Restless legs relieved.

[Warren8TO10]

Hi,

Hello,

Re: program on Channel 5, Tuesday 23 July 2019, 10:15 pm, relating to restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

I’m 87 years old, a retired engineer. I could empathise with all the people on the program, who suffered from the condition. And that’s because I’ve had RLS for more years than I care to remember. My doctor tried a number of medications - including Quinine tablets and tranquillisers - none of which worked. Then, by trawling the internet, I discovered that RLS trials had taken place, in which one drug had a good success rate.

It is dopamine-based, with the proprietary name of Ropinirole. I brought this to the attention of my doctor, who was prepared to prescribe the medication for a trial period. As a result. I’m happy to say that - although it didn’t cure the problem - the tablets did relieve the symptoms for several hours at a time, allowing a better nights sleep with much-improved quality of life. To continue to get the relief, I'm having to increase the dose over the years - I started with 0.5mg tablets twice per day. I'm now using 1mg, four times per day, which, according to my doctor, is the maximum dose medically recommended. Even so, the experience was a real "game-changer". I hope this proves useful.

John Pye.

[Hidden]

Hi, lots of members on here and other RLS groups are using Ropinerole or have used it. With this med you need to be aware of Augmentation, and as you have had to increase your dose over time, you should read about Augmentation when taking this med There is a pinned post to the right side of this forum which gives information on Augmentation.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Hidden]

Or-- if, like me, you are reading this on your phone-- scroll down to near the bottom of the page.

These youngsters really don't understand modern gadgetry!😆

[Hidden in reply to Madlegs1]

I will have to remember to include that info for phone users. Thanks for saying where to look as i didnt know.

[Joolsg]

The maximum dose now recommended by RLS experts is 1mg so please do read the post about Augmentation. I hope it doesn’t happen for many years.

[Hidden]

Thanks for posting this, it's really good that your doctor found an effective medication for your RLS. Quinine was a traditional treatment for RLS and cramps, as well as malaria. It wasnt very effective and is now considered dangerous.

Dopamine Agonists, (DAs) like Ropinirole, were perhaps the first really effective treatment for relieving RLS symptoms. They don't cure it. If you don't take it, you get the symptoms back. DAs work because they directly correct one of the causes of RLS in the brain.

Benzodiazepines, (tranquilisers), have been used for RLS and still are in some cases. They aren't very effective for controlling RLS symptoms but can help with insomnia in conjunction with other RLS medications.

DAs now however are (slowly) falling out of favour because of the risks of longer term consequences

Some people suffer an "Impulse control disorder" due to DAs, and get various serious addictions, gambling, eating, shopping etc.

More common is augmentation, which can be a major problem as others have said. Many members of this site have suffered from this and have had to stop taking whatever DA they were taking, or are trying to stop.

Thank you for coming on this site with the excellent intention of helping others with information about the remedy you found for your RLS.

In return, I hope you find the information you've got in return, especially about augmentation is helpful for you.

Best wishes

[MATTIELUKE]

I hope you will never experience augmentation with this drug. I wish you the best.