it is not an addiction, like the diabetic is addicted to insulin type rationale. Anyways, I never realized how crappy the Requip was making me feel until being off of it for q week and a half. It was causing symptoms during the day and earlier in the evening on top of the nausea and lethargy with sudden sleep onset zombie type syndrome. I know there is Mirapex and Neurontin but I take control of my health and I do not care to take these drugs for symptoms that are not uncontrollable on a daily basis, just need help on certain days. So what I did was use an online doctor whom you fax records to documenting your present condition. They also require that you have had a physical within a year. Then they reveiw your records and a doctor call you to discuss your present condition. These docs are very sympathetic to pain and I had no problem getting (60) 10/325 Norco (hydrocodone/APAP) and (30) 2mg clonazepam to use at bedtime as needed. This is all completly legal as it is a US doc and they write a prescription for you and they have a pharmacy fill the prescription and fedex the meds to your door. What I am saying here is that none of us should have to live in pain and don't let docs keep experimenting with different meds when there is research that clonazepan with an opiate are very effective in the management of RLS symptoms. They are however no substitute for regular exercise, supplementation, and the like. With that said I have had 100% success managing my symptoms with the before mentioned regimin and I get adequate rest and releif to live a healthy, happy, and productive life. I am willing to point people in the right direction if needed. Best of luck to all.

[sheila m]

Hi guest

I am a diabetic only on pills though and with other health problems, I live in pain 24/7 I use the mirapex cause I don't get any sleep I also work the only thing that controls my pain and works well is a pain patch I was on perks but they only way to help the pain I had to take them more then they were perscribed I was just diagnosed with the restless leg but have been in all this pain for about 2 yrs. now besides the mirapex I take amitriptyline for nerve pain which doesn't always help but I get through it I do walk when I am not working because I have to watch my weight because of the sugar but I am glad what you are doing works for you but believe me it would not work for me ..................


sheila

[Ridgerunner]

That was me above as the quest, these docs will also help you manage your condidtion as you wish it to be. They will also prescribe up to 120 tablets of oxycodone, hydrocodone, etc. per month with 2-3 refills between consultations. They really feel that noone should have to live in pain but everyone needs to be careful and manage things appropriately so that you are not chewing on 30 tabs per day. Check out youronlinedoctor.com or ermeds.com. Let me know what you think.

[sheila m]

I know what you mean but see I took them pills and they would have to have given me a higher dose so we went to the pain patch and it works but they switched me to the generic and I had a side effect that made me sick and started throwing up so I have to wait till my insurence company ok the name brand again. How can an insurence company pay for name brand then all of a sudden decide that they aren't going to pay for it and switch you to a generic , it was like I was overdoseing my self, now I have to wait till monday to see what happens if they won't pay for the name brand then I guess I am back on pills which sucks because the patch works and I wasn't in pain and I only had to change it every three days and to even think of haveing someone touch me to give me a massage just puts me in pain I can't even take someone poking me or grabbing my arm even at the doctors whe I see my neuro when I leave him and all the poking and pushing he does I am in pain for at least two days ...............

sheila

[becat]

Ridgerunner,
It is so good to see your name. It's been a while, How are you doing?
Hi to Sheila as well, How are you?
You know Ridge, I thought about this very thing several years ago. I even registared for a site, but could never get myself to order anything.
FOR ME, the idea of getting online meds was too scary.
1. What if their medications weren't up to pharmceutical standards? It's happened before that what you order is not what you get. I just didn't trust that part of it. Ex: if you order meds from Canada, understand that they have regulations about medications.....But not the ones that are shipped out of country. So if you live there they are what they say they are. If you have them shipped to you in the states, the Canadian government takes no responsibilty about their content. That is not to say that any of them are bad meds., just that there is no guarantee.
2. I wondered if I ever did that and then sought medical advice from a regular local doctor how they would view that? Was the self medicating and indication of addiction or what?
This is alot like going on vacation to Mexico and refilling my meds.. More exspensive but everything seems to OTC there. I did that twice years before I found out what RLS even was. Again, never really felt comfortable to take them though.
I'm not passing judgement, I do hope you know that........we're all different in our approach to a solution. I just was far to wussy to go through with an order.
It is good to see you around. Hope all is going well for you these days.

[Tom]

Canadian drug standards are far higher than that of the United States. They have stricter regulations and much more testing.

[becat]

Hi Tom,
I wasn't slamming the Canadians or their drug standards. In fact, it's just the drugs that they allowed to be shipped out of country that they do not monitor. If they are made there that is a plus, I would agree. But they do not make all the medications they sell.
Not so long ago many in the USA were trying to find cheaper outlets to buy the pharmiceuticals, both private and companies. During this debate, one of the problems that came to light was about standards and content. Not every country has the same standards and content, that Canada, the USA, etc, use when allowing a drug to be made. I was speaking about the laws in Canada that governs such things, Canadian government does not hold the same laws for medications being used in Canada. So if a someone were to open an online pharmcy and order the medications from temBuck2 it's allowed. The Canadian government does not regulate those medications like they would if they were being used in the Canadian Healthcare system.
At the first of this year, here in the states, the DEA siezed a huge load of counterfit medications that was either being sold on the black market or in a few real pharmacies. They were name brand medications.
Again Tom, no offense was meant, I'm sorry if I did. My point was, that I am a wuss about the issue and I'm not always trusting of things that so easily gotten online.
Please forgive my inablity to explain myself clearly.

[Ridgerunner]

Well I used ermeds.com They were very professional. $120 for the consultation which I scheduled on a Wednesday. Faxed my records to them on the same day documenting my year and 4 months of visits to my neuro. They had a doc call my house on Thursday and I got the meds I needed on Friday. All hassle free, all legit, all legal. The doc is in the US as is the pharmacy. You can request name brand or generic and I just went with the generic and trust me they work. I got norco hydrocodone 10/325 that I take as needed if I wake in the middle of the night and take a hot half hour shower and believe me the pain is gone by then. Also, a small glass of wine in the shower helps things along as well. I also take Klonipin an hour before bed and a shower every evening and things have been great.

The cost for the meds was $112 I think for 60 hydrocodone and 30 2mg klonipin, don't expect insurance to help but you just can't put a price on relief.
I plan to cancel my neuro appointments and just get my yearly physicals and educate myself into new treatments. I will just tell my doc what I am taking because it is legal. Plus, they were not willing to manage it the way I wanted so F them. I will offer them the chance again but I know I can get relief if they will not help. I advise anyone suffering to do as I have but it means you have to basically self-manage your care which after time we all get good at. Also, don't start chewing on hydrocodone through the day unless you are going on a plane or to the movies or a long car ride. Only use them for the evening as you need them because I would hate to see someone get addicted to these meds. That said they have been a blessing, godsend, whatever. My e-mail is scannie92@hotmail.com if anyone has further questions or needs help with these sites. Thanks.

[Ridgerunner]

Also, they give you 2 or 3 refills on top of the original fill and then you presumably need to set up another consultation and I am not sure if it is as costly as the first but like I said how can you put a price on relief.

[tashton]

You can't put a price on relief but you may be able to get the relief you need and have your insurance pay for it by finding a doctor sympathetic to your needs. My primary physician referred me to a neurologist and after the first visit I knew this doctor wasn't for me. So I found a doctor on this website that I have been seeing and who I feel I can work with. I think most doctors are hesitant to prescribe the opioids and make you try most other medications first. It is too bad that abuse of medications by some make it difficult for those who could benefit from them to obtain pain relievers. It forces you to pay a higher price for relief.