So the Doc was still scrambling around not to prescribe an ipoid. And the Mayo did suggest tramadol or codeine. So l accepted another trial of a long acting Tramadol 50 mgs x 2.. Start today. Meanwhile have a prescription for zopilcone which really knocks me out. Also l think lowers my mood. Feel very down today.
Any experiences of tramadol and RLS?. It has been amazing to be asymptomatic with the knock out drops. But l don’t think this is the way to go.
Have a good day everybody.
I have been taking 200mg of Tramulief for over 5 years. It helps with both suppressing movement and reducing pain awareness. I have tried to come off it because of the anti opioid idea gaining traction amongst neurologists but I went back to the 200
Are you still on 1mg Ropinirole ? If so, nothing will help the severe RLS until you're off it completely.You were on 4mg. Pregabalin and gabapentin won't help while you're on Ropinirole.
Tramadol will help you get off the last 1mg Ropinirole.
I asked on your last post what triggered RLS 4 years ago?
Usual triggers are anti depressants, iron deficiency ( anaemia) or bone operations.
Now you have Tramadol, get off Ropinirole.
RLS will increase- withdrawal is HELL.
Once off Ropinirole, then you can see if Tramadol stops RLS. But be wary. It's the only opioid that causes worsening of RLS.
Alternative meds are Pregabalin and gabapentin which do work for most people once off Ropinirole.
Thank you so much for you reply.l have been taking Citalopram for donkey years.
Yes lm off Ropinirole. Have been for about 3 weeks.
It true l was prescribed both Gabapentine and th
sorry!!
I was prescribed both Gabapentine and then Pregabalin within the window of potential blow back from Ropinirole. The withdrawal was intense and completely threw me.
I didn’t know that Tramadol could worsen RLS. Before getting the prescription lve been taking Zoplicone 75 mgs and my mood has sunk to depths l haven’t felt for years. Obviously my neurotransmitters are all over the place.
Taking it easy. I shall take the Tramadol SR 75mgs and see how l get on.
Really don’t want to introduce another chemical. Maybe l was wrong but l liked the idea of having a micro dose of buprenorphine to see me through the night without seriously messing around with my dop/gaba/serotonin receptors.
Thoughts.
I highly recommend Buprenorphine. Saved my life. Literally. I'd reached the end of the line. Nothing had worked post Ropinirole. I was on oxycodone and pregabalin for 5 years and still had severe RLS.Buprenorphine worked the FIRST night. 0.4mg. Many get by on 0.1 or 0.2mg.
If you can persuade your GP to prescribe it, then go for it.
Tramadol is the only opioid that can cause augmentation. It doesn't make RLS worse until and if that happens.
You are lucky to be able to take zopiclone. It makes my legs go into overtime!
I used Tramadol successfully for many years.Tolerance eventually got the better of me. A periodic drug holiday for a month helped with this for a long time.And then stopped working.
I take Tramadol, up to 150mg, and it works well for me. However, I tend to reach tolerance quickly with most meds so when it stops being effective I switch off to Oxycodone for 2-3 weeks then come back to Tramadol. I prefer the Tramadol over the oxy as I get rebound effects from the oxy, but by alternating I have been able to keep the dosage of both low. I will say that neither give me the relief I had hoped for and I still am up off and on throughout the night, but at least I’m not in abject misery as I was prior to taking them. I’d love to try Buprenorphine but my doctor won’t prescribe it for me.
Then switch doctors. Luckily you are in the US so it is easy to do that or ask for a referral to a neurologist who will prescribe it.
Yes, just go to another doctor. I have found that even a local internist will prescribe Suboxone (a form of BUP) for me-which was originally prescribed by Dr. B. Or, just go to Dr. B!
No reason to live like that just because one clueless doctor won't help you!
I started on ropinerole about four years ago post rotator cuff/bone surgery and while it worked for a year at a small dose, the drug caused high school eating disorder behavior to emerge and I started augmentation as well. @Joolsg educated me along with others on the ugly specter of augmentation. I've been fortunate to live near Dr. Buchfuhrer who got me off ropinerole. I was worried about opioid addiction (didn't I just have episodic behavior with eating?) so he prescribed methadone the first year. I have been taking oxycontin for over two years now with good results. I did start using sinemet for breakthrough rls more than the cautionary three times a week and bizarrely developed gout of all things. I cold turkeyed off it and the proton pump inhibitors doctors have recklessly prescribed for over 20 years and am doing fine now. I rarely take a sinemet and can predict rls will occur if I have caffeine after 12-1 pm. I'm not sure why tramadol would cause augmentation or needing an increase in dose when oxy or methadone doesn't.
Tramadol increases serotonin and this can be a problem for older people especially, whose serotonin levels are often too high. Pharmacologically, it looks a lot like an SSRI and should never be used together with another antidepressant as you run the risk of serotonin syndrome. This is also the reason it can cause augmentation. It has helped my RLS, but long term it makes me not just depressed, but also physically knackered. I already suffer from chronic fatigue. I’ve been coming off it now and have had to stay in bed most days because of it. That’s despite the fact that I have Buprenorphine that I can use and have been using instead. It also causes indigestion and diarrhoea, and horrendous sweats, and I think this problems are very common.
I’m surprised the Zopiclone depresses you - it does the reverse for me. Opioids depress me immensely.
thank you.
what l have noticed that l can’t sleep. Is this because serotonin is excitatory and SSRIs should be taken in the morning because of this. So l have the extremely unfamiliar experience of lying wake in bed with a completely still body. Almost enjoyable!
I have had this problem for twenty five years. I’ve been lying awake, calmly, and have not even been aware of any RLS at that stage. Yes I firmly believe it’s the excitatory aspect of serotonin that causes this problem. I always feel more awake after midnight as the serotonin levels go up. Tinnitus also goes up at that point. I’ve become aware that I have some deep problem with serotonin metabolism and am extremely sensitive to serotonin syndrome. I believe this is linked to poor iron metabolism and is possibly a deeper aspect of (my) RLS.
Thank you
I was on Tramadol for 9y mostly on 150mg. Initially it worked well and completely resolved my RLS. I’d go months without an episode.
However, it slowly stopped working and I had a dangerous side effect from it. I would involuntarily fall asleep during the day and evening for a couple of seconds and wake up. On a couple of occasions I could’ve gotten into a serious automobile accident. A pharmacy student I know well told me that this was a type of convulsion. Tramadol has this property in which it lowers your threshold for convulsions. Some other side effects I experienced were difficulty urinating when I was on it, and difficulty falling asleep.
Fortunately I’m off it now … but I went thru HELL withdrawing from it. Personally, I would never go on it again.
If it’s working for you, great ! But please be careful and aware of the potential dangers.
Tramadol & buprenorphine & RLS
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