Gralise/ gabapentin will cause augmentation?

[Camry2020]

I have had RLS since I was a child and is has periodically made my life unbearable.

After having been through augmentation many times, I was assured this was a good option. I am on 1800 mg daily and it works fairly well (RLS 75% improved) though I was successfully on Neurontin, also gabapentin, for many years but it eventually caused augmentation. Is this a different compound? Will gralise do the same? All these things are so confusing and at 81 years old, I'm not interested in learning chemistry or pharmacology, just having an active life and a good nights sleep! Worried about side effects of gralise and augmentation I love this site and am so grateful!

[SueJohnson]

I'm confused by what you mean when you say you augmented on gabapentin as you can't augment on gabapentin.

[Madlegs1]

Gralise is the same as gabapentin. As Sue says - neither cause augmentation.

If you experienced worse rls under these medications, then it was caused by something else.

Either a food/ drink or more probably, a medication.

If you were on antihistamines or antidepressants or statins, then any of these could worsen the rls.

There are many other medications that trigger rls other than the above.

Even taking magnesium or antacids within 3 hours of gabapentin will lessen their effect-- thus again causing RLS symptoms.

So--- if you can recall the time you augmented, and consider what was going on for you then,. you might be able to get a handle on what caused the lack of effect.

Good luck. And don't be worriting about going back on gabapentin --- you'll be grand.

It's the other stuff you might be taking for other conditions that'll cause you grief.

Mind yourself.

[Camry2020 in reply to Madlegs1]

Thanks so much!!!

[C82021 in reply to Madlegs1]

Gabapentin at 1200 was beginning to not work for me anymore. (Doctor is hesitant to go beyond 1200 mg ) Began taking 400 mg of Magnesium in the morning and Gabapentin 600 mg at 7pm and another 600 mg at 11pm. This combination has been helping.

[Camry2020 in reply to C82021]

Thank you! Magnesium has given me dysentery type issues which really impact my life. I don’t know how to get around them. Otherwise I would happily take it!

[Hidden in reply to Camry2020]

Taking magnesium tablets does tend to have a laxative effect - after all, it is often prescribed to ease constipation! I find it very useful to counteract RLS, but if you're sensitive you shouldn't take more than 200mg at a time. C82021 copes with 400mg in a morning, but many wouldn't.On the other hand, I need to take at least 400mg of tablets spread out across a day - but as Madlegs1 says you mustn't take it within 2-3 hours of taking gralise/gabapentin.

Alternatively if you're magnesium deficient but cannot take the tablets you could try magnesium oil spray directly on your legs: this works for some.

On the other hand, magnesium - like iron - doesn't help everyone!

And as Madlegs1 says, all sorts of medications for other things, and various foodstuffs, can make RLS worse and overwhelm otherwise successful treatments for RLS...

Good luck!

[Madlegs1 in reply to Camry2020]

What type of magnesium are you taking ?Ideally it should be one of the -- ates. I take citrate 100mg, which works for me.

Mg oxide is often sold as magnesium, but really is just a cheap and nasty filler and effective laxative.

There are extensive articles on the various mg types, each one has different effects. Just Google or whatever your search vehicle is.

You can make up a very effective " oil" by combining Epsom salts with water in equal parts.

Cheers.

[SueJohnson in reply to C82021]

Unless you need gabapentin at 8:00 to 9:00 pm, you should take the 600 mg you take at 7:00 pm at 9:00 pm and that will better help your night time RLS symptoms so you probably may not need more than 1200 mg. If you do need more than 1200 mg refer your doctor to the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS which says that most patients need 1200 to 1800 mg of gabapentin at Https://mayoclinicproceedings.org/a... Ask your doctor for 100 mg capsules and increase it by 100 mg every couple of days until you find the dose that works for you. Take the extra at 7:00 pm.

[Butterflysun1]

Hi there. I feel for you. I think it will be shown before long and accepted that eg Gabapentin and Pregabalin DO cause augmentation.I am certain that Pregabalin did for me.

In medicine different things are thought at different times as evidence is collected.

It is likely it isn’t augmentation by the same mechanism as the dopamine agonists do, but in my experience it FEELS the same as is described for the DA’s.

I don’t think from the accounts of others it is quite as bad & the withdrawal isn’t quite so hard but I am sure in my experience it exists.

My theory is that various treatments work by affecting various metabolic pathways but the body tries to put itself back to the status quo it has originally chosen.

I worked for many years in the health service. At first I was young & certain that what I had been taught were ‘facts’ & explained them as if they were. Later I realised that things change all the time as evidence is collected & research progressed and eventually my explanations were prefaced with ‘this is what we believe just now’. There was a fair amount that was believed to be correct at one point which turned out not to be.

If you feel as if you augmented on Gabapentin then I expect you are correct, whatever the mechanism is and eventual name will become.

The most expert person is the sufferer to my mind.

[SueJohnson in reply to Butterflysun1]

You said you stopped pregabalin because it affected your balance. That is not augmentation but simply a side effect that affects some.

[Butterflysun1 in reply to SueJohnson]

No, I got augmentation as well. I mentioned balance when it seemed appropriate to mention balance in response to whatever the post had said. I’ve posted quite a lot about it over the years but don’t elaborate on every aspect each time. I just stick to what is appropriate each time & hopefully won’t be too long winded or boring.I honestly believe & have observed over many years about many conditions that knowledge & guidelines evolve over time. The story about RLS is far from over. Mayo etc is brilliant but all these guidelines evolve according to current knowledge. I aim to help where I can by adding what I observe & what I reckon has happened to me & keep an open mind