New meds.

[VENEER]

My Rheumatoligist recently prescribed these Sildenafil 20mg one tab 3 times a day and Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg one a day but both make my Rls much worse. Are they both Dopamine Antagonists?

[SueJohnson]

No they are not dopamine agonists. You might want to take only one so you can determine which one is making your RLS worse since neither are known to do so - discuss this with your doctor. Did you do anything else or take anything including food differently at the time you started the medicine?

[Joolsg]

Neither of those meds are known triggers for RLS.You seem to have tried several meds to control your RLS over the last few years.

What meds are you taking currently? You posted about simvastatin recently, which does worsen RLS.

[VENEER in reply to Joolsg]

sildenafil 20mg x 3 a day and Hydroxychloroquine sulfate just 200mg one a day.

[Joolsg in reply to VENEER]

So you stopped simvastatin and don't take any meds to control RLS?

[VENEER in reply to Joolsg]

only Ropinirole 1mg x 4 a day and if they don’t work then Tramadol 50mg up to 3 or 4 but they make me loose my hearing?

[Joolsg in reply to VENEER]

I suspect the reason your RLS is worse is completely down to Ropinirole.You are on the maximum dose. Top experts were advising many, many years ago that patients should not go above 1mg to avoid augmentation.

Now, the latest, best advice is NOT to take dopamine agonists except in end of life scenarios.

Look up 'augmentation'. It's where Ropinirole stops working, the RLS increases in severity, starts earlier in the day and moves to other body parts.

The fact you're taking Ropinirole 4 times a day indicates your RLS symptoms started earlier in the day. Classic drug-induced worsening.

Ropinirole feeds the disease; making it Much, much worse.

RLS-UK website has a withdrawal schedule for you to print and show to your doctor and an iron therapy print out so your GP can arrange infusions if necessary.

[VENEER in reply to Joolsg]

Thank you for your help and advice.

[Joolsg in reply to VENEER]

Ive just looked at previous posts and see that you were given negligent advice/treatment 1 year ago by your GP.. He told you to stop 4mg Ropinirole overnight and start 50mg pregabalin. That medical ignorance is appalling.

We advised you to restart 4mg Ropinirole and to reduce properly by 0.25mg every 2 weeks.

That advice still applies. So please restart the process and get off Ropinirole. You cannot stay on Ropinirole. It will make the RLS more and more severe every day.

Augmentation is horrendous. You don't realise how bad the RLS has become. Denial is an issue. I was in denial for around 4 years. I couldn't believe doctors would give me a drug that would make my disease much, much worse. But eventually, I came on here 8 years ago and everyone advised me that my 4mg Ropinirole was worsening my RLS.I went through withdrawal in 2016..I won't lie, it was hell on earth.

However, once off Ropinirole the RLS disappeared from my hands, arms and face and stopped during the day. I still had severe RLS at night. But in 2021 I started Buprenorphine pills and I have zero RLS night or day. It has given me back my life.

Have you been affected by Impulse Control Disorder? Ropinirole causes gambling, impulse spending, overeating and hypersexuality.

There have been hundreds of successful legal cases against UK doctors for failure to warn and monitor for ICD.

[SueJohnson in reply to VENEER]

I agree with Joolsg.