Cymbalta/duloxetine

[Notlikinthis]

I weaned off ropinerole a few months back and was doing pretty well with the supplement GABA and a cannabis tincture. Lately the RLS has crept back to raise havoc at night. The GABA seems to have lost its effectiveness and the cannabis makes me groggy the next day. I went to the doc and she prescribed Cymbalta to help with the RLS. Since it isn't expensive, I picked it up on my way home then started reading about it on line. One of the side effects is restless legs!!! Why on earth would she prescribe something that exacerbates the problem? Had anyone here ever heard of Cymbalta helping? I'm afraid to try it. I don't have anxiety or depression, but I do have pain from rheumatoid arthritis, but I sure don't need RLS on top of everything else. Should I go ahead and try it? I'm not sure if I should.

[Elffindoe]

Sorry to see that the GABA is no longer working.

Either there has been a misunderstanding with your doc or she is profoundly ignorant. Perhaps the duloxetine is for your arthritis.

Firstly, I can confirm that you are correct in thinking that duloxetine is going to make your RLS worse,

If you are willing to try a medication for your RLS, then the options are -

An alpha 2 delta ligand, gabapentin, pregabalin or gabapentin enacarbil (in the US)

Or

A combination of two of a dopamine agonist, ligand, benzodiazepine or low potency opioid.

Or

A low dose high potency opioid.

If you wish to manage your RLS without medication, then firstly be aware that there's no evidence that any food supplement can help with RLS.

The FIRST treatment for RLS is iron therapy. This involves blood tests for serum iron, transferrin saturation, ferritin and haemoglobin.

If results are all "normal" then -

a) if ferritin is below 75 then start an oral iron supplement

b) if ferritin is between 76 and 100 see if you can get an IV iron infusion.

Iron therapy can take several months to work.

The second thing is to identify and if possible eliminate anything which might be making your RLS worse.

The main things that do this are other medications, e.g. antidepressants.

One non-medical remedy that anecdotally seems to work is Kratom, but my opinion is that this is highly risky.

Cannabis can help with some aspects of RLS, but the best option will be medical grade cannabis.

From what I've read the vast majority of "CBD" products aren't effective for RLS.

Here's a link to the latest medical recommendations for the management of RLS.

mayoclinicproceedings.org/a...

[Notlikinthis in reply to Elffindoe]

Thank you so much for your reply! I took one of the Cymbalta s and it was Hell. My left leg bounced around ALL night long and kept me awake. Nothing I tried helped. Hot compresses, walking, etc. Sometimes a plain old aspirin will calm it, but not that time. The next day my right leg started up when I was driving to work! Good thing for cruise control.I called the doctor and left a message for her to do her homework on that nasty drug. I slept a little better last night. Had a bit of the twitchies but they stopped after awhile.

I'd like to not take any pharmaceuticals, especially opiods, but I may end up doing just that.

Thanks again for your reply!

[Jumpey]

Elffindoe has given you a comprehensive reply.I too have used Gaba.It does loose effectiveness when your body no longer needs it.And when this happens,if you still take it, it leaves you feeling tired and groggy. Huge good luck.x

[SueJohnson]

Definitely don't take the cymbalta. My doctor prescribed it for pain and I tried it. It was OK for the 1st two days, but day 3 it made my restless legs way worse.