RLS Meds :What works for me

[Guest guest]

Hi Group,

I'm writing because a couple of new members have asked about what meds

might work for RLS. Since we are all so different, and I'm doing very

well right now, I thought I would chime in with what is working for me

these days.

A bit of history. I am 48 and have had RLS since I was 23. I also have a

history of depression and am sure there is a link between anti

depressants and RLS, in my case. (although my mother and grandmother

also have had the disorder.) For part of the last five years, I went

through a severe depression and could not find an antidepressant that I

could take without making RLS worse. During that time I took St. 's

Wort which helped a tiny bit. The first Dopamine Agonist that I tried

(Parkinson's med., and I'm sorry- I don't know how they work) was

Sinemet and Sinemet cr. I had the classic problem that many people have

had - it worked great for awhile- I was singing praises to whoever had

invented it. Then my symptoms came back and I upped the dose. This

happened several times until I was like a junky waiting for my next

dose of sinemet. I couldn't sit down from 11:00 am on, I had problems in

shoulders, arms, hips, AND legs. Its called augmentation and rebound and

usually happens when you go over a certain moderate dose. At that point,

I switched to Permax and have resisted any desire to up the dose. When I

have a " bad patch " , I have found that if I tough it out, it usually

only lasts a few days. Permax causes a bit of insomnia- I can never

figure that one out- no jumpy legs but you're wide awake. Consequently,

I take a small amount of Xanax at bedtime. This also seems to help with

the anxiety part of depression. ( I am also very wary of increasing the

xanax because it can also be addictive). Finally- in the last few months

I have tried a new anti depressant called Wellbutrin which has worked

for me and does not cause RLS, in me. (as a side note: my doctor also

mentioned that it often has an 'anti-hyposexuality' effect, sort of the

viagra for depressed people, I don't know the statistics on that)

So :this is what I'm 'on': Wellbutrin SR 300 mg per day; Permax .05 mg.

tablets, one at 5 pm and 1 and a half at bed time; Xanax .25 mg at

bedtime.

I also take no caffeine and no alcohol, attend a therapeutic yoga class

once a week and try to keep to a really boring regular sleep schedule.

The only time that I now have RLS is during long car trips and

occasionally in movies or in the evening while sitting at anything. But

compared to the way I was, this is a picnic.

I'm currently preparing for a trip to Tokyo, (I'm an artist and am in an

exhibition at the Canadian embassy there, otherwise, not much could

convince me to take an 11 hour flight). I'm apprehensive but feel I have

been through worse before, and survived.

That's the saga. From this group I have learned that these meds are

extremely unpredictable, and it really is a trial and error process,

(with medical supervision, of course,) before you find what works for

you. It is also fairly clear that we and our 'conditions' are constantly

evolving.Often, just when you think you 've 'found it', nature plays

another little trick on you. On that cheerful note:

Good luck everyone.

Margaret, 48, Alberta, Canada