Trying gabapetin 300 mg for first time.

[Kysue]

Switched from mirapex to Requip on which my RLS went crazy. Trying gabapetin 300 mg for first time tonight. My legs are squirming already. I've read where others are taking 900 mg plus. Is there anyone who has taken only 300 mg with success. I also take trazodone 150 mg at night and don't sleep.

[Doversoul]

Hi

I take Ropinirole and Gabapentin. I take the basic 0.5mg x4 daily and I am prescribed 900 mg (up to 1800 mg) of Gaba daily. Regarding the Ropinirole - there are 2 forms of medication - basic and modified release - this works over a set number of hours. That tablet doesn't help me, but, the basic has benefit. I can increase the Ropinirole to 4mg per day but the risk of Augmentation is increased, and having had that condition several times, it's one that should be avoided. There is also the advice that when you get Augmentation, then you should switch to another medication. I have tried Mirepoix and Neupro Patches. The Mirepoix gave me low blood pressure issues and the patches failed to provide any benefit at all and difficult to apply!

When I switched back to Ropinirole, I decided to not just take the prescribed dose but manage the tablets to my needs. I try to keep within the 2 mg total daily, but sometimes I will increase to 3mg for a few days and then drop back to 2 mg. My normal pattern would be 0.5 mg in the morning and 1.5 mg at night. This worked well for approx 18 months, and then the RLS symptoms were no longer suppressed on a regular basis. My Neurologist recommended taking Clonazepam a log side the 2 mg Ropinirole daily. I was prescribed 2 tabs a day, but found that I could get benefit just taking 1. The significant benefit was that I could drive, go to the theatre, eat out, etc without getting RLS symptoms. Although I still suffered RLS, the combination tpo Clonazepam and Ropinirole, gave me back my life, and I was doing fine, but in April 2015 I suffered a heart attack, and needed my heart to patched up with 4 stents. The Cardiac team removed Clonazepam from my prescription and I suffered bad RLs , my Neurologist advise Gabapentin as the alternative drug to take alongside Ropinirole. For a while 900mg and 2 mg of Ropinirole worked like magic, but I suffered very bad bowel problems and bleeding as a side effects from the Gaba.

I have recently weaned myself off the Gaba (for me not an easy time - had terrible withdrawal symptoms) and today I take 1 300mg Gaba in the morning and vary the Ropinirole - 0.5mg AM / 1.5 mg PM, or 0 AM and 2 mg PM. My only reason for continuing to take the Gaba is to get some additional RLS relief so that I can drive. IN honesty the relief is minimal. ANd at only 300 mg the bowel problems are also less, but still unpleasant. In fact I have found that Comodin Mal suppress the RLS better for driving than Gaba, but there is the high risk of drowsiness when driving. So I avoid using that option.

I have asked my GP for a referral back to the Neurologist to determine what alternative RLS treatments I could try. Unless there is still some risk to my heart, I would be happy to restart the Clonazepam alongside the Ropinirole, so that I drive a car and have evenings out. If the risk to my heart is too great then I will have to consider an alternative to Gaba alongside Ropinirole.

It may sound pessimistic but having had Chronic RLs for some 10 years my experience is that all medications that work, eventually are unable to prevent the RLS symptoms returning / breaking through. I think that myself and many other sufferers have to accept that will be the case and switching medications part of our strategy to manage the RLS symptoms and getting some quality of life.

I recently picked up a leaflet from UK Pakinson Advice - Diet and Parkinson's - that recommends taking medication with certain foods, and avoiding those that prevent the levodopa entering the blood. So this is a leaflet I would recommend reading, and giving the food advice a try.

Good luck with the gaba