RLS worse after starting horizon

[enerald]

I have been taking gabapentin for some time. However, my doctor had me start Horizant also to see if it might help. I have only been taking it for about a month now,, but gradually since starting my RLS has been getting worse. Has anyone else had this experience?

[Madlegs1]

I wonder are the doses co equivalent?

[enerald in reply to Madlegs1]

Madlegs1

My doctor had me add Horizant on top of the gabapentin I am already taking

[Madlegs1 in reply to enerald]

As inv dancer says, that is a bit odd. Horizant is just Gabapentin reformulated to bypass the gut, and so allow for lower doses, so as to avoid many of the side effects of high dose Gabapentin.

If you follow me???

Do you by any chance take magnesium?? If so, please leave at least 3 hrs between that and the Horizant/ Gabapentin dose.

I'm not at all sure where your Dr is going with this strategy.

You could email Dr Buchfuhrer at

rlshelp.org

He is an expert on rls medication, and answers emails very promptly.

Good luck.

[enerald in reply to Madlegs1]

Thanks, I may email the Dr. and get his opinion.

[involuntarydancer]

Are you taking Horizant as well as gabapentin? That is fairly unusual as they are from the same drug family, as I understand it.

If you are replacing gabapentin with Horizant it could be that you respond better to gabapentin than Horizant (response to these drugs seems to be somewhat idiosyncratic) or that it is taking your body a while to adjust to the slightly different formulation of Horizant. Or maybe you need a higher dose of Horizant.

If you are adding in the Horizant on top of an existing dose of gabapentin it is surprising that rls is getting worse. I would have thought it would stay the same or get better.

Are there any other changes in your life/lifestyle that might account for the worsening symptoms? Maybe your iron levels have dropped or you have started or discontinued another med? Sometimes rls waxes and wanes so it might just be a spontaneous thing and perhaps it will resolve ...

[enerald in reply to involuntarydancer]

Yes I am taking Horizant on top of the usual dose of gabapentin I am already taking. I think that possibly I just need a little more time to be sure what is happening. I have an appt with my doctor Feb 5 and he wants me to keep taking Horizant until then.

[DTache]

Remember with Horizant, it should be taken 5 hours before anticipated time of sleep!

[Casscass1]

I was on gabapentin for awhile and it stopped working. Then my doctor switched me to horizant to see if it would help. It did for a bit but then stopped. It is from the same family, as involuntarydancer said. My doctor agreed to switch and now I use the neupro patch 1mg. It has changed my life. It’s expensive but for what it does, completely worth it. If you’re not responding to gabapentin or horizant, you need to try a different class of medicines. Good luck.

[Hidden]

So far so good with my taking Horizant. I could not take gabapentin it made me jittery and feeling out of control. I pray Horizant continues to do its job as long as it has been...and more.

[Hidden]

The Horizant is working fine for my RLS but just figured out it is causing me terrible insomnia. Swapping one demon for another!! No one drug fits all, unfortunately.