Restless leg

[IrisRN]

I’ve had restless leg most of my life and am still having a daily battle against it. It even affects me during the day. Hot baths will stop it but will start again soon after you leave the tub. Nice for a time out! Requip is the only thing that almost works every time. It can make you sleepy so using it during the day could be a problem. The problem with the drug is your body gets use to it and then you need more. I get 8 pills a day, 0.5mg each. I can use them any way I want. I try to change my night dose to 3-4 pills one night, 2-3 the next night. Just never allowing my body to get use to a specific dose and I have maintained at max 4mg a day for at least 15 years.

[YodaDog]

Hello Iris.

If you have been taking Requip for at least 15 years (especially some of those at 4mg per day) then there is a very good chance that you are suffering from augmentation. Augmentation is probably the major downside with Dopamine Agonist drugs (Requip, Pramipexole, Neupro patch), have you heard about it? Signs of augmentation are that you need to take the DA earlier in the day and you need to increase the dose over time to get the same result. Another awful symptom is that the awful sensations we suffer from appear in other parts of the body - such as the arms, the groin and even the face. The only way to negate these is to withdraw (very carefully) from the DA. To learn more about augmentation you can click on the link to the 'pinned post' on the right hand side of this page.

Have you had your iron levels checked and/or do you take iron supplements, as low iron levels have a strong correlation with/to RLS.

I wish you all the best

Simon

[Joolsg]

Hi Iris

Simon ( yodadog) has given you great advice. Definitely sounds like augmentation. Like you, I was on 4mg Ropinirole for 15 years and augmentation was so insidious, I didn’t realise it had crept up on me.

Read the pinned post and watch the video of Dr Early talking about augmentation on the main page of RLS UK website.

Once you get off Ropinirole you’ll realise how much worse it had made your RLS.

There are other drugs available- pregabalin and gabapentin are better options.

[dklohrey]

Been on Requip (ropinirole) most of the 20 some years that I have had RLS. About two years ago I had to raise the dosage to 3 mg (one bill a couple of hours before bed). I too started getting symptoms during the day (probably augmentation). I have been able to get relief from daytime symptoms with compression socks. I know that I am putting off the inevitable, of trying to find another drug other than ropinirole, but I dread the consequences of weaning myself of the drug. I understand it is very difficult.

[YodaDog in reply to dklohrey]

You should try gabapentin if you haven't already. Works for many (but not all) and can help with pain if you get any of that with your RLS (I do) and doesn't cause augmentation.

[IrisRN in reply to YodaDog]

Not much help. Tried it about three weeks ago for spinal nerve pain. It did not seem to make difference in my RLS.

[YodaDog in reply to IrisRN]

Just to follow up, can I ask what dosage you took and for how long?

[IrisRN in reply to dklohrey]

I ran out a couple of weeks ago and it was horrible.

[IrisRN]

Hi. I do not get any head pressure. I get this need to move my legs. Holding them still is not an option. I myself have been on Ropinerol and I agree that at first most find great relief at first and after awhile the rls happens more frequently. I have been on it for over 20 years. Being I was concerned about augmentation, I took only what I absolutely needed to keep the symptoms away. Only thing was that at first it rarely happened during the day and as of 2 months ago I had it frequently in the am. I am not speaking as a nurse but as a fellow person with rls. Hope it gets better for you.

[Hidden]

Have you looked at seratame.com which gives Top 7 foods for restless leg syndrome. Decaffeinated green tea is said to help as well as other foods which have substances which control Parkinson's symptoms. Iron and vitamin deficiency are two different known causes of restless leg syndrome. There are different types of restless legs linked to other metabolic illnesses including thyroid and diabetes. Other autoimmune diseases from the gut may give rise to this syndrome. Omega 3 oil is said to help some illnesses such as multiple sclerosis as it helps repair the myelin sheath of nerves. I guess every bit of information which can be found from food supplements is useful. A long-standing calcium deficiency might be linked to restless legs. Hope you find herbs and foods to help your symptoms.