I've been on these and both caused augmentation and with both was increased to maximum dose yet still had restless legs causing sleepless nights, anxiety and depression.Before I went onto medication I found out I was severely anaemic, I don't know how it happened to me as I was previously fit and healthy and was 2 monthly blood donator!
After falling asleep A LOT a blood test found my levels were at 4... Dangerously low. Put on iron supplements that very day but it wasn't monitored at all and it was on repeat prescription so kept taking it but over a year or so and another blood test found my results to be at over 700. Twice exceeding the safe limit. I'm wondering if I had had irreparable nerve damage due to extreme & dangerous iron levels?.
As well as daily RLS. Daytime and night-time RLS, I also have slight tremors in my hands, tight muscle pain in my calves, and cramps in my feet. Could this be nerve damage?
8 years ago I was in a car crash, someone back ended me and I was in terrible pain, had 4 months of physio ,x rays and MRI showing complete disc collapse in my L5/S1 and milder disc damage to L2, 3 and 4. Even 8 years on since that accident my spine cracks and have nerve pain shooting up back. Could this contribute to the RLS??
I was also on antidepressants and similar SSRI'S/SSNI'S/ since I was 18 years old up until 3 years ago I took myself off them as they were making my RLS worse as we all know.
I'm 48 years old now and 4 years ago started going through the change so started HRT. I've had to come off HRT for a break from instruction from the docs after problems.
At this present time I'm taking 2mg Ropinerole and 100/300mg Gabapentin at night, and I'm taking natural cbd reishi mushroom tablets and lions mane, to help with depression, anxiety and brain fog. I don't take anything else and have never smoked . I'm quite fit and healthy, walk a lot, and average healthy weight but continue to suffer dreadfully WITH RLS.
I hate to put chemicals in my body after years of using antidepressants and I always thought I'd never get off RLS medication but I'm frightened to try coming off them in case I get no sleep at all?? .
What else is going to help me better than those meds?
Would increasing gabapentin and coming off Ropinerole altogether work for me? Or if I do have nerve damage will nothing ever help me?
I had another full blood count in Jan 2023 which showed everything WITHIN RANGE except MEAN CELL HAEMOGLOBIN level (XE2pb) ABOVE RANGE slightly at 32.4PG.
My bone profile:
SERUM CALCIUM LEVEL (XE2q3) was BELOW RANGE at 2.07 mmol/L AND
SERUM ADJUSTED CALCIUM CONCENTRATION (Xabpk) BELOW RANGE at 2.13 mmol/L.
Magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride all within range. White blood cell count within range.
What other tests can a doctor do? Is it worth having bloods done again 6 months after last results? Or something else I'm missing?
Any help is appreciated.