Sleeping meds

[beady3]

I asked my doc for a sleeping sedative he said no , is there anyone on hear taking sleeping pills

[Hidden]

Hi beady, taking sleeping pills wont be enough to stop any RLS, the RLS overrides the sleeping pill, when i tried a sleeping pill i was up in the night pacing and bumping into walls etc from the sleeping pill.

[beady3 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for reply you are right but you just want a nights sleep, I will give up on that idea, I have an appointment with a neurologist soon I have seen 3 all ready but my doc has given up on me not knowing what to dish out, I said to doc I think it’s a waste of time going her reply they are the experts not in rls I said

[Hidden in reply to beady3]

You are right, not all neurologists are experts in RLS. Most will only prescribe what a GP would. neuro's dont have a magic pill they can give you, only if your doctor has refused you a med for your RLS, then a neuro can be more helpful and can agree to you having it.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Question for you: if sleeping pills don’t work, why am I able to fall asleep after taking one? You are correct in saying that they don’t always work (believe me, I know), but how can you say for certain that they won’t work? Remember that we all all different. For me, how severe an attack is is the determining factor in whether I can fall asleep after taking one.🙂

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Because if you have RLS keeping you awake, then a sleeping pill will not work. Which is what i said in my first comment. Looks like 4 people agreed with me . If you can sleep through RLS when taking a sleeping pill then your RLS must be pretty mild.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Also i believe beady is having trouble with her RLS.

[Pippins2 in reply to Hidden]

Yes Beady has severe RLS, x

[Hidden in reply to Pippins2]

Ok, didn’t know that, so thanks!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Apparently I need to be more straightforward in my answers. I was trying to help beady by putting out the challenge of “why should we dismiss this entirely”? I wanted to give her something to hold onto. After all, that is what people do in support groups, right?

(My RLS is far from mild, but if it helps you sleep at night it’s okay for you to think that.)

[nightdancer in reply to Hidden]

Yes, and we have known Beady on and OFF of here for years. She is also in other groups not on this site with me. Support us always the key, and so are factual answers. i think we have all covered it. The actual question- beady wanted to know if a sleep med would help her RLS, since that us what she meant. However, we did not say that a sleep med will NOT help at all for sleep in general.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

For me personally i wouldnt want to say that taking a sleeping pill when having RLS would be a good thing to say when i know you can be bumping into walls etc and its not a safe for the person who could end up falling, or hurting themselves in some way.

[nightdancer in reply to Hidden]

Sails,Sleep meds, chemically really do not help RLS, specifically. I take sleep meds, but if the RLS is raging, they do not help THAT. If you are falling asleep, then your sleep med is helping YOU, and also the other meds you are taking for RLS. You are on more than a sleep med, and combined meds help each other out sometimes.

[Hidden in reply to nightdancer]

I definitely agree with you there! Not even a sleep med. can keep a severe attack at bay.

[Hidden]

Hi beady3, did the Dr give any reason other than the love of power, (sorry old habits forcing a dig at GP's)?

Dr's are loathe to prescribe these drugs (although not in all cases) as they are only effective for a short time and can become habit forming very quickly.

That being said they can be very effective at jumping us back into a normal routine if we only get occasional RLS - if its constant I wouldn't bother too much with them as you'll only be drugged and suffering with RLS with the grogginess preventing you doing anything like walking to keep the RLS down.

[beady3 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Raffs , how are you doing ?

[Hidden in reply to beady3]

Hi beady3, doing reasonably good - an odd unpleasant night despite the drugs and the diet but I'm in a good place mentally and the M.E. is reasonable too. Plus I've had a few glimpses of the sun. I love the summer - we get warmer rain.

How you been keeping?

PS - I wouldn't give up on the sleepers - a short course isn't unreasonable and a good nights sleep is such a boon to health that it makes the sleepers worth it imho.

[beady3 in reply to Hidden]

Raffs where do you live not England is it, my daughter has M E so I no how you suffer, when you say sleeper do you mean the CB oils maybe I will treat myself now and again , don’t get sunburnt

[Hidden in reply to beady3]

Hi beady3, I'm in the north of Ireland. When I say sleeper it refers to sleeping pills in general.

The ME was the end of me. I was struggling to work with my RLS - getting no sleep and being racked with pain - but managing, when the ME struck I ended up having to retire from a job I loved and retire from life in general. It takes careful planning to make sure I don't over do things and end up spending days in bed!

[involuntarydancer]

Hi beady, I sometimes use a sleeping pill when my symptoms are well controlled. My brother (who also takes sleeping pills) tells me my pills are strong - zopitan 7.5mg. They are fantastic for inducing sleep when symptoms are under control and I don't find I have a hangover from them at all. They also work for me when symptoms are VERY mild - I think I am hyper-sensitive to my rls now so the slightest whisper of it wakes me up and keeps me awake. These pills will keep me asleep through slight whisper type symptoms but nothing more.

I agree with the others that there is nothing worse than trying to cope with rls symptoms when you've taken a sleeping pill. You still can't sleep; you still need to get up and move about but you are drugged and unstable on your feet and even more desperate for your bed.

[beady3 in reply to involuntarydancer]

Thanks for reply it makes sense about sleeping pills and rls good luck

[Sleepless1950]

I have had RLS for thirty years. I think I have tried almost everything to get some relief but nothing has helped me except a strong pain medication. I am so lucky that I have found a doctor who totally understands the devastation of RLS.

You have to tell your doctor that you get suicidal because of RLS! This is true for me. I used to get suicidal when I had no sleep for days and was so exhausted from walking all night long with four little children to look after.

I thought Mirapex was a gift from God until after taking it for over ten years the

side effects were getting so bad.

I have had good luck with the strong pain meds. I haven’t had to increase the dose after many years. You have to take it early enough for it to work. It should be the time release kind. You have to convince

your doctors that this RLS is ruining your

life because it is. I started taking THC and

CBD oils but they make it worse. It is worth

a try because it may work for you.

My heart breaks for all of us who suffer from this debilitating condition. I wish all the doctors who won’t help would have just one whole night of RLS!!

[Hidden in reply to Sleepless1950]

We have to remember not all members on here are from the USA , as its a British forum many members are in the UK, and that means some meds etc are not allowed or available in the UK,. We cant get CBD oil with the THC . well not legally .

[Operababe]

Hi

I am on 200mg pregablain but also take sleeping tablets 3 times a week. I find they work for me as I although the rls is numbed with the pregablain I still don't sleep well. The nights I take sleeping pills although I still wake a couple of times and pace for a while and do a few leg stretchs I then am able to fall back to sleep easyly without the extra help my sleep would be very poor. You need to try and see what works for you. Good luck

[ironbrain]

I'm allowed one 7.5mg tablet of zopiclone a night. It's currently (still) very rarely that I can do without it. I don't take it for my RLS though, it's either primary insomnia or some form of PTSD (or a combination of the two!). As others have said, it's not much help for RLS. It's very much just a sleeping pill. It has virtually no anxiolytic effect and the muscle relaxant properties it's supposed to have won't save you from a night cramp.

One might wonder whether a benzodiazepine (e.g. nitrazepam, diazepam, clonazepam) might kill two birds with one stone, but they're not such "clean" drugs as far as elimination by the kidneys and liver is concerned, so I don't worry my GP too much about them. At the same time, I wonder just how bad the problems were when benzodiazepines (mother's little helpers) were more regularly prescribed: I'm allowed a prescription of four diazepam tablets at a time for dental and eye hospital appointments.

[restlessstoz in reply to ironbrain]

In answer to your question, I can offer an opinion about clonazepam. I have tried it on it's own for RL and it didn't help at all. I've also taken it with pregabalin and it still doesn't do much at all. It may make it a bit easier to go back to sleep after and episode but really I found it to be not much use. Probably if my legs were good, it would work, but it doesn't over-ride them and without RL I can sleep perfectly well anyway so don't need anything to help!

[long-legs]

I got addicted while taking sleeping pills during recovery from hip surgery, and my withdrawal symptom was sleeplessness. If I wanted to nap during the day, I couldn't. I had to taper off the drug, over several weeks. Now I deal with RLS using Ropinerole, stretching, and Topricin, a topical cream. My best sleep is usually face-down, with my feet hanging off the end of the bed, and a pillow under my hips to prevent back pain. But it's not so good to sleep in one position all night. Traveling is tough.

[kirash]

Hi. I will add my tuppence worth. Diazepam used to work for me, half a one. It relaxed my legs and made me sleep. I would take half when I was getting very tired and couldn't cope. But the other night I took 1.5 and it didn't do anything. The doctor has given me 10 zopiclone for my up coming overseas long haul flight but to be honest, I don't think I will take any. As others have said, in the past I have been falling asleep on my feet whilst walking around with RLS bumping into things. I am travelling on my own and I do not want to be getting off the plane in Dublin not knowing which direction to go! Recently I read on this blog about taking Codeine. I have tried it and it works a treat. Legs are calm and I get a wonderful restful sleep and no hangover. BUT....I have found out it is addictive, a class C drug here in New Zealand. It apparently turns into morphine in your liver? kidney? somewhere in your body. I was taking 2 per night but trying to only take 1. The doctor gave me them and said they were fine to take. She didn't mention getting addicted to them at all. I am surprised. So I am not happy taking them long term but to get a good nights sleep now and again they could be worth a try. I feel great the next day. I am also doing an elimination diet with the support of a dietician. Cutting out all gluten and dairy and basically eating clean. Its going well so far but I don't know that the symptoms are any better. I also rub 100% magnesium oil on my legs, under my arms and on my tummy. 50 sprays twice a day. Don't know if it is working or not. But I will keep going and hope that it shows a result.

All the best. This blog is great.

[Barbee44]

Go to a sleep study doctor. She gave me Xanax and I sleep like a baby with no RLS at all.

[lynnmcguire24]

Hi, are looking at the Nightshades you are eating? NIghtshades are known to cause RLS. Also, they are inflammatory. I'm not sure if many people with RLS known about them.

[Sara_2611]

No I don't - sorry? Has he told you why? If not - perhaps ask him? Maybe if you're not happy with his reason get a 2nd opinion?

[ijsgrandma]

I don’t take any traditional RLS meds anymore. I think I have tried them all and had bad side effects or augmentation. I take 45 mg CBD (capsule form) which keeps my legs from acting up. I also take 1-2 mg THC to help me get to sleep. I’m sorry for those who can’t get. The thc but I know some people do fine with just the cbd. Maybe it will help.

[rsears57]

My doctor gives me to trazodone at night a hundred mg a piece It's actually an anti-anxiety that makes you very sleepy

[Hidden]

trazadone works well for me too, and also seems to help brighten my mood.

[nightdancer]

Sleep meds will help with insomnia issues. The prescription ones and the ones over the counter are not going to help with RLS, though, as Elisse said. I DO take sleep meds, because even when I do not have RLS at night, my eyes are always WIDE open.

[Pippins2]

If my legs are bad a sleeping pill will not let me sleep, the RLS will over ride it and I have to get up and pace.

[Hidden]

Ok, went over this section with my hubby. He points out that you are essentially agreeing with me, so thank you.

[Hedgie22]

I have had to wean myself over several months off ropinorole as I had severe augmentation. I'm much better off it! My GP (I am in the UK) prescribed me zopiclone to help me sleep while coming off them - I take just half a tablet if my legs start playing up in the night (which is occasional now) and it really helps me sleep

[Raspberrypie]

I have been taking Zopiclone 7.5mg for a couple of years now ( when needed),and have had not problem with it,you just have to be in bed ready to go to sleep and then take it.You don't want to take it like half HR to bed,you will get dizzy,and it won't work.I find it has like a window of 10-15 minutes to work, that is why I said don't take it until you are in bed.