increase in RLS while in hospital with severe pain on morphine

[HilsK]

Im in hospital with an excruciating painful chest injury and chest infection. I’m on minimum dose of pramipexole and 100g of gabapentin. I’m having high dose of long release morphine and oromorph . Against this background my RLS symptoms have become awful too.

I am in so much pain and RLS discomfort

I don’t know what to do. Ideas???

[LotteM]

That sounds terrible!

And weird, as the morphine should control your symptoms. Normally the pramipexole and gabapentin do?

I can only think that maybe the hospital gave you something else too that strongly elicits RLS? Don’t know about infection and RLS, if so, it would be reported far more often?

Wishing you strength - and that first the RLS but also the chest injury resolve soon.

[HilsK in reply to LotteM]

I ended up on codeine plus cytosine , gabapentin (300) twice a day , carbocysteine , salbutamol,tritopium, and saline nebulisers and a few other regular meds.

The issue is that it took me days to get the doctors to listen to me telling them what I needed both for control of pain and RLS . But only took one Registrar on the team to show interest and do some research using our RLS site and listen to my own feelings and understanding to get them on my side.

Finally I was able to concentrate on healing my injuries albeit slowly With gratitude for the support they are now providing.

Thankyou all of you for your you

[LotteM in reply to HilsK]

Good of you to persist. And above all I am happy that you/they found an approach that was helpful. I hope you health will continue to improve and that you are much better soon.

But - sigh. This is not what we need in a stressful and demanding situation like you were in in hospital.

[ChrisColumbus]

Very sorry to hear this. Could you possibly also have been given e.g. an anti nausea drug?

[SueJohnson]

Infections increase inflammation and inflammation can increase RLS symptoms, but as Lotte says the morphine should control this. I agree they might have given you some medicine that makes RLS worse. I would ask what they have given you.

You might want to increase your pramipexole temporarily.

[Joolsg]

So sorry to hear this. Have they given you any other meds that may have triggered it?Something for chest mucus or to help your breathing?

[Oregonmike]

have you never had Morphine prior to this? Sounds like a bad medicine for you at the moment. And since opioids suppress lung function; I’m wondering about contraindications in this regard. Usually Morphine(small dosages-less than 5mg) will knock out RLS in most people. Ask them to back off the dose if possible. RLS can be maddening.

[Strike26]

hi- your situation sounds awful and I can indirectly relate to it as I spent 2 weeks in hospital in April with a serious cellulitis infection (only the quick action of the A&E staff saved me). What did happen was that the doctors then varied my dose of Gabapentin and time of day I usually took it which resulted in a massive increase in RLS. I normally take 600mg, three times a day and that reduces RLS by 80%. You are on a very low amount and might want to ask the docs if that can be increased. I don’t know if your other meds would interact if Gabapentin was increased but presumably not. Best of luck.

[teakabeagle]

There may be another medication that is triggering RLS, but my guess is that you are also not moving around much and immobility will set off RLS