Long-term solutions

[Rachelp1]

Good morning all, wondering if anyone has ever found anything that gives relief for any more than a few months? I now know never to get my hopes up as nothing ever seems to last more than a couple of months max. Does mean I cherish every good night sleep I ever get, I’m curious if you guys are all the same?

[Jumpey]

Hi.This disease is such a big challenge isn't it? I hope you are holding up.It gets to us all at times.I have been taking Tramadol for years and it still helps.I wouldn't want to be without it.However it doesn't work 100% all the time.Sometimes it stops working . Then

I take a drug holiday of a month and it kicks back in again. Good luck.x

[Dougg]

Hi. The two things that have worked most effectively for me are Oxycodone and kratom. I use both, but primarily rely on kratom because it is easier on my body. I’ve gotten relief using both of these for years. I believe you’ll find postings on this site indicating others have gotten long-term relief from a variety of means, opioids in various forms probably being the most reliable and widely accepted by doctors who really understand this condition. I hope you’re able to find relief. This forum is a great place to get lots of good information from knowledgeable people who have suffered from RLS for years.

[involuntarydancer in reply to Dougg]

I too find kratom easier on my body than oxycodone. I have had success with my system for nearly two years now so it is definitely possible to get relief for more than a few months.

[LotteM in reply to involuntarydancer]

That is good to know, Dougg and involuntarydancer. I suffer from constant fatigue most likely from the oxycodon. As of yesterday I have again switched to relying solely on kratom. Without any problem or withdrawal. I had been taking and still take the kratom during the day also, to try to combat the fatigue. I already have the impression that my daytime (mild) symptoms are less or almost absent. Yay! I will definitely heed Dougg's advice to rotate strains and keep the dosage as low as possible and constant. Maybe I can soon drop my daytime dosing, but don't let me ru ahead of things.

[involuntarydancer in reply to LotteM]

I have consistently found that if I increase my daytime dose of kratom, I need less during the night. It is fantastic not to have to wake up repeatedly during the night to top up the dose and I do also enjoy the mild euphoria of a dose of kratom in the day (for me it is akin to that I get from coffee). Conversely, there are certain downsides to taking kratom through the day - in particular my mental acuity is definitely adversely affected.

[LotteM in reply to involuntarydancer]

Ah. I remember you said the same before. Hm. So you have to weigh the one against the other. I am currently still mentally impaired" due to the oxy (neurologist more or less confirmed that, as she did with the fatigue side effect), but I shall definitely keep it in mind and pay attention. Personally I don't mind getting up once a night for an extra dose. I find the kratom works fast, especially on an empty stomach, allowing me to return to bed within about 10min and quickly fall asleep again. Maybe caffeine is better to keep you going throughout the day? It comes in pills too if you don't want to drink coffee forever.

[intermk in reply to LotteM]

How do you take Kratom? I was filling 000 capsules for a long time but once I got to taking 24 caps each evening I had to stop because of the amount of water necessary. I was up several times at night just to run to the bathroom to relieve myself. Then I started making a Kratom paste which took only a very little amount of water, by comparison, than the capsules. But with Kratom I had to increase the dose frequently, about every month, until I got to the point where the effective dose was higher than the toxic dose, requiring me to stop using Kratom. I used it for a little over 3 years and it worked great but was very difficult to get down due to it's horrifically nasty taste.

[LotteM in reply to intermk]

Hi intermk, I dissolve 1/2 teaspoon in warm water and gulp it down. It doesn't taste great, but I get used to it. I guess it makes a difference that I take a small amount only. I take usually 5 doses over the day. The doses during the day help me to feel a bit more energetic. So far I haven't needed to increase the separate doses or total amount of doses. I alternate daily between two strains, and two other strains after about a month.

Too bad you build tolerance so quickly. Have you been alternating strains? See Dougg's replies for good suggestions, or raffs' Katom holy grail? post.

[intermk in reply to LotteM]

Thanks for that info. I haven't tried taking several small doses. I take about 19 rounded teaspoons each night (or was doing that). I take Buprenorphine now and it seems to work okay but it causes insomnia. So I'm still awake at night. At least I'm not in pain and don't have the painful involuntary leg movements.

[LotteM in reply to intermk]

19 rounded teaspoons?! Have you ever weighed the amount of kratom you were taking? As that sounds like way too much. I can only hope you used a very small teaspoon.

Anyway, it is always always advisable to find the lowest effective dose. And start low.

[intermk in reply to LotteM]

Well I did start out with a single flat teaspoon and worked up to 3 rounded teaspoons before it started to work. And over the years I constantly had to increase the dosage. I think that 52 g was my daily dose with 21 being the single largest dose. And the reason I stopped is because that dose made me feel a bit dizzy and sick to my stomach.

[LotteM in reply to intermk]

Amazong that you could handle that. Almost all info on kratom says that such high doses cause extreme nausea. You must have a strong intestinal tract! Too bad that you appear so insensitive to kratom making you need such high doses. I find it very effective, even though I need repeated dosing, which I didn't need with Oxycontin. But having switched to purely kratom 4 days ago, I can already say I feel better on the kratom than on the oxy. 'Lighter'.

So what do you take now for your RLS?

[intermk in reply to LotteM]

Buprenorphine