Any successful treatments/meds for PLMD In the UK?

[WestysWifey]

Hi y'all, my hubby suffers from periodic limb movement disorder & is currently using mezolar matrix patches to stop his legs from shaking & jumping up in the air every night when he's asleep but I have noticed that the patches are stopping his breathing a few times a night & so I was wondering if there is anything else that has as good as results as the opiates do but without being opiates??

Would love to hear from you if there is as my sleep (well lack of) is extremely bad as it is & so with him doing his twitching & shaking etc next to me it's not helping at all.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

[LotteM]

You need to tell him this and send him back to the doctor. Mezolar (fentanyl) is an extremely potent opioid and not usually prescribed for RLS. See mayoclinicproceedings.org/a.... Also, ‘central’ breathing depression is a well-known side effect of opioids and a strong indicator to stop its use.

Usually, opioids only get prescribed for refractory RLS after treatment failure with other medicines. Is that the situation for your husband? Check out rls.org. rls-uk.org, the RLS page of Johns Hopkins and this paper for first-line and later treatments of RLS and more: sciencedirect.com/science/a....

[Madlegs1]

Lotte has answered your hubby's issue.

For yourself, and, as a 'carer', it is extremely important that you are fresh and rested most days.

May I suggest separate beds, or at least separate mattresses? My partner and I have twin single mattresses since we were married because of my rls. ( We managed to have four lovely, beautiful girls in that time 🥰)

It is not a sign of marital failure to have separate beds, rather a wise investment in a happy future !

Good luck.

[Hidden]

PLMS (Periodic Limb Movement during Sleep) as you probably know is associated with RLS. I believe about 80% of RLS sufferers have PLMS. It's very rare to have PLMS without having RLS.

i had PLMS years ago and RLS symptoms that were very mild. I found as the RLS symptoms got worse, the PLMS got better.

The treatment for both is more or less the same.

In the UK the only opiate licensed for RLS/PLMS is Targinact. However, even that is usually only prescribed for refractory RLS as Lotte says. Refractory means that the first line treatments for RLS have failed.

That your hubby stops breathing is of great concern. Sleep apnoea is associated with RLS in any event and needs treatment in itself. Fentanyl, a very potent opiate can cause respiratory depression. If your hubby has sleep apnoea AND is using Fentanyl that's double trouble.

Here is some information about sleep apnoea

nhs.uk/conditions/obstructi...

I suggest that your hubby sees a GP and seeks a referral to a sleep specialist. A sleep specialist can carry out a study to determine if your hubby does have sleep apnoea.

However I imagine that before this, your hubby will have to stop the Fentanyl to eliminate that as the cause of the apnoea. If he's been on the patches for some time he will be dependent and will need a programme for weaning off them.

The first line treatments for RLS/PLMS in the UK are either a Dopamine Agonist or an Alpha2delta ligand.

Here is a link to the UK National guidelines for the treatment of RLS

cks.nice.org.uk/restless-le...

Scroll down to "What drugs should I consider etc"

Of the 2, Dopamine Agonists are, at first, more effective, but there are problems with long term use, which the guidelines mention. Some doctors now prescribe Gabapentin or Pregabalin first, but they're not always as effective. I have read recently that Gabapentin/Pregabalin are preferred for PLMS. (They are also used for epilepsy).

It's astonishing that anyone be prescribed an opiate BEFORE anything else for RLS/PLMS in the UK and certainly not Fentanyl.

i think your hubby needs medical advice a.s.a.p. as his situation is dangerous.