My medication for rls

[m1946]

I am 72 and looking back I guess I have experienced rls for at least 30 years but early on not serious enough to warrant medication. It was always in the evening when I lay down to go to sleep. Early on it was sufficient to merely get up and do some exercises and leg stretching exercises would resolve the problem.

In 2012 I had a Brachitherapy prostate operation which introduced me to Tramadol. After the operation the rls worsened. The hospital's neurologist recommended Ropinirole and since then I have been taking a 0.5mg tablet around 7pm each evening BUT supplemented by one 50mg Tramadol capsule. I guess I have self prescribed this combination which invariably provides me with 7 to 8 hours sleep every night. There are rare occasions when I experience augmentation but this generally only lasts for one night.

I have tried not taking one of the medications but after a few sleepless nights I go back to my regular prescription !!

On many occasions during early evening I experience rls and have to stand up watching the tv!

It seems to me that the prescription takes about 2 to 3 hours to become effective fortunately in time to go to bed at about 10.30pm

Recently I have also experienced rls in my upper torso however all symptoms disappear when standing up

[Madlegs1]

I'm not sure how to respond to your post!

I'm glad you have found a system that you are happy with.

Just a small word about augmentation.

It isn't really something that comes and goes, rather it is a gradual and steadily progressive condition, that is relentless in its action.

It does not, and will not go away, except by increasing the dose-- which of course is the slippery slope to doom.

Otherwise, one has to deprive the body of the drug, over a long and painful period. And then look for other ways to relieve the condition.

I hope I haven't pooped on your parade, but it is necessary to warn others who may read this post, and not be appropriately apprehensive.

Cheers.

[m1946 in reply to Madlegs1]

Absolutely

[Hidden]

Hi, as Madlegs says augmentation is not something that comes and goes. When you say "augmentation at night" this is NOT augmentation. RLS is circadian (happens on a daily cycle) and it occurs at night. Augmentation is when it happens at other times.

If it starts to happen in the early evrning, then that could be augmentation. If it now happens in your torso, then that also suggests augmentation.

You have also been taking Tramadol, if you took it after your Brachytherapy and then suddenly stopped taking it that could have triggered your RLS.

The recognised way of dealing with augmentation would be to stop taking the Ropinirole. You cannot however stop taking either that or the Tramadol suddenly. This could be disastrous.

Others hopefully will advise you on augmentation and withdrawing from Ropinirole, I'm no expert on that.

I'm the meantime, I find varying the time I take my dopamine agonist (DA) helps. I go to bed no earlier than 11pm, but when I started getting RLS earlier in the evening, I started taking my DA earlier.

It's swings and roundabouts, take it earlier and you can get "rebound" in the morning.

Unfortunately, I have augmentation and get twitches almost anywhere and any time and I too, need to cut down the DA.