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Restless Legs Syndrome

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Hi newbie with a question

Lelly1706 profile image
21 Replies

Hi hope your all well, I'm prescribed tramadol for my restless legs restless arms and any other bloody restless joint in my body anyway ive found now that tramadol isn't taking the restlessness away now , I'm goin to be speaking to my dr tomorrow but would like to know what's next after tramadol? Will they help me come off of tramadol or will I be left to withdraw from it?Any help would be appreciated Thanks ☺

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Lelly1706 profile image
Lelly1706
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21 Replies
Pippins2 profile image
Pippins2

Lelly have you reached the maximum dose of Tramadol? Have you tried the extended release tyoe of Tramadol ? You could try one of the anticonvulsant meds eg gabapentin or pregablin or one of the dopamine meds eg mirapex,requip or Neupro patch,Painkiller wise Tramadol is strong so the next step up is the stronger opiates eg morphine,oxycodone.Sometimez just adding in another med helps eg adding in gabapentin to your Tramadol.Stopping Tramadol will need to be taperef to help reduce withdrawal symptoms including worsening of RLS. Do you take any othet medications? Some can trigger severe symptoms . Sometimes Tramadol can cause augmentation.Look through the postx to see an article about this posted about a month ago,Good luck ,let us know how you ho ...Pipps x

Lelly1706 profile image
Lelly1706 in reply to Pippins2

Hi there pipps thanks for your reply, ☺ yeah I've tried ropinirole and mirapex neither helped my symptoms id say they aggrivated the situation. I'm currently on 200mg of tramadol which started at 100mg but after a few months was no use so I uped it myself now the 200mg is not really working so ive a phone app with the doctor what is the highest dose of tramadol in a day?. I'm quite lucky in that I have no side effects from tramadol nor do they make me feel high or stuff I just feel me without the restless legs well did! I am not on any other medication just tramadol, would I taper of tramadol on its own or would I get something to help me with the rls while cutting down the dose? Damn rls bloody nightmare

Pippins2 profile image
Pippins2 in reply to Lelly1706

Depends what they change to over tooWhen I changed from Tramadol (which by the way never helped me at all) to a stronger pain med my doc just swapped me straight over.If dopamine meds dont work for you as you say doc may try gabapentin type med.If so he may taper Tramadol whilst starting you on gabapentin. Depends on your doctor and what he /she advises.There is the Neupro patch which I use alongside pain med you could try but its very expensive so docs dont like to prescribe it.

Lelly1706 profile image
Lelly1706 in reply to Pippins2

Thanks again for the reply ,sounds hopeful yeah I've suffered with this for the best part of 15 years I've tried loads of different pills and potions lol I even gave sleeping with soap at my feet a try just to see if it would relieve me tramafol is the first thing that has properly worked but my fear is I keep up in the dose and then what ... thanks SER03 I have tried prampexole also which aggrivated my legs x

SER03 profile image
SER03 in reply to Lelly1706

It shows that what works for 1 doesn't work for another! I really hope you find the relief you need, I remember my first sensation of this when I was 7 years old. X

Pippins2 profile image
Pippins2 in reply to Lelly1706

Very often a combination of meds works best for example I have a dopamine (Neupro patch ) a painkiller and an anticonvulsant but all 3 in TINY doses .On their own in high doses they dont work.

johannasuar profile image
johannasuar in reply to Lelly1706

Hi Lelly. I have been on TRAMADOL for almost five yrs at the same low dose of 50mgs. From what I read from others, TRAMADOL doesn't work for everyone. The only other drug I was put on was Gabapentin and all it did was make me gain 25 lbs in a month and a half. I got off that med and have continued with my TRAMADOL. What I just found out is that the max you can take TRAMADOL is 400mg if you have pain, which I DO NOT, or 3000mg for people over 65. I'm not 65 yet and my low dose still works. I feel for all that have this wretched desease that can't be explained to others that don't have it. It's so unexplainable. Good luck. By the way, I also have RLS in my arms and have felt it through my whole body a few times.

johannasuar profile image
johannasuar in reply to johannasuar

Lelly, I'm so sorry for the dose of TRAMADOL I mentioned. It was a typing mistake, I meant to say 300mgs., NOT 3000mgs. I hope you get this reply right after the mistake. Soooo sorry, I hope everyone doesn't start yelling at me. Honest mistake.

Pippins2 profile image
Pippins2

Ok I cant find the augmentation article so put augmentation in the search box at the top of page,also read old posts about Tramadol .Ask your doc to test your ferratin iron ,it needs to be at least 70 which is much higher than what is consideref normal for non sufferers x

SER03 profile image
SER03

Hi, I suffer with restless legs badly and ive been put on a medication and works super. Not proud im on medication but it helps. Give me 5 mins ill post what it is....... x

Lelly1706 profile image
Lelly1706

Thanks SER03

SER03 profile image
SER03

Im currently on pramipexole. I have been on this now for 3 years. Im on my maximum dose. But cant go about daily life without them. I tried rapinole ..... and I was asleep before my kids and the nausea was awful. Hope this helps x

patient.co.uk/medicine/pram...

Currycade profile image
Currycade in reply to SER03

Hi SERO3, I too am on pramiplexole for RLS along with Amitriptolyne for Sciatica, Citralopram for Depression, and CoDydramol for back pain from worn disc's and it sometimes takes every ounce of my energy to hold down a job and stay awake each day. I also have to use Voltorol Gel for my recently developed Osteoarthritis as I can't take anti inflammatory's because I have diverticulitis which is no doubt caused by all the other medication I am on.All of the above tablets state MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS and all my GP tries to do if any of them aren't doing their job is maybe we should up the dosage. NO THANK YOU. I am like a walking zombie as it is.

johannasuar profile image
johannasuar

hi Lelly. I have been on TRAMADOL for almost five yrs. and it works great for me. My dose is very low compared to your, I only take 50 mgs. per night though lately it doesn't last as long, only about six hrs. so if I take it too early in the evening I can't go through the whole night and have to take another just before sunrise. I was put on Gabapentin and gained 25 lbs. in a month and a half, I couldn't understand the weight gain till I read more about it and weened myself off right away because that's the side effect it has. I have read of people gaining up to 60 lbs. but I was not going to let that happen and those people stopped the Gabapentin for that reason as well, and though some said they can't find something else that works, they still refuse to go back to the weight gain with the Gabapentin. I have never tried anything else but I am concerned about needing a higher dose of TRAMADOL in the future. What has surprised me is the mention of weening from TRAMADOL, I DID NOT KNOW that had to be done. While I was weening myself from the Gabapentin , I did notice that my 50mg. TRAMADOL with one 300 mg. Gabapentin worked very well and I slept like a baby. I too have the RLS in my arms as well as where ever it decides to manifest itself. I also saw that I didn't gain additional weight with just one 300 mg. of Gabapentin. Hope to hear what you decide to do.

Lelly1706 profile image
Lelly1706

Thanks Johannasuar my phone app is at 4pm so I will update results later in the day. I'm hoping there is a decent outcome as the thought of having restless legs arms etc kills me ive felt free with tramadol being able to sit still or lie still in bed has been amazing so for it to come back again is a defo no no. I'm hoping maybe that the doctor will give me something to go along side the tramadol and that I'll be able to reduce the dosage. I'm the same the dosage doesn't last long now if I take them early then they don't work all night so I then have to dose through the night my rls has started coming earlier in the day so seems like a vicious cycle im in with no respite x

Windwalker profile image
Windwalker

For me Tramadol was like taking advil or asperin. In order to get any relief from the curse of RLS you will have to resort to the dopamine agonist drugs or some strong Opiate.I am guessing the doc will give you ropinorole or Mirapex both of wihch will give you relief.

There is a caution I will tell you about with any of the Parkinsons' drugs. Any compulsive behavior you exibited before will become much stronger. Increased gambling is one of the distructive one. and in some younger people increased sexual urges which if not channeled correctively will wreck some peoples lives.

Good luck at the doc.

cumoneileen profile image
cumoneileen

ask for Ropinierole, does it for me plus a co codamol for bed. good luck.

Lelly1706 profile image
Lelly1706

Hi again after speaking with the doctor hes prescribed be gabapentin to take along side my tramadol he said I'm to take them a few weeks and let him know if there helping me or if we need to look into something different

johannasuar profile image
johannasuar in reply to Lelly1706

I was going to say that while I was weening myself from the weight gaining Gabapentin, I noticed that when I took it along side with TRAMADOL, it worked wonders and I slept like a baby. The problem for me not taking Gabapentin is because of the weight gain it causes. The TRAMADOL alone is wonderful for me. As I mentioned before, my TRAMADOL dose is only ONE 50mg tab per night, the Gabapentin was only 300mg when I was weening from it, the two together was great!

Poppyrose1 profile image
Poppyrose1

Hi Lelly

I get severe nausea/vomiting with tramadol so didn't enjoyed that at all.

I am on siftol 1mg at night, 300mg of Lyrica, although the lyrics was for other problems to start will just increased in dose.

Yes, you should ween off tramadol and you can ask your doc about it.

Everyone of course is different depending on other issues whether certain drugs can be taken.

Good luck.

Hugs from Poppy💕🐾

buffpoint profile image
buffpoint

Sifrol. I have been using this for a long time and it has been good for me

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