Opioid dependancy

[Dotmowatee]

Good morning everyone, I am augmenting from pramipexole, I take three 0.088 mg per day at various intervals. I have had an iron infusion which made no difference. My ferretin is over 200. I find it so difficult to reduce and am up all night. Pregabalin and gabapentin don't work for me . I am taking 5mg of Oxycontin which are a godsend and give me 12 hours peace. My only worry is that if I take it every day I will develop a dependency . Some people say to avoid them. My GP says to use when needed ! Really had enough of this. Thanks for listening.

[ChrisColumbus]

"When opioids are used appropriately for RLS, escalation of dose is uncommon, and misuse is infrequent in the absence of a history of substance abuse." Mayo Algorithm

[Dotmowatee in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Thanks, that is good to hear.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Dotmowatee]

You will become dependent on whatever medication is successful at relieving the RLS.

Just as an double leg amputee would be dependent on a wheelchair .

Not in a bad way.

Not as in Addiction.

People often get confused between the two..

I've been on 25 mg of oxycodone for many years and haven't felt the need to increase my dose in all that time.

If I get triggered, then I can take a small dose of paracetamol occasionally.

Good luck.

[Dotmowatee in reply to Madlegs1]

Yes, I am extremely dependant on pramipexole which I hate. My doctor still doesn't acknowledge augmentation as anything to be concerned about ! My husband has a medical background so we convinced the GP that we should have the opiods, so glad we did, thanks for your advice.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Dotmowatee]

Great to be getting where you need to be.

Life will only get better once you get through the augmentation phase.

[SueJohnson]

As far as your difficulty in reducing your pramipexole: The usual recommendation is to reduce by .088 mg every 2 weeks or so. You will have increased symptoms. You may need to reduce more slowly or with a smaller amount. Wait until the increased symptoms from each reduction has settled before going to the next one. If that is still too much to reduce, you can get an inexpensive jewelry scale that measures down to .01 gram from Amazon ($11 in the US) and shave off a bit of the tablet and measure it. then reduce by that amount every 2 weeks.

[Dotmowatee in reply to SueJohnson]

Yes, I have a pill cutter, I will try again and hope for the best. Thank you.

[SueJohnson in reply to Dotmowatee]

I meant to say .088 not .25

[Jumpey]

I am dependent on opioids as the only medication that helps my RLS. In the same way that I have to take my blood pressure meds.I have taken opiods for many years.I have no symptoms of addiction at all.

[Dotmowatee in reply to Jumpey]

Thank you for your comment. Despite taking my Oxycontin last night I started to very slightly reduce the pramipexole and had an awful night.

[Jumpey]

I'm sorry you are suffering. I have never augmented so have no advice to offer.Hang on in there. Others have do e this.So can you.There is light on the other side.

[TheDoDahMan]

Life is much better being dependent on medicine which allows you to sleep, than not being dependent and not being able to sleep. I've been taking 10 mg of methadone every day for four years and feel so much better than before, when I had no medicine that worked and was thinking of ways to end my horrible life. Fear of addiction makes no sense when you are otherwise unable to sleep.

[Dotmowatee in reply to TheDoDahMan]

Yes, I see your point. I'm 71 and fed up with barely 3 hours sleep a night. Am going to take the opioid every evening. Stops my rls within 15 minutes. Thanks.

[TheDoDahMan in reply to Dotmowatee]

Bless your logical mind! And thanks for the thanks. Sleep well!

[Lespenney]

I take oxy and it has been a life saver for me. I take 15 mg. I am going on 2 years now. I am dependant because it takes the rls away, but not because I need it to get a high. I don’t even feel that dose gives me a high. But it sure is nice to know that the restlessness will go within 30 min if taking the pill. Rather then losing my mind.

[Dotmowatee in reply to Lespenney]

So good to hear that you are getting relief from this drug, feel much happier taking it every day. It is a lifesaver. Thank you.

[Dgags]

I have been taking 5mg of oxycodone for over 5 years. There has been no problem, not even a hint, of dependency or addiction. When I first started taking it, maybe for the first month or two, I did notice that I felt slightly more positive and upbeat than usual as I lay down to sleep. But that effect disappeared and now I feel nothing, except I get blessed sleep about an hour or two after I consume the oxycodone. The only other "med" that works for me is 10 mg of THC ( marijuana ) in sour gummies or chocolate ingestibles. But I don't use that very often, especially since it is still illegal in Minnesota. Oxycodone has made a world of difference for me. The only hassle are the steps you have to go through, and ask your doctor to go through, to get prescriptions every month for 30 days. This is because opioids of any kind are federally regulated. I also have to go through perioidic drug/urine tests to be sure I am not taking any other drugs. I also have to meet every few months with my Walgreens pharmacist who talks to be about regular use of opioids. But, again, oxycodone has been a lifesaver for me. Also, 5 mg continues to do the job, with no need to increase the size of the dose of opioids. I highly recommend it if other interventions don't seem to be working for someone and your doctor agrees to prescribe a low dose opioid like oxycodone.

[Dotmowatee in reply to Dgags]

Thanks for the information, glad it works for you. I have tried literally everything else and oxy works so well for me. The itching and the euphoria soon settled, feel happier using it every day now.

[Dgags in reply to Dotmowatee]

Glad to hear that. I am organizing an RLS Support Group here in the Twin Cities ( MN ) and this issue comes up often. It just seems that for each person with RLS there are different interventions that work, no easy "one size fits all". Good luck with dealing with your RLS. Looks like lots of folks resonded with their insights. That's great.

[BeachGolfer]

I too take Oxycodone. I take a total of 12.5 mg. spread out over the evening and night. I never feel high or crave more. If I have breakthrough restlessness due to some food trigger I vape a few puffs of Delta 8 THC which does the trick almost immediately. I wish you good sleep!

[Dotmowatee in reply to BeachGolfer]

Thanks, glad to hear that it works for you. Even with the drug I still struggle to sleep but it stops my restless legs almost immediately. Good luck to you.

[BeachGolfer]

I take the Oxycodone for RLS but for sleep I take 100 mg of hemp derived CBD about 1 and 1/2 hours before bed. As I’m getting into bed I take 25mg of Delta 8 THC Indica gummy which also helps with sleep. The vaped THC that I use for breakthrough restlessness is also Delta 8 Indica THC. It’s an evolving “recipe” that’s working well for now, thankfully!

[Dotmowatee in reply to BeachGolfer]

Glad you have found a recipe that works for you. Thanks for your advice. Good luck.