Working treatment for the most part...

[bettro57]

Hello. I have suffered with RLS for about 40 years only diagnosed in the past 5-6 years. I have finally found a combination that seems to work for me in the past year. I used to suffer nightly, up and down , pacing in the house and walking the driveway all hours of the night. Many nights of no sleep at all! I finally found a combination that works for me of Ropinirole 2mg, Buspirone 5mg, both taken between 5-6pm. Also, Gabapentin 300mg taken 3x daily and Magnesium Citrate 250mg twice daily, and oh WATER is a must! I came upon this combination in doing research of the meds , talking with all natural nutritionist and my Primary care Dr.. Mind you, this doesn't work all the time. I can go sometimes 4-6 weeks without an episode and then bang! I have issues for 2-4 days. I haven't pinned this down yet, but pizza and spaghetti sauce seems to trigger an episode. I'm trying to keep better track of this. Also, hot days on the beach which I am assuming the hot sand is aggravating the nerves in my feet. A foot bath with cool/cold water helps sometimes.

So, it took a long time to get some relief. I do get some sleep now. Like I said, it doesn't work 100% of the time but better than what I had...
Joe

[Rustsmith]

Congratulations and I hope that this combination works for you for a long time.

Please understand that the concept that most of us work under is that you should shoot for about 95% control, which is what it sounds like that you are doing right now. Trying to get to 100% just means that you take more than really necessary and this both introducing the potential of bad side effects and also shortens the time until you ultimately have to find a different treatment.

[ViewsAskew]

Hello. I have suffered with RLS for about 40 years only diagnosed in the past 5-6 years. I have finally found a combination that seems to work for me in the past year. I used to suffer nightly, up and down , pacing in the house and walking the driveway all hours of the night. Many nights of no sleep at all! I finally found a combination that works for me of Ropinirole 2mg, Buspirone 5mg, both taken between 5-6pm. Also, Gabapentin 300mg taken 3x daily and Magnesium Citrate 250mg twice daily, and oh WATER is a must! I came upon this combination in doing research of the meds , talking with all natural nutritionist and my Primary care Dr.. Mind you, this doesn't work all the time. I can go sometimes 4-6 weeks without an episode and then bang! I have issues for 2-4 days. I haven't pinned this down yet, but pizza and spaghetti sauce seems to trigger an episode. I'm trying to keep better track of this. Also, hot days on the beach which I am assuming the hot sand is aggravating the nerves in my feet. A foot bath with cool/cold water helps sometimes.

So, it took a long time to get some relief. I do get some sleep now. Like I said, it doesn't work 100% of the time but better than what I had...
Joe

While I am so happy for you at the moment, I wonder how long it will last for you. How long have you been on Ropinerole, Joe? Are you familiar with augmentation (any of the Parkinson's drugs, called dopamine agonists, can cause eventual problems for us) where the medication makes the symptoms worse over time? There are many posts about that here on the site and many of us have had to stop taking Ropinerole, Pramipexole and other similar prescriptions.

[badnights]

Hello. I have suffered with RLS for about 40 years only diagnosed in the past 5-6 years. I have finally found a combination that seems to work for me in the past year. I used to suffer nightly, up and down , pacing in the house and walking the driveway all hours of the night. Many nights of no sleep at all! I finally found a combination that works for me of Ropinirole 2mg, Buspirone 5mg, both taken between 5-6pm. Also, Gabapentin 300mg taken 3x daily and Magnesium Citrate 250mg twice daily, and oh WATER is a must! I came upon this combination in doing research of the meds , talking with all natural nutritionist and my Primary care Dr.. Mind you, this doesn't work all the time. I can go sometimes 4-6 weeks without an episode and then bang! I have issues for 2-4 days. I haven't pinned this down yet, but pizza and spaghetti sauce seems to trigger an episode. I'm trying to keep better track of this. Also, hot days on the beach which I am assuming the hot sand is aggravating the nerves in my feet. A foot bath with cool/cold water helps sometimes.

So, it took a long time to get some relief. I do get some sleep now. Like I said, it doesn't work 100% of the time but better than what I had...
Joe

I've also noticed that being dehydrated can trigger symptoms. I haven't had a chance to test the hot-sand effect, but when I've worked hard on my feet all day, especially if my feet are aching, then the WED/RLS is bad that night.

I was also going to caution you about the ropinirole, as Ann did. Most doctors don't realize that the very latest recommendations (by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, published last January) say Do Not use ropinirole (or other dopamine agonists). They say to use iron first and foremost, and gabapentinoids second. You might want to consult your doctor about this, since the longer you're on ropinirole, the more likely your WED/RLS will become "augmented" (made worse). My signature has a link to a post with the latest medical papers on WED/RLS.

But isn't it great to have some relief? It was a long time coming.

[bettro57]

Yes, I am familiar with augmentation with Ropinirole. I have been on it on/off now for about 2 years. Hoping some new treatments come out soon!
Thanks for all your replies and suggestions!