Painkillers that work for me

[wayne32]

I have suffered with rls for approx 5yrs now been to the dr's who cannot do anything for it, i'am now taking co-dydramol painkillers 2 a night before going to bed this seems to help stop the rls.

[Hidden]

hi,well i get so cross with myself when i hear people say paikillers help them, i take co-dydramol for arthritic pain, but they dont do a thing for rls in my case !!! not fair !! but im pleased they help you, i get pains with rls, and the day after, when my rls has been bad, then the painkillers will help with my painfull leg muscles .

jean

[Kaarina Administrator]

Hi Wayne,

Long may that last for you. I have taken cocodamol for years and it never helped the RLS, did not help too much with the arthritis pain either. I no longer need them now after two knee replacements. I have taken anti inflams for years and still do and they do nothing for the RLS either.

I am lucky in that the RLS leaves me alone for long periods for which I am eternally grateful but comes back to bite every so often, like recently.

Kaarina

[Rish]

Gosh I wish that would stop mine to! I can take a cocktail of tablets and that would not help me! My sister in laws husband says he has RLS but sleeps through it ..... Well I said no way is it RLS because it does not let you sleep !!

I used to have RLS twice a week when I was young not not tho it's every day anytime I wish I could take my legs of at night and hang them up and let them dance the night away while I sleep !!!

[bvlgari in reply to Rish]

this made me smile after a very bad rls week. Wish i could hang them up too and you are right, there is no way you can sleep with rls.xx

[nightdancer in reply to Rish]

If he is sleeping throuh his kicking then he most likely has PLMD not RLS. Too different, though related, conditions. PLMD-periodic leg movement disorder. People can have one or both of these, but one is awake and one is asleep. RLS is obviously when awake. Tell him that. :o)

[Hidden]

oh rish if only...lol

[Hidden]

Hi Wayne, i also wish i could take pain killers for my RLS, i am sure they would have less side effects than all the other meds.

I cant even take codeine, it makes me sleep the next day even 1/2 a tab will effect me....Never tried co-dydramol but i am sure it would act the same on me.

Co-codamol is another one, i hate that one, felt like i was on another planet.

Tramadol, again another one, but that one made me extremely sick.

I dont understand why your doctor cant do anything about your RLS, do they not know about the RLS meds available.

At least you have something which seems to be working and probably better than the other meds.

[Hidden]

Rish love your comment, wouldnt that be something if we could just detached our legs and hang them up for the night...Might even peep to watch them dancing away....LOL..

[Darcy]

Hi Wayne, Co-codamol is an addictive pain killer so please be careful!

As far as heping your RLS if it works for you that's good, but I really would see your GP again to see if he can prescribe Mirapexin or Ropinerole.

I take a number of painkillers for osteo and rheumatic arthritis, one of them being dihydrocodeine whic is VERY strong, and addictive, only to be used for severe pain which I'm in most of the time. I also take a number of others as well as the RLS meds.

[nightdancer in reply to Darcy]

Mirapex and Ropinerole do not work for a lot of people, even though they are approved for RLS. I have tried all of them, and the only meds that work for me are narcotic pain killers. many people cannot tolerate the dopamine agonists, so we have to move on. I think Wayne said he has tried everything, but mayvbe he has not tried these. For me, I have been taking slow release morphine every 12 hrs, and hydrocodone every 6 hrs fr the last 11 yrs, without upping the dose. As long as you are careful and you are taking then meds as prescribed responsibly, then they are relatively safe, and most have less side effects than the other meds used for RLS. I have tried the dopamine agonists, anticonvulsants, tranqulizers, etc. The pain meds are the only thing that work for me, and I have many many people in groups are also on just narcotics, becase they cannot take any of the other meds for lots of reasons. Yes, my body is "dependent" on the meds, but there is a difference between dependence and addiction. You guys in England are lucky that you can buy codeine over the counter. That would never happen in the US, unfortunately. I have signed a narcotics contract with my doctor. I only get my meds from her, and only use one pharmacy, so everything is kept very close track of.

[beardedtwitch]

Glad they work but I tried taking two about 2 hours before bed and for a few days all was good but then they had no real effect just like everything else I have tried! It's very strange with RLS that this seems to happen so rapidly while with other illnesses it takes much longer to happen.

[nightdancer in reply to beardedtwitch]

RLS can take a lifetime to ramp itself up. Some cases happen suddenly and quickly, but if it is primary RLS, it means there is no known cause, except that you inherited the gene. Secondary RLS is caused by an underlying condition, which can be low Ferritin or something else, like a med that you started and it caused RLS. many meds can do that, but it does not sound like that is your problem, beardedtwitch. Whatever we take for RLS, no matter how long we have been taking it, and we can do the same routine every night, there really is no med that works 100% of the time. I can have all my meds and still have the worst night ever, like anyone else, so just because a med does not work one night for you, does not mean it won;t work the next night. RLS has a mind of it's own. :o)

[popmaster]

Hi Yeah what ever works + help you is a good thing, we all try some thing,

New to see if it helps. I'm on "Gabapentin" + I've found out by 1stly trying mums,

supply of "Tramadol" That it really helps me. I went to my Doctors + she prescribed me "Tramadol". Sorry "niah177" I'm really lucky they dont,

give me any nasty side effects so-far???.

To Wayne32 if the painkillers carry-on working then stick with them,

The less Med's the better BUT If you "RLS" comes back i would still,

Go + knock-on your doctors for more help!!! BUT As you have said,

he wasnt helpful so i would if you can seek a 2nd opinain from,

Another doctor next time DONT be FOBBED OFF with Doctors,

saying theirs nothing they can do for you!!! Of Course they is,

Their loads od medication out theor for treating "RLS"!!!

I went to 3 doctors within the surgery before i got the help i needed.

Keep tryin if you need to!!!

[thedragon]

Co codamoll seems to work for me...I take 1 usually and it knocks me out but if i feel like i am edging up to 2 then i take a couple of days break and put up with the rls, Ive had a look online at the patches people mention on here and find the side wffwcts really scary. so thank god the codeine is working for now. Good to meet you

[Hidden in reply to thedragon]

Hi thedragon, all meds have side effects, it doesnt mean you will get them. They have to list them all so people are aware.

Please do not be put off using another med. if the co-codamol doesnt do it anymore for you..

I use the patch and sometimes get side effects, but for me it is mostly a headache, dizziness and sleepiness so nothing scarey, and i am really sensitive to side effects from all meds.

[thedragon in reply to Hidden]

thankyou. I am not going to dismiss anything, but am very wary due to past history with some of the things mentioned as side effects. as a recovering alcoholic of 14 years, and a history of depression, i dont want to take risks, but for sure i love this site and all the folk here that have taken time to talk to me. there is so much information that i`m reading through. i just want to reply to everyone but i`d be writing on every blog and question!!

[thedragon]

sorry i shoud really check what ive typed...wffwctc...read ...effects!!!!

[nightdancer]

sounds like you are on the best meds for you. I too can only stop my RLS with pain meds-opiates. I use time released morphine every 12 hrs and Vicodin, which ad it on the actually prescribed for my back pain, but nothing else works for me anyway for RLS. I have been on every med approved except the patch because it is not yet available in the US until JUly 1st. But, will not be trying that one,.

[thedragon in reply to nightdancer]

May I ask your reasons for not trying the patch. I'm trying to get as many opinions as I can

[nightdancer in reply to thedragon]

I am not going to try it, because it is a dopamine agonist, like Requip and Mirapex, and they do not work for me at all. The patch would not make me as sick to my stomach because it is obviously absorbed differently, but that class of meds has not ever stopped my RLS before, so that is why, for me personally, I will not be trying it. That is just for ME. :o) I have done a lot of trial and error for meds, and I am do not want to mess with my current meds. Things are failrly peaceful right now, so no need to shake up the med list once again. That's all. Nothing aganst the patch, I just do not need to change up meds right now. Me and all my doctors are all happy with what we are doing now, and it took me 15 yrs to get to this point, so I am leaving well enough alone right now.

[thedragon in reply to nightdancer]

Thankyou...all info greatly appreciated

[beardedtwitch]

I have looked at "Gabapentin", "Tramadol" and some like these and it all looks very uncertain with statements of cheating by the companys on their trials and some very nasty side effects so the truth may take some time/if ever to come out. 2 x Co-Dydramol at night and a banana plus the magic hot water bottle seems to be the best help to be had so I will stay with it for a while and I may try in a couple of weeks the '7 bananas in a day' treatment that gave such an unbeliveably good couple of nights sleep some time ago. I wish all of you poor people with bad RLS the very best of luck with the other medications.

[Jonestaurus75]

I have been on everything possible for rls with absolutely no effect. I can not sit down at all. I pace and hurt all day long. I now take Norco witch stops my legs and helps with pain.

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