Buprenorphine and TMS

[teakabeagle]

I have been taking Buprenorphine. 5mg for about 3 months with good control about 30 minutes after taking it. I usually take it at 10. I’ll start getting some RLS symptom around 8 if I am not moving around. I don’t want to take the Bup warlier because it knocks me out and I have thing I need to do before sleep.

I just started TMS for the severe depression after stopping the pramipexole( even after a slow taper while on the Bup). I was already on a max dose of Buproprion and can’t tolerate Trazadone or any other antidepressant, so I was referred for TMS( repetitive TMS). After 7 treatments, the depression and anxiety is much better, and the early evening RLS has stopped completely. After another 7 days of TMS I’m going to hold the Bup and see what happens with the RLS. I’ve skipped the Bup a few times due to nausea and had mild RLS that I didn’t have to get out of bed to stop. Just curious if the TMS will have any effect.

[ziggypiggy]

I'm so glad it is helping your depression and anxiety. I did 36 sessions but didn't get much relief and didn't see much RLS difference. Everyone is different. Keep up the good work. TMS technology is getting more refined and effective every year. I may look into again here in the near future.

[Birdland]

I’m glad you have gotten some depression relief from TMS. Unfortunately TMS did not help my depression nor RLS. For what it’s worth, the doctor that administered it told me for a possibility of RLS relief the magnetic stimulation would have to be on a different part of the brain than for depression.

[davchar23]

Dear Teakabeagle,

Like you I successfully take Buprenorphine for RLS relief but my nausea is very severe and does not appear to be easing with time. i would be interested to know what form your nausea took? In my case i am woken with a sickly feeling in my stomach which mkaes me want to breath deeply to ease it. When i get up the nausea eases until i eat breakfast after which (about 10minutes) I break out into a major hot sweat and the nausea (sickly feeling) returns only abating slowly as the day progresses. Is your similar?

I am sorry I cannot comment on your TMS question as not had any.

Kind regards

Davchar

[teakabeagle in reply to davchar23]

I have finally gotten over the nausea part. That took about 2.5 months. I’d get nauseous about an hour after taking it and vomit repeatedly during the night. Then it only happen on arising. If I drank or ate anything befor noon I would get nauseous and start vomiting agsin. Then I just had nausea and now I’m fine. I think it would happen all over again if I had to increase from .5 mg.

[davchar23 in reply to teakabeagle]

Dear Teakabeagle

I am happy for you as your nausea sounded much worse than mine. I have not had any vomiting. Did you take any anti nausea meds? I have been prescribed 4mg tablets of Zofran (Ondansetron) and it does not seem to have helped much if at all.

My doctor thinks that the buprenorphine constipation is the reason behind the nausea and has upped my laxative regime rather than trying alternative anti nausea meds.

Davchar

[Hidden]

It's great that it's helping your depression/anxiety. TMS for RLS targets a different part of the brain to the area for depression/anxiety. I had TMS to treat PLMD (without success).

A sleep specialist told me that anecdotally there's a strong link between anxiety and RLS. Perhaps it's the case that treating underlying anxiety is having an effect on your RLS.

[teakabeagle in reply to Hidden]

Could be. The TMS machine being used treats anxiety and depression and then Zi go to a different machine that targets the area used in RLS studies. All I’ve noticed so far is that I no longer get the early evening RLS, then once I take the Bup I’m fine. After 7 Treatment I did not take the Bup for two nights, had RLS, but nothing even remotely close to my normal. I’m goi g to try it next week when I have 4 days off and see what happens. Don’t really care which way it is working.

[Hidden in reply to teakabeagle]

I see. That all sounds rather promising. Please give us a full report on its effect on your RLS once you've finished the rTMS?