Love gabapentin!

[RLSNona]

On Monday I went to a new doc. (thanks to SueJohnson). He knows about RLS, confirmed that I was augmenting on Requip (as I'm on .5mg maybe the neurologist I saw thought it wasn't much? or just didn't know?). Anyway, new doc put me on 100mg gabapentin at night, I'm continuing .5mg of requip at 7pm, (for the time being), along with CALM (magnesium). Will redo ferritin labs.

My point is.....I was a little fearful to change drugs. I've been on requip for 20+ years, I'm used to the ups and downs. Reading about others experiences getting off of requip worried me. BUT just a couple of days not on the requip at night is great! Seems like I think more clearly, my head is not foggy. My mood is better. Anxiety is lessened. Is this the experience of others? I'd love to know. Will it get even better when I get off of requip totally?

[SueJohnson]

That's great! Yep it will get better.

[Serving in reply to SueJohnson]

Sue I live in Charlotte, NC and was wondering if you know of a doctor in this area that treat RLS?

[SueJohnson in reply to Serving]

There's no one in Charlotte, but there are 3 doctors in NC:

Kevin M. Klein [phone] Shelby

A. Thomas Perkins [phone] Raleigh

Jasvinder P. Singh [phone] Elizabeth City

[SueJohnson in reply to Serving]

These are doctors on the Restless Leg foundation website. However although the doctors have been submitted to this list by someone who used them and found them knowledgeable. They still might prescribe dopamine agonists which you don’t want and/or they might not prescribe opioids if you need them. The reason is that the person that submitted the name might have been happy with a dopamine agonist and without an opioid. The best way to find out if they are knowledgeable and uptodate is to ask if they have read the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS.

[Tanker1]

I don't think 0.5 mg is very much. I think the maximum recommended dose is 4 mg. Never-the-less, its good to get off it before you augment.

[RLSNona in reply to Tanker1]

I misspoke....it is .5mg 2X day. Now, just one .5mg! and even at this low dose, I was still augmenting! it's tough stuff!

[Opie__ in reply to RLSNona]

I only took Requip for a few years and never more than 1.5 mg. I started augmenting after a couple of years on it. I first gave up the .5 I took in late afternoon when RL started acting up. After a month of that, I started reducing very slowly .25 every week or two til I was no longer on Requip. I did ok til then but had some trouble sleeping. I had already started taking Gabapentin for Chemo induced neuropathy 300 mg. For about 3 weeks of no Requip, I finally started doing better. Those 3 weeks were pretty tough (took no pain meds) but managable. I would exercise every couple of hours to get a little sleep. Then went to see a neurologist who prescribed 900 mg of Gabapentin and that started to really make a difference. I am now 2 1/2 months without Requip and still taking the Gabapentin, I am able to get 8 hours of sleep most nights now. Someone mentioned you have to be completely off Requip to get the full effect of Gabapentin. It has changed my life since getting off of Requip, couldn't be happier with the results.

[RLSNona in reply to Opie__]

I think I have been augmenting for years now.....just believing that was my life. Thank goodness for this forum, or I probably would still be suffering!

I will be seeing the doc again in a couple of months, figuring I'll continue to take the .5 mg of requip until then. Can't wait to stop, or at least begin to cut down!

Thankfully I've not had trouble sleeping. Looking forward to be completely off requip! thanks for your note.

[jdawg77]

Hey Nona, any side effects from the gabapentin? Also, did it work instantly in allowing you to sleep?

[RLSNona in reply to jdawg77]

No side effects from gabapentin so far. I had been on it when first diagnosed, and had side effects then. (What they were I forget). So this doc put me on a low dose, 100mg to start. He said this was to avert the side effects. Info said gabapentin helps you sleep....no difference with requip, except that I don't have dizziness with gabapentin when I get up in the middle of the night.