Surgery

[Matmmhg7]

I am having surgery this month and am trying to find list of rls safe anesthesia meds and which to avoid. I have tried search and apparently not doing it right, so thank for any info. Rene

[Joolsg]

The safe anti nauseates to use during surgery areKYTRIL, VISTARIL,ZOFRAN

[SueJohnson]

Joolsg has answered your question. Some other advice.

Tell your doctors and anesthesiologists about your RLS and its symptoms and that you need your medicine and ask if there will be any drug interactions from what they will give you. Naloxone can affect anesthesia so tell them if taking. Also talk with the patient representative ahead of time. Tell them not to give you any sedating antihistamines or sedating anti-nausea medications. Instead insist they use Zofran (ondansetron) for anti-nausea. You can download the Medical Alert Card that you can show your doctors, that tells them about the condition and what will happen after surgery and what medicines to avoid at rlshelp.org/ although you will need to join the RLS foundation. An international membership is $40, but they have some good information on it and you get their monthly magazine. However the safe antidepressants listed on medical alert card are not antidepressants: Lamotrigine, Carbamazepine, Oxcarbazepine. Also there is a 2 page handout "Surgery and RLS: Patient Guide" on the RLS Foundation website which is very helpful. Also "Hospitalization Checklist for the Patient with RLS" And make sure your ferritin is high as surgery can cause blood loss making your ferritin go down. RLS-UK also has advice under Useful Resources on their site.

Also after your surgery you need to withdraw slowly from any opioids they gave you. You will have inflammation from the surgery which will make your RLS worse but it will go away.

[SueJohnson]

Good luck on your surgery. Hope it goes well.

[Matmmhg7 in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you so much Joolsg and Sue your advice is always so helpful. After my last surgery it was a nightmare, I told them about my rls. They said ok and would take good care of me, but I knew the way they responded they didn't get it. Like everyone else I rely so much on this forum.

[SueJohnson in reply to Matmmhg7]

That's terrible. I certainly hope they listen to you this time and act accordingly.

[Joolsg in reply to Matmmhg7]

I was in hospital from Monday to Thursday this week. I took my alert card and print outs and all my RLS meds in my pill box. Nurse tried to take them off me & insisted I was only allowed hospital authorised meds.I stood my ground & the Consultant & head pharmacist came to my hospital bed. Neither had even heard of RLS, so I bored the heck out of them for 15 mins.

Result! They let me keep my meds ( I also took the medication original boxes & leaflets) and both said they'd read up on RLS.

I'm being readmitted asap for urgent day surgery & I'll have the conversation about Zofran with the anaesthetic.

Slowly, one doc at a time, we'll educate them.

Good luck with your surgery.

[Matmmhg7 in reply to Joolsg]

I was going to do same thing! Don't need to suffer needlessly.

[SueJohnson in reply to Joolsg]

Glad you stood your ground! Good luck on your surgery. I am sorry to hear you need it.

[Joolsg in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks Sue. 😊

[restlessstoz in reply to Joolsg]

I hope your surgery goes well Jools. At least we can have some input with doctors who are open to being informed. It's a silver lining to situations that are not ideal. Congratulations on standing up to the 'system' and for all the fighting and advising you do for all of us. Take care and look after yourself.

[Joolsg in reply to restlessstoz]

👍

[amrob123 in reply to Joolsg]

Good on you Jools. It's even more difficult standing one's ground when in a vulnerable situation so kudos to you 👏

[Joolsg in reply to amrob123]

👍

[davchar23 in reply to Joolsg]

Dear Jools,

Well done another couple of converts perhaps.

Good luck on your day surgery.

I hope you don't mind if i ask you one straight question as i am getting confused on all the mystery surrounding Buprenorphine use. If a person increases the level of buprenorphine beyond a certain level (may be different per person) would one expect to get nausea & sweating OR does this come from when the level of Bupre in ones system gets low enough to invoke mini withdrawals?

Good luck

Davchar

[Joolsg in reply to davchar23]

Sweating is a known side effect of Buprenorphine. I get sweats and I am not having withdrawal symptoms. They are worse in hot weather and with any physical exertion.I have a hand fan with me at all times.

[Pippins2 in reply to Joolsg]

Well done Joolsg!, I hope your surgery goes well x

[Joolsg in reply to Pippins2]

Ta Pipps. No idea when it will happen as I no there are big delays. They said it's urgent, so fingers crossed.

[Pippins2 in reply to Joolsg]

Aww sorry to hear that Joolsg as if you don't have enough to contend with !, Hope you don't have too long a wait

[Jumpey]

I have had a couple of surgeries recently with no ill effects on my RLS.Ahead of time I told them about my rls and asked for zofran anti nausea medication which is rls friendly. Good luck.

[marsha2306]

I just had a lumbar fusion 2 weeks ago and I'm having a terrible time. Many of my red blood counts and iron counts plummeted and my RLS has been going crazy non stop since; worse than it's ever been. Weird thing is that my ferritin went up to 336 and my Iron Binding Capacity is normal. I have never had such horrible RLS.

I knew I was losing blood because I had a drain in and there was some heavy draining.

Just for informational purposes: RBC 3.11 (normal 3.8-5.10), Hemoglobin 9.1 (normal 11.7-15.5), Hematocrit 28.2 (normal 35-45), Total Iron 38 (normal 45-160), % Saturation 14 (normal 16-45).

I'm going to have an iron infusion as soon as they can schedule me but even then it takes a month or so to have any effect.

I hope you and your doctors can keep an eye on this so you don't have to suffer like I am.

[SueJohnson in reply to marsha2306]

It's the inflammation from your surgery that made your ferritin go up, but it is not as you found out really helping your RLS. Wait until the inflammation goes down before having an iron infusion because causes hepcidin to be released which will prevent the infusion from helping.

If you had opioids during surgery and you weren't weaned off them, then you are also having withdrawal effects which will make RLS worse.

[Grammieof4 in reply to SueJohnson]

I see Dr. Earley at Hopkins and he sent me a note when he got the results to call to schedule the infusion. For right now he has me on ferrous sulfate and vitamin C.