Has anyone used Clonazepam for restless legs. My partner and I play a lot of Scrabble when the horrible feeling starts. This seems to take his mind off it. Needless to say he nearly always wins!!!!
gmf43: Has anyone used Clonazepam for... - Restless Legs Syn...
gmf43
Yes, my neurologist prescribes clonazepam and oxycodone for my RLS.
I take .5 mg of the clonazepam 2 times per day and the oxy is 5mg also 2 times per day. Nothing else worked for me (ropinirole, gabapentin, pramaxipole). The meds I take now work for the most part. I sometimes have full body RLS and I sleep about 4-5 hours. Sometimes I can get almost 7 hours if I am having a good night.
I have been taking Clonazapam for years. Yes, but combined with something else is the best combination. It will help with sleeping as well.
I have been taking lorazepam .5 mg and it usually helps, but I try to go a few nights without to keep from getting tolerance. Sometimes I have to take 1.5 tablets, but mostly 1 works.
My doctor prescribed Clonazepam 20 years ago. However, everything I read about it -- bad for memory, brain, balance, and habit forming -- made be use it infrequently, not more than 0.25 ot 0.5 mg twice a week if I could not get to sleep. A few years ago I saw a neurologist who switched me to Gabapentin for the reasons stated above. Gaba worked great for 2 years, then stopped. I have been using the Relaxis pad for two weeks which relieves the wierd sensations in my legs, I had to take Clonazepam once when I still could not get to sleep after several hours. My doc said if I have to take Clonazepam again, do so infrequently. It is not recommended after age 75.
I don’t take clonazapem but do use distractions such as scrabble to cope while I wait for the meds to take effect - and sometimes in place of the meds. I am amazed at how effective a really absorbing activity can be at banishing symptoms.
On the subject of scrabble, have you tried bananagrams? Similar to scrabble but I think is even more enjoyable and has the added bonus of not having to await turns - each player works away on their own.