RLS and the greater problem of pramipexol addiction

[welschrisby]

I have very serious RLS. and after taking pramipexole for nearly 20 years the drug is no longer working. Nothing else seems to help - and the medical profession have finally admitted that Pramipexole makes the condition worse. If I try to cut down or substitute another drug the symptoms become completely unbearable. I cant sleep and when I do I sleep walk, fall down stairs, drink bleach (!) get increasingly delusional and the discomfort and mental anguish is beyond description. Is there anyone out who knows if there is a detox program or some sort of medical support group.

[Hidden]

You are suffering with Augmentation, where the dopamine med is making your symptoms worse rather than give relief. It is possible to get off it, but doctors do not seem to know about Augmentation or how to deal with it. We have had many members on here who all suffered the same and are now completely off their dopamine med. There are many posts on Augmentation and how to get off a dopamine med, type in the search box RLS and Augmentation.

[Hidden]

You are suffering augmentation as ELisse has pointed out and in order to get better it must be addressed. The sleep deprivation is messing with your head/functioning and as you are finding out is very debilitating.

There are guys on here, Nick the Turk I think is one who came off it VERY SLOWLY. I like a fool was experiencing augmentation and stopped cold, (although moved on to tramadol). It was far from easy but I got away from it like Nick.

It is doable, there will be enough info here to get you well schooled to go to your GP to make sure you get the support you need to get off this drug.

Also IF you are able to push yourself out to work, stop! You need rest. Sleep when you can. If you have to get others to do your chores or what have you so you can rest. Sleep all day if you can and don't drive.

Take care and don't give up hope.

[Kaarina Administrator]

Hi welschrisby

Regarding augmentation, find any posting on here by pippins2, click on her username and it will take you to her postings.. Right at the top is a brilliant posting on Augmentation. It is an excellent read.

This link can be helpful too. sleepreviewmag.com/2015/02/...

[welschrisby in reply to Kaarina]

Thank you I will.

[welschrisby]

Thanks to all 4 of you who responded to my post. It is a relief to know that we are not alone.

I haven't seen the Chan 5 video yet but it seems that there are some misunderstandings about it. As the spokes person pointed out the intention is to produce some public awareness about the condition. So of course it was not so interesting to people on this site who are the real experts!The little narrative about the man's foot is right on. That is how you sell things. Check out TV and film adds if you were ever in any doubt?And yes this going to be frustrating to those of us who are desperately hoping for a cure.

[Rangers9]

I have an appointment to go to a thing called SAMH this Friday morning my phycologist fixed the apointment 4 me I have no idea what to expect from them all I know is it has to do with my mental health asked to I took a hammer 2 my right foot on 1 of my bad nights I thought that periveral neuropathy was painful but RLS has been getting me down I live in Scotland and don't know how available SAMH Is any where else

[Hidden in reply to Rangers9]

If things were so bad you had to take to using a hammer to your foot, and if its the RLS thats so bad you needed to do that to get some type of relief, then its the RLS that needs to be taken care of. If you are taking meds for RLS and they dont seem to be working, then those meds need to be discussed with your doctor with the view of changing your meds to something else.

[Alyson66]

As you are,i suffer from severe RSL, coming off parmaprexol was unbearable,now on fentynal patches as i found opiates work brilliantly for RSL.