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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by linkadge on December 18, 2006, at 13:02:01
Are there any approved treatments for RLS, or is it all off lable ?
Linkadge
Posted by TenMan on December 18, 2006, at 13:08:35
In reply to Approved treatments for RLS?, posted by linkadge on December 18, 2006, at 13:02:01
The d2/d3 agonist Requip (ropinirole) is approved for RLS.
Posted by Emme on December 18, 2006, at 13:14:04
In reply to Approved treatments for RLS?, posted by linkadge on December 18, 2006, at 13:02:01
It's not an approved treatment, but two doses of Abilify stopped some mild RLS symptoms I'd been having. I started the abilify for my mood disorder and this was a convenient bonus.
emme
Posted by saturn on December 18, 2006, at 13:17:26
In reply to Approved treatments for RLS?, posted by linkadge on December 18, 2006, at 13:02:01
Posted by tweeds on December 18, 2006, at 14:00:13
In reply to Approved treatments for RLS?, posted by linkadge on December 18, 2006, at 13:02:01
I'm probably telling you something you already know, but make sure you get your iron levels tested.
I'm a poor absorber of iron, for some odd reason, and without supplements I get anemic, and have had a couple modest bouts of restless leg during said anemia.
I am the only male I know that is on iron supplements.
And get the ferrous gluconate, the rest of the plain vanilla iron supplements will just irritate your GI tract.
Harris
Posted by laima on December 18, 2006, at 14:07:33
In reply to Re: Approved treatments for RLS? » linkadge, posted by tweeds on December 18, 2006, at 14:00:13
I'm not sure if neurontin is officially indicated for restless legs, but I know it is prescribed for it. Also klonopin, as it is an anticonvulsant- I was prescribed 2mg and that was sufficient for this purpose.I vote for iron supplementation- that helped me sleep quieter, too.
And no worries about developing a tolerance. They say it's important to have a proper blood test for iron before using supplents, though, because too much iron can be a problem.
(I believe the test is for ferrous sulphate? Or is it ferritin?)
Posted by Phillipa on December 18, 2006, at 14:43:38
In reply to neurontin, posted by laima on December 18, 2006, at 14:07:33
Is restless legs when your legs twitch inside? Love Phillipa
Posted by tweeds on December 18, 2006, at 14:53:18
In reply to Re: neurontin, posted by Phillipa on December 18, 2006, at 14:43:38
Hi Phillipa, here's a fairly decent overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restless_leg_syndrome
To me it feels like a compulsion to move my legs. Especially in bed. I'm fine when I'm active, but when I'm anemic, the RLS kicks in when I try to go to sleep. Needless to say, it kind of gets in the way.
Posted by Phillipa on December 18, 2006, at 21:01:40
In reply to Re: neurontin, posted by tweeds on December 18, 2006, at 14:53:18
So it is definite movement of the legs not twitching as you relax? Love Phillipa thanks for the link
Posted by Simcha on December 18, 2006, at 22:08:54
In reply to neurontin, posted by laima on December 18, 2006, at 14:07:33
Neurontin takes care of my RLS symptoms and my bruxism (teeth grinding).
Posted by tweeds on December 19, 2006, at 1:01:34
In reply to Re: neurontin » tweeds, posted by Phillipa on December 18, 2006, at 21:01:40
Oh yeah - it's not like a muscle fibrillating - it's a need to kick, or move, or tap your foot.
I didn't even realize it was a condition until I told my GP about it years ago.
Posted by Edwin Ransom on December 19, 2006, at 10:36:18
In reply to Re: neurontin » Phillipa, posted by tweeds on December 19, 2006, at 1:01:34
Sinnemet is used. I don't know if it's still approved.
I had 95 % improvement with running and avoiding food 2-4 hours before bed (depends on the food, candy needs 4 hours. A bannana only needs 2). The thing that aggrevated me about this was that no one told me I could run to treat my RLS - they gave me sinnemet which made things worse.
Are you having RLS issues? Did you follow through with trying to restructure your sleep? Narcoleptics report RLS alot (I have narcolepsy myself), it may have something to do with disrupted sleep architecture.
Posted by tweeds on December 19, 2006, at 11:42:53
In reply to Re: neurontin, posted by Edwin Ransom on December 19, 2006, at 10:36:18
Edwin,
No, not anymore. My RLS is entirely iron-deficiency related, and as long as my iron levels are fine.
I didn't know about the sleep architecture issue for narcoleptics. Fascinating.
This is the end of the thread.
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