RLS and Akathisia are they the same thing?!

[Buzzyboy]

Hi am new to this and nervous. Just want d to share that 1 40mg propranolol late afternoon plus 2 25mg Ropinerole at bed time almost guarantees a good nights rest from RLS , for me! Also can anyone tell me if Akathisia is the same as RLS ? It has been mentioned in my diagnosis and am bit scared !!!

[Kaarina Administrator]

Hi Buzzyboy,

RLS is the urge to move while resting and decreases with activity.

Akathisia is a compelling need to be in constant motion. They are different. Hope that helps.

[Hidden]

Hello Buzzyboy, as Kaarina says, Akathisia and RLS are different.

Akathisia is, I believe, sometimes wrongly used to describe the "urge to move" experienced with RLS.

It's usually a side effect of some other medication, such as a sedating antihistamine.

I'm not 100% clear what's happened in your case.

Have you just been diagnosed with RLS or did you have it previously? Is your diagnosis now that you have both? Was there no discussion of what akathisia means and what might be causing it?

Propranolol is a beta blocker and can be used for akathisia especially if it's due to nerves e.g. shaking or tremor due to anxiety.

However. it's not used for RLS, it will not relieve it and can in fact make it worse.

The other thing I'm not clear about is whether you've just started taking both propranolol AND ropinirole.

This is significant since if you started taking both at the same time and they're working, which one of them is working?

Ropinirole, which is a dopamine agonist will help with RLS, but not akathisia.

Furthermore, if you've just been prescribed ropinirole (and propranolol), I hope whoever prescribed them told you of the benefits, risks and alternatives. Without doing this, they have acted unethically and possibly illegally, (law of informed consent).

Dopamine agonists, such as ropinirole have a high risk of complications and so are no longer recommended as a first line treatment for RLS.

I suggest you consult the doctor again and get them to clarify your diagnosis and get them to explain their rationale for prescribing what they have prescribed.

You may find these links useful

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/274...

sciencedirect.com/science/a...

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/rest...

I'm afraid if you have RLS then you have to learn as much about for yourself as possible. You can't rely on a GP to be up to date or particularly knowledgeable about it. This is probably why they've failed to properly inform you.