Life after pramipexole!: I thought you... - Restless Legs Syn...

Restless Legs Syndrome

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Life after pramipexole!

Lapsedrunner profile image
12 Replies

I thought you might like to hear something (hopefully) positive !

After being off pramipexole for around a month I have restarted Gabapentin (100mg) I did take it when I was weaning but not surprisingly it didn’t seem to help.

The 3 nights I have taken it have given me some better sleep. My fingers are crossed!!

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Lapsedrunner profile image
Lapsedrunner
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12 Replies
rls_optimist profile image
rls_optimist

Glad to hear! How did the withdrawal go for you? How did you do it, how long did it take, and did you have the help of an opioid?

Lapsedrunner profile image
Lapsedrunner in reply to rls_optimist

I weaned from 0.088mg over 2 weeks (no prescribed opioids, tried some paracetamol/codeine but don’t think it helped)

Hard but do-able, yo-yo ed from optimism to teariness! Have also had regular B vits Mg and gentle iron supplements .

I wanted to post this as there are plenty of posts with lots of serious medication which initially made me feel a bit hopeless about RLS!

Madlegs1 profile image
Madlegs1 in reply to Lapsedrunner

Good one!

Well done.

Yakester profile image
Yakester in reply to Lapsedrunner

I have gone off pramipexole twice and both times it caused withdrawal symptoms of extreme depression and anxiety. It took longer than a month or two before those symptoms kicked in. There is a syndrome (dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome (DAWS) and it’s very real. I really really hope you don’t experience this. It really messed up my life twice.

Lapsedrunner profile image
Lapsedrunner in reply to Yakester

Sorry to hear that. I’m hopeful that won’t happen to me! I waited to start Gabapentin until I reached a baseline after stopping DAs, it seems ok so far!

Fantastic. It’s great when people post good news

in reply to involuntarydancer

Happy New Year Involuntarydancer !! I will never forget how helpful you have been to me and others on this site and still is I see. Always good knowledge with good compassion and genuine caring for other members with RLS problems. This is Alia22. It has been a while since I have not been on this site but today I received a mail from a member asking me about my experience with Pramipexole and I saw your reply when I signed in. Now I am on the Rheumatoid Arthritis site, having bigger fish to fry with this cruel disease.

But I will tell you this: since my last conversation with you, I went to my RLS doctor (this is more than a year ago) and you warned me to don't accept that he increases the pramipexole I think which he wanted to do and I told him no, just give me the prescription I want because I don't agree with you (obviously he was not knowledgeable about RLS although he told me he was, he was a neurologist and neurologists confuse RLS with

Parkinson, but I stuck to what you told me and since he was a Buddhist, he did not have a big ego and accepted that I challenge his knowledge and as of today, thank G-d, I still take every night the same prescription and I am fine. I don't remember exactly our conversation, all I know is I followed your advice and it is still working for me after all this time.

Now I hope and pray that you are better since your last move to another place and hope to hear always good news about you. Thanks always, will not forget members like you.

Take care now. Alia22 (now Hannah44 on RA site. Hannah is my Hebrew name)

Joolsg profile image
Joolsg

Brilliant news. Thanks for sharing

Yay! Gives us all some hope and I’m very happy for you given how notoriously difficult that can be to get off from.

Sus

Hi, I'm so glad things are improving for you and I hope it works out. I'm weaning off Pram myself, almost there now as I took my last ones last night. The last month has been a waking nightmare and the temptation to go back and overdose on Pram has been overwhelming. I have had to take Codeine a few times but I'm still avoiding alcohol. I'm on Gabapentin already so hopefully it will start to kick in soon. I will see my new GP on the 18th, I was going to ask for Opioids and may still do so but I'm curious to know whether the Gabapentin works without them as I'd rather not take both (if you can). I suppose we all suffer in different ways anyway but I hope you keep posting as to your progress as I'm very interested to know what happens. Good luck.

SiennasGram profile image
SiennasGram

So happy for you! Sleep changes the world doesn’t it? I’m on day 5 of withdrawal using oxycodone & THC/CBD oil & so far everything is manageable. I’m also on 1200 mg of Neurontin a day.

HuggCub1 profile image
HuggCub1

Good for you!! I still tale all 3; Pramipexole, Gabapentin, and Requip. However have decreased dosages by adding Pramipexole. Its the only hope for me but I was SO proud to have found it. It made my legs be still from day one. I added back in 1 mg Requip to help me rest better and take 1- 400 mg capsule Gabapentin only at night. Dropped some weight and that helped a lot as well. I hope one day to be as "pill free" as possible!

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