Posted by Rick on July 22, 2000, at 3:20:19
In reply to Re: INSONIA LEG RESTLESS - WILMA, posted by jane on July 20, 2000, at 23:17:01
> > I HAVE A VERY BAD INSONIA, I THINK IT STARTED WITH BACK AND SHOULDER PAIN ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO. I ALSO HAVE LEG RESTLESS, AND THE URGE TO MOVE MAY LEGS KEEP ME WAKE. CAN YOU HELP ME? I AM TAKING VIT.E & IBUBROFEN.
> > THANK YOU.
> Wilma - check out the 'restless legs site"
> www.RLS.org
> insomnia and restless legs can also be symptoms of fibromyalgia (FMS)
> let us know how you're doing - janeWilma -
You will likely see these things discussed on the site Jane gave you, but here are a few more ideas:
Some people respond very well to Neurontin (gabapentin). I have a friend who had insomnia, and she went to a sleep clinic where she was diagnosed with Periodic Limb Movement. This is basically a kind of Restless Leg Syndrome that only occurs at night. She was prescribed 400 mg of Neurontin to take at bedtime, which immediately made a huge improvement in leg movements and insomnia. Neurontin may be especially helpful if you only have problems at night, because it can make you a little sleepy. It also helps reduce anxiety for some people.
Right now, the most popular drugs for RLS seem to be Parkinson's medicines called "dopamine agonists". These seem very effective and less likely to stop working than other remedies, But they can take a little more "getting used to" than Neurontin because they can initially have side effects like nausea. A fairly recent dopamine agonist called Mirapex (pramipexole) is showing the best results with the fewest side effects. (It also seems to have antidepressant qualities for some people.) Also, many people respond very well to Permax (pergolide), but it can have more side effects, and the dose has to be raised very slowly to avoid low blood pressure.
Unfortunately, these are all expensive drugs with no generic equivalents. Klonopin, mentioned in an earlier post is substantially cheaper, and IS available in generic form (clonazepam). However, some doctors will be reluctant to prescribe Klonopin long-term for RLS because they fear patients will develop dependence or addiction.
Good Luck,
Rick
poster:Rick
thread:40933
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000717/msgs/41171.html