Gabapentin and no sleep

[Ephemera]

Hello again. Husband has started Gabapentin for severe RLS and is more awake now than before. He does not get sleepy from taking it and is still a night walker. Some nights he might sleep from 5am til 9am. Getting to end of tether now. So frustrating. Any ideas. TIA

[SueJohnson]

It may get better or even disappear after a few weeks. Safe OTC options for insomnia include: valerian, chamomile, hops, L-tryptophan, 5-HTP, glycine, and GABA. Some prescription medicines include Ativan and Ambien.

[TeddiJ]

Just awful for you both. You can get medical marijuana in the UK, which should help you quite a bit. Or, perhaps ask around and see if someone has any THC products you can try-in any form, but gummies are easiest. Delta 8 works great, too if you can get it.

Or, order red vein kratom powder as “tea” from karate.eu-not only does it stop rls within minutes but it also helps with relaxation and sleep. 

[eliz45 in reply to TeddiJ]

I take CBD oil when the creep crawlies and cramps start in the night. Three drops lasts about three hours. I just get up and take more in the night but I usually get up to go to the bathroom anyways. Not perfect but I get a much better sleep.

[Ephemera in reply to eliz45]

Thanks, his is more than creepy crawlies, muscles almost twist. Might give CBD a try though.

[SueJohnson in reply to eliz45]

Have you had your ferritin checked? Improving your ferritin to 100 or more helps 60% of people with RLS and in some cases completely eliminates their symptoms. If you haven't when you see your doctor ask for a full iron panel. Stop taking any iron supplements including multivitamins that have iron in them 48 hours before the test, fast after midnight and have your test in the morning. When you get the results, ask for your ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) numbers. You want your transferrin saturation to be over 20% but less than 45% and your ferritin to be at least 100. If they are not, post them here and we can give you advice.

[Ephemera in reply to SueJohnson]

Not had iron checked yet. Taking Gabapentin and slowly increasing dose. He seems to suffer with withdrawal by mid morning. We are keeping going but it is so hard to do. So glad I found this site, your comments have really helped.

[SueJohnson in reply to eliz45]

Also, have you tried gabapentin which is the first-line treatment for RLS?

[eliz45 in reply to SueJohnson]

Hi. Thanks for the help and information. I have an iron panel done when I have a physical and all indicators are normal except the iron saturation which is off by 1. That would involve low transferrin and can be accounted for by the fact that I have celiac disease. My ferritin is 115. I also have microscopic colitis so one wonders how much I can absorb of most nutrients. And yet my numbers all fall into the normal range for iron except iron saturation.. But I will definitely look for another way to get more iron into my diet. Right now I take ferrous sulfate but according to what I have read, the absorption rate is only 10-15 %.

This all started one day when I spent an hour and a half helping to decorate a Christmas tree standing on a cement floor. That night I had horrible cramps in my legs but I figured I would recover. But every night they came back but were no longer just cramps. I started having the tinglings and the muscle spasms and the creepy feelings and electrical type feelings. And it is definitely related to being on my feet too much or sitting too much. Or possibly being dehydrated. So I am not sure it is RLS but since I have several autoimmune diseases I think it is possible. I have started taking Gabapentin slowly, since I am prone to being allergic to most meds, but I have not seen much result yet. I thought for a time it was constipating, which is great for someone with colitis, but am not sure of that anymore. At present I am relying on CBD oil to get rid of the cramps and tingling etc. It does work, but it does not last all night so I have to get up in the night several times to take more. And I am a tad concerned about taking it because there are no hard and fast rules about dosing.

Thanks again for your expertise. I love this site because I get a lot of helpful ideas as to how to move forward.

[SueJohnson in reply to eliz45]

All of the following must be true for a diagnosis of RLS: 1) The urge to move the legs and sometimes the arms 2) The onset or worsening of symptoms during periods of inactivity when lying down and sometimes when sitting 3) Symptoms occur or worsen in the evening or bedtime. They are usually dormant in the morning 4) Symptoms get better when walking or stretching as long as it is continued. 5) Can't be explained by another medical or behavioral condition. Would you say these fit your symptoms?

[eliz45 in reply to SueJohnson]

Yes I think I do satisfy these requirements. The only one that is questionable is the "urge" to move my legs. Sometimes my legs move themselves. My feet and toes just twist and turn. But sometimes I do have the urge to move them and when I do I get serious cramps and I must get up and stand on them. Oh and of course I don't know if there is any other condition that it could be. I would be interested in knowing what conditions might be similar. I thought it was pretty much a rather mysterious condition without a lot of research. Thanks for your insight.

[SueJohnson in reply to eliz45]

chiro.org/Graphics_Box_ALT-... gives the differential diagnosis. Having your legs move themselves is a symptom of PLMD which is treated the same way as RLS. Although it is usually at night, it can be during the day.

[eliz45 in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks. I copied that whole article. Extremely informative.

[Meritus in reply to eliz45]

Hi eliz45. See my positive review of green moringa tea below - posted today.

[TeddiJ in reply to TeddiJ]

kraatje.eu

[eliz45]

Yeah, I get actual muscle spasms too. My right leg just starts cramping up and the foot starts moving on its own and twisting. Sometimes both legs.

[TeddiJ in reply to eliz45]

Great that you found a cbd oil that stops the rls-I never did find one that worked.

[eliz45 in reply to TeddiJ]

I am in America and I think this might be a small business. It isn't perfect but I get more sleep. I hope you find what you need. It is so devastating to go without sleep. Good luck.

[TeddiJ in reply to eliz45]

Thanks! I am, too, and I use 50 mg Delta 8 gummies for sleep-you could try those, too, as they are very easy to get at any smoke shop.

[eliz45 in reply to TeddiJ]

Thanks. Good to know.

[Meritus]

Well, I took the green moringa tea last night after my left leg started its 'fit'. For the first time in many months I slept till 3.41am . I did not take any more than the two capsules I took earlier and fell quickly back to sleep till 6.41am (coincidence?) and cat-napped for a couple of hours before getting up. I will definitely be continuing the treatment as well as my usual Restiffic foot wraps when the rls starts. I felt absolutely no adverse effects so the K does not seem like a drug, just a natural remedy. It came to UK in 48 hours from Kratje.eu although they sent two green instead of a green and red. I shall be in touch with them after the holiday and will update this forum in the hope that it will help stop the night walking for your long-suffering husband and any sufferer out there.