Seeing my GP

[restlessinlondon]

Hi,

I've had RLS for 47 years and, as with many of us, it worsened as I got older. I have been through the DAs, Gabapentin and have just come off Pregabalin due to side effects. My ferritin level is over 100 so I'm pretty happy with that and have just started taking A-Z multi vitamins. I avoid the triggers that I know about - caffeine, dairy, alcohol and deep fried food.

On Friday I will be seeing my GP to discuss low dose opioids and would be grateful for some advice. When I saw him last I told him about the Mayo Clinic Algorithm, which he had not heard of - fortunately he is very open and I was able to leave that with him. He mentioned an opioid patch, which I have not heard about and I wondered if anyone here had used it and whether it worked for you. Do people think this would be better than tablets?

Many thanks to all the knowledgeable people out there!

[SueJohnson]

You want buprenorphine which comes in both tablet and a patch. The problem with the patch is it often doesn't last the full 7 days, and it is 24/7 when you often only need it at night. The tablet might be better option but they are sublingual and often cause dental problems. Joolsg says all forms of Buprenorphine cause dry mouth during the night and for many and it's the lack of saliva that causes the tooth issues. I believe she had a solution for that but I don't remember what it was. I am sure she will reply to advise you further as she is much more an expert on this than I am.

[Simkin in reply to SueJohnson]

Interesting Sue as I am getting a very dry mouth on oxycodone and so am drinking lot of water at night.

[restlessinlondon in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you. I did mention buprenorphine to the doctor but he said he couldn't prescribe it for RLS. I will be going back to him with the information I have gathered here.

[Simkin]

Well I have had a huge success thus far (2 months) on 10mg of oxycodone tablets, so I am thrilled.I am still taking my 180mg gabapentin too.

[restlessinlondon in reply to Simkin]

Thank you. It's helpful to know what sort of level people are finding works for them.