What kind of doctor for RLS?

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barbeegee
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:29 am

What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by barbeegee »

What kind of doctor should I go to? I need help with RLS. Neurologist? Sleep Study Doc? Just spent another restless night and it's morning and I still have RLS. :( :( :( :( :( :(

Rustsmith
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Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by Rustsmith »

barbeegee, unfortunately it is not as simple as telling you to go to a neurologist, sleep doctor or even a PCP. You need to find someone who is knowledgeable about RLS. This is often a neurologist or sleep doctor, but not all of them know enough about RLS. My suggestion is that if you are trying to stay local, then make a list of your candidates from those those two specialties. Then call the office of each candidate and ask to speak with a nurse. Ask the nurse if the doctor sees many RLS patients, if the doctor is familiar with treating augmentation and if the doctor is willing to prescribe opioids for chronic conditions. The answer to the first question is often yes, but the answer to the second two should be more telling about the doctor's experience with RLS. Another option for screening doctors is to look for their webpage. Often a doctor will list conditions that he/she treats. The presence or absence of RLS can be a clue, but also look for other movement disorders if RLS isn't on the list.

Of course, if you are willing to travel, you will get the best of care if you can reasonably get to one of the Foundation's Quality Care Clinics. The doctors at these clinics are some of the best in the country. The downside of the clinics is that because they are so limited in number, demand to see a doctor can be very high so it can take some time to get a new patient appointment.
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.

barbeegee
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:29 am

Re: What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by barbeegee »

Thank you, but I don't want to take opioids-- I just had spinal surgery and have a whole medicine chest full of Oxycodone... that's all I need is to get addicted. I'll try checking docs in the area. Thanks for the help.

barbeegee
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:29 am

Re: What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by barbeegee »

I checked and there are several neuralogists who treat RLS in my area BUT they also treat epilepsy and parkinson's which makes me fear all they'll do is prescribe more of the drugs I've already tried. They make me nauseus. What other treatments are there? Dying here as we speak...3:30 pm and I got restless legs. Ugh. I'm ready to scream.

Polar Bear
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Location: United Kingdom

Re: What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by Polar Bear »

What have you to lose by going to see a local neurologist who treats RLS. You fear that because they also treat epilepsy and parkinson's this will affect how they treat RLS. Going to an appointment and discussing your situation may lead to something positive, and you don't have to agree to take a medication that you don't want to have.

I see that you don't want to take opioids. From my own perspective.... I take Cocodamol daily supplementing my other RLS Medications and it makes all the difference. I don't consider that I am addicted - it may be that I am dependant which I believe to be different. Just as someone with diabetes is dependant on insulin, and is not addicted.

Just out of interest, have you tried taking the oxycodone for one day. Just to see if it does or does not help with your RLS.

I do relate that you are ready to scream.
Betty
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

barbeegee
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:29 am

Re: What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by barbeegee »

I only got 4 hrs of sleep again last night. Because I'm recuperating from spinal surgery I'm not real active and inactivity really spurs the RLS to it's highest degree of annoyance. I'm getting desperate.

As for the oxycodone... I took it in the hospital and I didn't have RLS. I didn't have it the whole few weeks after either. Now it's making up for it. I'm just so afraid I'll like it and then no doctor will prescribe it. I was on Xanax 17 yrs and after my doctor retired, I found a new doc and she refuses to prescribe it for me. It really helped.

Polar Bear
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Location: United Kingdom

Re: What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by Polar Bear »

barbeegee = I would never want to encourage a sufferer to take a medication that they did not want to take.
And I do understand that some people don't want to take opioids for their own various reasons.

If I understand it properly your feelings about opioids are:
You have taken oxycodone while in hospital and found that it did help your rls symptoms.
You are afraid to take it now in case it helps and that you will like it - but fear that sometime in the future it may be unavailable.
The result being that you are suffering now, in the present --- in case a particular medication is not available in the future.

I can only speak for myself, my symptoms are 24/7. I take medication around the clock. If a medication will give me some relief in the present I will take it without hesitation because without the relief of medication I hate to think what my lifestyle would be, how my emotional wellbeing would be.

I hope you are not offended at what I say, your feelings regarding opioids are understood.

Please note that I am speaking here just as a sufferer of RLS and not as a Moderator.
Betty
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

barbeegee
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:29 am

Re: What kind of doctor for RLS?

Post by barbeegee »

Thanks, Betty.

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