Hello!
I was prescribed Trazodone and Atarax for sleep and found that they both aggravate my RLS. I have stopped talking both and backed off of my Mirapex by 0.5mg in the morning. My Mirapex was prescribed as 1mg twice/day. My legs are much better, but I’m averaging 1-3 hours of chopped up sleep per night. Does anyone have any tips/advice for insomnia? I start a new job on Monday and cannot afford to be this exhausted. Thanks so much!
Did you take both the Trazadone and the Atarax as the same time for sleep.? Or did you try both of them on different nights..? Trazadone can make RLS worse for some, most can tolerate it. The Atarax is a anti-histamine so that one i am sure would make your RLS worse. Insomnia is a hard one to deal with, its not something that i have had to deal with. But i am sure some members will have some ideas for you to try.
Thank you Elisse! Yes, I took them together and it was a disaster for my RLS. I have steered completely away from the Atarax and have tried the Trazodone alone with minimal success with sleeping. I only sleep around an hour at a time. It’s definitely a challenge! I appreciate your support!
I've been taking "kratom" for about a month, and find it to be a wonderful anti RLS drug, and a sleep enhancer. I'm still learning about the downside, but the upside is spelled Relief!
I've been taking Kratom for 2 years and it's very effective.
You can build up a tolerance so a break now and then is advised.
If stopped cold turkey, can have mild withdrawal symptoms (diarrhea, insomnia, anxiety, etc).
Can cause constipation.
If you have an addictive personality, i don't reccomend as it does produce mild 'opiate like' effects and in some people, that's not a good thing.
In my opinion, it's safer than most prescription medications.
Side note - i also use medical cannabis and find heavy indica strains to help as well.
Sometimes I drink a cup of hot Ovaltine (Malt) with milk. It helps me to fall asleep. Also, if I drink alcohol, in the evening, that aggravates my RLS....especially wine. Plus I cannot eat sweets at night!
The Ovaltine is a great idea that I’m going to try! Alcohol and sweets bother me too as they raise my blood sugar which is most troublesome right now because I can’t afford my insulin. I really appreciate your advice and support!
You are welcome!! There’s too many drugs involved, regarding other comments .... It’s terrible!
I take 2 tablets of 0.25 mg. Of Pramipexole Dihydrochloride One hour before bed and the Ovaltine. It works for me. Mostly because of the warm milk, I’m assuming. Hey, warm milk works for babies! I was raised on Ovaltine!
Please keep me posted. Hopefully it will work for you! 🤗🙏 💤
Human insulin is a whole lot cheaper than the made up stuff. If you are able to take it. $25 v $200 . Check it out.. So I understand from my science fact feed just yesterday.
ATB.😎
Thanks Madlegs1, I’ll check it out!
Oh my word, you are diabetic too. you poor thing . So you need to keep a tight rein on what you eat and drink. Are you type one or type two..? I have just read your profile, you have a lot to deal with and you have had a tough life growing up. Glad you have a husband who i am sure is supportive to you. x
I am type 2. My husband is a kind man. He’s under extreme stress at work and is not his usual self, always worrying about work. He listens to me most of the time, but I don’t think he has anything much left over for me at this time. He tries. It’s ok though because these are my issues. I take responsibility for them as far as doing what I need to do to maintain some sort of balance.
Oops! I didn’t finish! Thanks so much Elisse for taking time with me. I hope you have a great day!
Members on here are a supportive lot and help when they can when some one is having a tough time with their RLS,. 
You are going to have problems with your Mirapex dosage- it is way too high. Max should be 0.25 total per day.for rls.
Apart from trying to reduce that dose, which you have correctly started, you could take shortlife sleeping pills, such as Ambien or stilnoct. That should get you sorted enough to get you started for work.
As usual, check your diet and med intake for possible triggers,-- listed on this site numerous times. Search any of my answers.
Good luck.
Yes, I have come to understand that my prescribed Mirapex dosage is ridiculous since visiting this forum. Thank you so much for responding with your words of wisdom and directing me to your posts. Have a great day...
As others have mentioned, your dopamine agonist dose is double what it should be. Previously, it was quadruple what it should be. Strike one against your doctor.
Atarax should not even be in your house! Strike two.
Trazodone may, repeat may, cause problems for some RLS sufferers. Strike three.
Those of us who have hyper-insomnia with our RLS may have great difficulty with the benzodiazepines, and most will do little or nothing for us, except rob the bank.
The sleep drug most mentioned (by the real experts) as being of help is Eszopiclone, so you might try that one.
But please read my recent post on Prazosin. I Googled it after it was mentioned by a patient on this site. It is a BP med that was found, by chance, to assist Iraq veterans with PTSD to sleep. After two weeks on a small (2mg) dose of the med, (which is short-acting), I have had more sleep than in the previous two years. I was like you, little bits of broken sleep, no real rest at all, certainly nothing even faintly restorative. Deep, deep despair for years.
Now I have energy and hope.
Change your doctor.
No kidding! I had no idea until I visited this forum. Trazodone does bother me. I’m up now being tortured for taking 150mg hoping that I might actually sleep! Ha! I was apparently delusional or just plain ole desperate. What an oxymoron! Benzos didn’t help me sleep either. I will look into your drug suggestions. I have absolutely nothing to lose! Thanks so much for responding and with good advice! Have a good one...
I had nothing to lose either, so I decided to take charge completely.
This is a very complex disease and few doctors understand it, nor are they up-to-date on the latest science. At all.
Now I do the research, then I put it onto my doctor's desk.
I was a victim, now I'm not.
To be blunt, grab it by the balls and squeeze!
You will sleep soon, just get through tonight.
One day at a time, it will end.
Thank you 😊
DA Weaning...😤
Mirapex guilt
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Suggestions for first neurologist appt 
