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[Ex-rugbyplayer]

I have been on Pramipexole for years and at one stage I was taking 1.83 at night. Augmentation set in and was started on Gabapentin, I have been reducing my Pramipexole over a period of time and finally stopped taking it this week. I’m now on 200 in the morning, 200 at lunchtime and 600 in the evening, since I stopped taking my last Pramipexole it has been hell, so my question is this, does it take time to get the Pramipexole out of my system, if so how long? Also what is the recommended dose for Gabapentin?

Thanks

Trevor

[SueJohnson]

Yes it will take several weeks for the symptoms to quiet down. On the gabapentin, it takes at least 3 weeks after your symptoms settle down for it to be fully effective. According to the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS: "Most RLS patients require 1200 to 1800 mg of gabapentin daily." 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 it 1-2 hours before bedtime. If you need more than 600 mg take the extra 4 hours before bedtime as it is not as well absorbed above 600 mg. If you need more than 1200 mg, take the extra 6 hours before bedtime. If you take magnesium, take it at least 3 hours before gabapentin as it interferes with the absorption.of gabapentin. Unless you were having RLS symptoms during the day before you started treatment with pramipexole, several weeks after your symptoms settle down you can probably stop the daytime use of gabapentin.

[Ex-rugbyplayer in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks Sue. Very helpful.