Gabapentine vs Clonazpem

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namolinari
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:22 am

Gabapentine vs Clonazpem

Post by namolinari »

Hello, I researched your board, but am not getting a clear answer on my question. My Neurologist prescribed Clonzapem .5MG when my RLS begins, usually around 6:00 pm. My Pulimory doctor prescribed Gabapentin/Horizant for the same reason, after observing me in a sleep study. I am not sure which doctor has prescribed me the correct medication for RLS. I also have PLMD, but I live alone, so I'm not as concerned because there is no one I sleep with, although it does wake me when my arms start, without any control, going straight up in the air. Should I be taking both? I provide all of my doctors with all of the medications I am on.

I have RLS several times a week, but when it comes on, I know I need to take a medication because the uncomfortable aggravation lasts for about 2 to 3 hours. However, 6:00 is within a few hours of when I take my other medications - Quentiapine Fermarate (Suroquel) for sleeping and I am worried that either the Clonzapem or Gabapentin (whichever one I find works better for me, will interact with each other and may bring on other effects.

Can you please give me some feedback from the RLS foundation on what you thoughts or opinions are on this issue? I would truly appreciate your expertise on this.

Thank you,

Nancy Molinari

stjohnh
Posts: 1284
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 3:13 pm
Location: Palo Alto, California

Re: Gabapentine vs Clonazpem

Post by stjohnh »

Call either doctor and ask that doc to phone the other and discuss which med is best for you. I'm a retired doc and this is done frequently. There are lots of knowledgeable people on this board that can give you general pros and cons of each med, but can't help much in this situation.
Blessings,
Holland

namolinari
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:22 am

Re: Gabapentine vs Clonazpem

Post by namolinari »

Thank you for your reply. One other question - which specialist would be more qualified on RLS, my Neurologist or my Pulmonary doctor?

Nancy

ViewsAskew
Moderator
Posts: 16571
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: Gabapentine vs Clonazpem

Post by ViewsAskew »

Nancy - tough question as to who is better. Either could be and there is no way to know. Personally, I've had better luck with my pulmonologist than the many neurologists I have tried. But, I think that is simply luck.

The book I use most often for my own edification regarding pharmocological therapies was written by Lee, Buchfurer, Allen and Hening. In it, they say that more people respond to gabapentin than to clonazepam for RLS. But, clonazepam may be particularly good for PLMS, because it keeps you knocked out and so you do not awaken from the movements. Not sure if they have any research on how/if gabapentin helps PLMS.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

Rustsmith
Moderator
Posts: 6476
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: Gabapentine vs Clonazpem

Post by Rustsmith »

Nancy, I agree with Holland that you should contact one of the doctors (probably should go with the one you think would be more proactive) and ask him/her to contact the other. The gabapentin and clonazepam work differently to help you sleep, so there should not be a conflict there and your doctors might decide to have you try them individually or possibly even together. I know that my doctor will be considering combining the two of them for my very challenging sleep issues when I see her in 2 weeks.

The larger issue could be the relationship between one or both of these meds and your Suroquel. If I were in you shoes and all else equal, I might choose the doctor who prescribed the Suroquel as the one to start the conversation with the other.
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

Stainless
Posts: 274
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:30 pm

Re: Gabapentine vs Clonazpem

Post by Stainless »

My doctor put me on gabapentin to help my restless legs while I got off 20 years of clonazepam. I chose to quit because a large Canadian study associated it with an increased chance of Alzheimer's. The clonazepam was very, very, very difficult to get off of and had to be done by tapering very, very slowly. Through this my legs were as good as they had ever been after a lifetime of this disease. But as soon as I was off clonazepam the restless legs came on almost 24/7. I tried the others and used ropinirole for eight months, quickly increasing dose and then extended release but added insomnia to restless legs almost 24/7. I transitioned back to clonazepam in just a few days and found it much easier to transition off ropinirole than I expected, maybe because of the clonazepam. I would and am only using clonazepam as a last resort even though I do not have any bad side effects day to day. My doctor is skeptical of studies, thinks health and mental state are more important and a recent Washington State study found no correlation. Hopefully this is true but I would still avoid clonazepam if you can.

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