Ranking the opioids for RLS

[BAK524]

I'd love to see experienced members rank the various opioids for efficacy. Include advantages, disadvantages, side effects etc Which ones should be avoided, etc. Include kratom on the list. Maybe we can all agree on one "master list"?!!!

[LotteM]

That is impossible. We are all different. And there will not be one medicine that works for all. And none of us has tried them all. Your best info are the papers in the Mayo Clonic Proceedings of 2018 and 2021. Kratom is not mentioned in these as it is not a registered medicine.

If you have followed this forum for a while you can make the list. But don't forget about the side effects, although I think they are underreported and hence underestimated.

Sorry if I sound negative, I just don't want to feed what I think is overpositive and too simplistic ideas. RLS is a complicated disease that is very far from well understood. And: we are all different.

[BAK524 in reply to LotteM]

Thanks for the response. Yes I agree that we are all different, but the scientist in me is always looking for patterns. It seems that some of the opioids get better reviews than others, and others have more drawbacks. For example, methadone and buprenorphine seem to get some positive reviews, whereas some oxycodone users have reported insomnia.

[ziggypiggy in reply to LotteM]

Very true. On a side note. My long time doc who has prescribed opioids for the duration recently also prescribed Narcan nasal spray to have on hand in case of accidental or intentional overdose for myself or someone else. I thought this interesting. I wonder if this is going to become more common place for patients using opioids?

[Madlegs1]

I'm minded of an old beekeeper adage.

Ask 3 beekeepers for advice and you'll get 5 answer.

Lotte has explained why.

😎

[lorrinet]

I've been on Dihydrocodeine for over 20 years and have been able to live a reasonable life because of them. Constipation can be a problem, but with lots of fruit and veg, plenty of water, it isn't usually an issue. My daughter, I'm sorry to say, has inherited the RLS, but Dihydrocodeine doesn't work so well for her. She's been prescribed the usual drugs but has side-effects from all of them. I feel so sorry for her. I'm sure there is an opioid that would work well for her, but the GP insists she must try all the usual drugs first.

We're all different.