Went to my doctor last Friday and told him that Mirapex was okay, but had some unpleasant side effects. I was getting some relief at night taking .375 mg of Mirapex, but would start to have RLS symptoms during the day while I was at work and early in the evening. Perhaps this was augmentation? I really didn't want to take Mirapex several times per day, especially since this drug sometimes tends to act as a sedative in my system. I really wasn't happy with the $40+ copay that my insurance required for Mirapex either, which is not a generic drug.
Long story short, I asked my doctor to write me a prescription for Estazolam. This drug used to be known as Prosom and is a sleep aid, but also acts as an anti-convulsive. Estazolam is chemically similar to Valium, and is in the Benzo family of drugs, but does not make me feel euphoric. It has a 10-18 hour half-life, which allows for all day management of my RLS symptoms. I am currently taking one 2 mg tablet just before going to bed, but may end up reducing this to 1 mg because I have been feeling fairly groggy.
The other positive thing is that a 30 day supply of 2 mg Estazolam tablets only costs $2.84! If I reduce my dosage to 1 mg, then a two month supply will cost less than $3. Maybe this drug isn't the best option for everyone, but it seems to be working for me. I am not sure how long my doctor will provide me with refills, however, because Estazolam is a Benzo. Considering my experience so far I have no desire to abuse this drug though.
Stay tuned...
My experience so far with Estazolam (AKA Prosom)
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mfisher1967
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SquirmingSusan
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mfisher1967
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- Location: Houston, TX
Well I am at ~6 weeks on Estazolam and have virtually no RLS symptoms anymore. This stuff is dirt cheap, less than Tylenol in fact, and also helps me to stay asleep. I do feel groggy sometimes first thing in the morning, but after a couple of cups of coffee I am okay. Well worth a try for those who did not get complete relief with Mirapex or Requip. My doctor would most likely give me the evil eye if I asked for Methadone, but that would be the next logical drug to try if Estazolam stops working.
m1967,
I'm happy to hear that you're getting relief with the estazolam. I've been on clonazepam for various reasons over the past 4-5 years, and I'm going to ask my PCP tomorrow if a moderately long half-life benzo sleep aid like estazolam might be an option for me now that I'm having an increasingly difficult time sleeping.
Have you previously taken any other benzodiazepine medication on a regular basis? The reason I ask is that I'm wondering if estazolam would be effective in a person who's been taking a long-acting medication like clonazepam for years. I'm trying to simplify things by decreasing the number of medications I take at night to get to sleep. The gabapentin, clonazepam, and norco combination that I've been taking just isn't helping like it did a few months ago, and my mental acuity is decreasing, (hopefully because of the clonazepam not clearing my system as quickly as previously).
Hope that you have a good night's rest.
---Andy
I'm happy to hear that you're getting relief with the estazolam. I've been on clonazepam for various reasons over the past 4-5 years, and I'm going to ask my PCP tomorrow if a moderately long half-life benzo sleep aid like estazolam might be an option for me now that I'm having an increasingly difficult time sleeping.
Have you previously taken any other benzodiazepine medication on a regular basis? The reason I ask is that I'm wondering if estazolam would be effective in a person who's been taking a long-acting medication like clonazepam for years. I'm trying to simplify things by decreasing the number of medications I take at night to get to sleep. The gabapentin, clonazepam, and norco combination that I've been taking just isn't helping like it did a few months ago, and my mental acuity is decreasing, (hopefully because of the clonazepam not clearing my system as quickly as previously).
Hope that you have a good night's rest.
---Andy
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mfisher1967
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- Location: Houston, TX
It's my understanding that Estazolam is not a true benzo, but is chemically similar to Valium. I have tried Xanax, Ambien, Ambien CR and Klonopin with varying degrees of success. I basically did not like the way that Mirapex made me feel mentally, and it seemed to never completely take away my RLS symptoms. Estazolam does tend to cause some daytime drowsiness, but other than that seems to eliminate 100% of my RLS symptoms. That may change if I develop a tolerance, but for now 2mg seems to do the trick. This drug is literally cheaper than Tylenol. With my copay, 30 tablets ends up costing $2.84 total. Try it out and see if this drug works for you.
m1967,
I didn't know that estazolam wasn't a benzodiazepine, and I'll ask my neuro for a prescription when I see him in a few weeks. Aside from the side effects, Mirapex is just too expensive for me.
Thanks for the reply, and congratulations on finding a good alternative to Mirapex, and to the other meds you've tried.
---Andy
I didn't know that estazolam wasn't a benzodiazepine, and I'll ask my neuro for a prescription when I see him in a few weeks. Aside from the side effects, Mirapex is just too expensive for me.
Thanks for the reply, and congratulations on finding a good alternative to Mirapex, and to the other meds you've tried.
---Andy