sleepless nights.

[Sleeplesnights]

My story re Ropinirole is as follows. I was prescribed ropinirole by my GP and it worked well initially. However as time passed RLS started to get worse so I took more tablets which didn't improve things. In fact the more I took the worse it got. That was when I discovered that I was suffering augmentation, which apparently means that after a period of time Ropinirole has the opposite effect to what's intended. So I decided to quit Ropinirole which I did gradually over a couple of weeks. I am now taking 1 non prescription 500mg L - Tyrosine daily. Things are much improved although I still have the occasional bad night. I hope this is of some help.

[Madlegs1]

Mait agat. ☘️

[SueJohnson]

That's great ! 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 not 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 some advice.

[Jumpey]

Great news. Perhaps get your ferritin checked also.

[DicCarlson]

Apparently the mechanism of action for L-Tryosine is that "Tyrosine is converted into Levodihydrophenylalanine (L-Dopa) and L-Dopa is subsequently and avidly converted into dopamine."

[Elouis]

I'm glad it has improved your RLS condition. By the way, is your sleep quota about 7-8 hrs nightly? My medication doesn't work at least 3 times a week with additional RLS episodes during the day. It is a struggle falling off to sleep due to violent restless legs. I cannot control when I drop off to sleep or wake up, and when I do, its like a hang over, although I don't drink any alcohol.

[Sleeplesnights in reply to Elouis]

On the nights when RLS rears its ugly head sleep is a problem. I'm lucky if I get 2 or 3 hours. Otherwise sleep ok.

[Elouis in reply to Elouis]

I quote from an earlier post, 2 days ago, from SueJohnson: " Since you are not getting enough sleep you might want to take something for it. Safe OTC options for insomnia include: valerian, chamomile, hops, L-tryptophan, 5-HTP, glycine, and GABA. The best prescription medicines are Ambien and Lunesta. Ambien is advised only for short term or intermittent use but Lunesta is not. Always discuss these with your doctor."

[Sleeplesnights in reply to Elouis]

Many thanks Elouis. I'll explore those options.