Merster here finally with some clarity

[Merster]

I have been fighting rls for 3 yrs now. Sometimes contemplating what kind of soution suicide might be as nothing else was relieving the horrible insomnia and daily pain and nerve sensations it was producing. I was on a low dose pain management drug ms contin until heart surgery in 2015 and thought it a good idea to try and quit taking the Morphine Sulphate. Not putting two and two together as I wasn't having typical withdrawl symptons and thinking it was the right thing to do that is when the rls started. My mother also suffered from rls. Of course that fact gave my docs another reason why I might have rls being heredity.I recently spent a night in emergency after a lazer surgery for a large kidney stone. they treated me with morphine until the pain was under control and for five days following I was rls symptom free. I did start again and left my psychiatrist wondering about the Morphine rls relationship. I decided on my own to go back to previous ms contin doses and bingo, almost no rls/ Looks like the rls was and has been for 3 yrs a withdrawl sympton in itself. My gp says the low dose morphine is a much better option than the side effects of the Ropinerole I have been on. So as you all know this break from the nightmare could b4e short lived but months later I see no change and I sleep 6 to 8 hrs almost every night and have my life back......for now.

[Madlegs1]

You have achieved the Gold standard for rls relief. Low dose opiates. Dr Buchfuhrer has been promoting this for years.

It's great that your doctor is in agreement.

Hopefully he won't be browbeaten into line by the Authorities for overstepping the prescribing regulations.

It's a slow process to get to where we need to be.

Well done.

[Merster in reply to Madlegs1]

again I say " for now" as the beast morphs into a new way to torture. Just thought my experience might apply to others as pain management is not an exact science.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Merster]

There is no reason for any change in symptoms, unless of course, you take in any of the huge array of triggers available to knock rls sufferers off their perches.

I don't know anything about ms morphine or what dose equivalent you are on, but most people on opiates generally gravitate to Oxycontin or Tramadol. They are both long acting medications ( although Oxycontin has some problems in that area)

For Oxy, the equivalent dose should not be more than 25/ 30 mg per day. Preferably 20 should do the job for most people, but individual idiosyncrasies may require modification by adding another medication as well.

All opiates may be potentiated with a small dose of Paracetamol to overcome any trigger issues.

Good luck.

[Parminter]

Withdrawal from opioids can cause RLS. If you google it, it will pop up everywhere.

[gfischer4]

Hello what is mn contin? No side effects?

Please explain how you take it.

I am on ropinerole 1.5 mg.

Thank you

Gene

[Oscarsaurus]

I had taken morphine sulphate for over 5 years prescribed for my chronic back pain however over the years my gp had increased the dose to 80mg daily and also oramorph (liquid morphine) for breakthrough pain. I decided enough was enough as i was still in pain plus i had a vaginal hysterectomy and was in so much discomfort afterwards as they assumed my pain was controlled even tho i told them the morphine did nothing for my pain relief. Anyway i slowly weaned myself off the morphine and when i got to 40mg daily my rls began and i have suffered ever since. My gp did prescribe co codamol to help me wean the last 5mg of morphine which helped my rls alittle with pramipexole, gentle iron and reducing my sugar intake. My old gp said my rls was due to stopping the morphine and that she couldnt give me anything for my rls and that i had to ride it out even tho i had suicidal thoughts but luckily i found an understanding gp now