Freaking out about augmentation so how do u prevent it?

[Tazmania1]

I have just started using ropinerole and it is working for now. I am on a .25 mg dose 2 at night.H ow do I prevent augmentation ? Should I not even take it ?

[Annieapple]

Ropinerole gave me excellent relief for three years before augmentation happened. This was a number of years ago before we knew to keep the doses as low as possible.

[Tazmania1 in reply to Annieapple]

Thank-you for responding. I am a teacher and I have 11/2 years left to retire .Hope I can make it. Rls is horrible. I know antidepressants make it worse .What about. Anxiety drugs and mood stabilizers?

[Annieapple in reply to Tazmania1]

I steer clear of those because all drugs seem to make things worse for me. Twice a week I take codeine to get a really good nights sleep. It works a treat if I don't have it too often. Make sure you drink lots of water.. It really does make a difference to your body. Teaching must be exacting after a bad night. I do feel for you but I think it's good that we keep busy. I take care of my granddaughter who is a year old!

[Tazmania1 in reply to Annieapple]

You are only on codeine?

[Annieapple in reply to Tazmania1]

I am on a 1mg Neuro patch.

[Tazmania1 in reply to Annieapple]

I am very worried about my weight. Does the patch make u gain?

[Annieapple in reply to Tazmania1]

Hopefully not!! I have only been on it a week. I have never gained weight before on any of the other meds.

[Tazmania1 in reply to Annieapple]

Thanks for your help!

[nightdancer in reply to Tazmania1]

The dopamine meds can cause compulsive behavior and one of those is eating, so just keep track of what you ingest. The med itself will not make you gain weight, chemically. my experience with weight gain was when I was on the highest dose of Gabapentin, and that med will make you blow up over night, it seems for a lot of people. And that is medication induced, not behavior induced, if that makers sense.

[Tazmania1 in reply to nightdancer]

Thanks for your info!

[RuthBass in reply to Annieapple]

Codeine workd well until our FDA reclassified it My dr is afraid to prescribe it

[Annieapple in reply to RuthBass]

Codeine works every time for me too, but I use it sparingly so I have something to fall back on.

[nightdancer in reply to Tazmania1]

Specifically what do you mean by anxiety drugs and mood stabilizers? There are all kinds of those, and people call them by different names. To me, and anxiety drug is Xanax or Valium. Mod stabilizer to me, says something more serious such as bipolar. My father was bipolar, and most of those meds will make RLS worse and he was on mood stabilizers. Xanax is what I take when I fly, to keep me in my seat. it works well for me, and I only use it when I am going to be away from home out of my own environment. The list of meds to use and to avoid is a good one on the treatment page on rlshelp.org The only thing on the treatment page that needs tweaking is the doses of dopamine meds. They do not reflect the new lower recommended doses. But you will see what kind of mes to avoid. the doctor who owns that web site is an international expert and also has a very busy RLS practice in the US. He also has several books out that are the best to be had. Clinical Treatment of Restless legs Syndrome is pretty much written for professionals, but it is the best RLS book out there, and I gave a copy of the 2nd edition to all my doctors 2 Christmases ago. I now have no trouble with my meds.

[Annieapple in reply to nightdancer]

What an innovative idea 👍

[Pippins2]

The one most important thing you can do to prevent augmentation is keep your Ropinerole dose low. Its a fact that the higher the dose the greater the chance o augmentation. Your dose is good, don't go any higher than 1mg. Look out for warning signs of augmentation such as symptoms starting earlier in the day, symptoms spreading into other body parts most commonly the arms and symptoms coming on after shorter periods of rest and relaxation. Plus get your Ferrartin iron levels up to over 70...Good luck. .Pippins2 x

[Tazmania1 in reply to Pippins2]

Thanks for reply .I have two appointments next week one with ENT and the other a Neurologist. I am having some insomnia(on Ropinerole.25 mg.) .

I guess I need a sleeping aid? Also worried about weight.

[nightdancer]

to avoid augmentation, learn the mac therapeutic doses for your meds. For Requip/Ropinerole that is 1 mg, maybe 2 mgs MAX. So right now you are on an acceptable dose. keep track of your symptoms. people augment when the dose gets too high. The max dose for RLS used to be 4 mgs, but that has been shaved way down as "they' have learned more about augmentation. Dopamine meds are the only meds you can augment on, so just don't get your dose too high. If it stops working, the first inclination is to up the does, by many doctors. if it does not work for you at 1 mg per day, or MAYBE 2 mgs, then it is not the med for you and is a sign to try something else. So far you are doing well at that dose, so wait and see. people can take these meds for years without augmenting and you may be one of them. Don't freak yourself out.

[RuthBass]

I am 81 and have had restless off and on all my life. Now that am I older 4 mg a day don't manage . I sleep less than 5 hours

[Legtwitcher]

U take antidepressants, I didn't realise that it make RLS worse, I was put on a higher dose because of my RLS, plus Pramepexole. After reading this i need to reduce it it and wean myself off it it seems. At the moment i take 20mg of citalapram antidepressants.

[Hidden in reply to Legtwitcher]

If you NEED to take a anti-depressant and some people have to. then there are 3 that are considered more RLS friendly. There are, Remeron, Trazadone and Wellbutrin ( wellbutrin not available in the UK) Maybe one of those will work for you better than the citalapram regarding not making your RLS worse. Have a discussion with your doctor.

[Tazmania1 in reply to Legtwitcher]

I haven't been on this site in a while... Awesome site and friends.The only antidepressant I could tolerate is Wellbutrin or the generic Bupropion...it's an" upper" type antidepressant so I don't know if it could work for everyone...I only take a half dose 150 mg once daily and in the morning...I've weaned down to a very low dose of Ropinirole BUT I take Temazepam..which can be addictive... I also take iron,vit c, exercise,eat low carb low sugar,no glutin,no alcohol,transdermal magnesium,sleep with a CPAP machine,drink calming teas.Ive lost 30 pounds,So now I'm having a battle with my thyroid.Im hyperthyroid which can initiate insomnia,restless leg and other annoying conditions.I am now going to a sleep center and endocrinologist to help balance my thyroid levels.Restless leg can be an alert that something else is wrong...as so many really wise friends on this site know. Check: ferritin,leaky gut,apnea, thyroid,diet, wt maintenance, circulation, anxiety,and even over-bite jaw alignment.Also we know that Ropinirole is only one dopimine drug...but sometimes it does help to try another brand of the same family.Keep reading wonderful advice on this site and find your personal health "cocktail".My heart goes out to you and all warrior souls on this site.

[bergfex]

One option to minimise the risk of augmentation with ropinirole or pramipexole is to take the dose that works for you only for a few nights, then miss out a day or 2 (ideally until the RLS symptomes return), then take it again for a few nights, and so on.

This works well for me (life-long = 60 years of severe RLS, ropinirole dose 1mg per night which gives ca 80% relief).

Greetings from Aotearoa / New Zealand