Restless Leg syndrome (pains, doctor, symptoms, B12)

[southernlady5464]

Your dr may be able to refer another drug, such as Gabapentin, but why not try something like a new, quick, even quirky technique first. You've nothing to loose & can still decide to take meds. Some patients have taken Gabapentin in small doses & felt relief, even though large doses of other drugs did nothing for them.

Gabapentin also known as Neurontin usually needs to be tritated up to rather large doses for MOST (not all) patients to even notice an effect. And then your body has a bad habit of getting use to that dose, which develops into an upward spiral of ever increasing doses.

It's typically given to patients with Peripheral Neuropathy (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/peripheralneuropathy/peripheralneuropathy.htm - broken link).

MedlinePlus Drug Information: Gabapentin

What side effects can this medication cause?

Gabapentin may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

* drowsiness
* tiredness or weakness
* dizziness
* headache
* shaking of a part of your body that you cannot control
* double or blurred vision
* unsteadiness
* anxiety
* memory problems
* strange or unusual thoughts
* unwanted eye movements
* nausea
* vomiting
* heartburn
* diarrhea
* dry mouth
* constipation
* weight gain
* swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
* back or joint pain
* fever
* runny nose, sneezing, cough, sore throat, or flu-like symptoms
* ear pain
* red, itchy eyes (sometimes with swelling or discharge)

Some side effects may be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

* rash
* itching
* swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
* hoarseness
* difficulty swallowing or breathing
* seizures

Gabapentin may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

In the three years that I was on Neurontin, I had all of these:
drowsiness
tiredness or weakness
dizziness
headache
shaking of a part of your body that you cannot control
double or blurred vision
unsteadiness
memory problems
diarrhea
dry mouth
constipation
weight gain
swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

What they don't mention is that the memory issues NEVER go away once you've had them.

Drowsiness/tiredness/weakness did not come even close to describing what I felt and most of my PN friends experienced.

When I first started and every time I tritated up in dosage, I would be absolutely and completely useless to my family. I started at 1800 mgs (felt no relief) and got to 2100 mgs before feeling a difference. By the time I finished I was taking 4800 mgs a day. Some people I know were taking 7000 mgs with no relief.

I got off the neurontin finally in 2006 after coming down to 300 mgs between 2003 and 2006. Liz

[Baltic_Celt]

Liz -

I'm unsure why you were taking such high doses, but it's most often used for chronic nerve pain/migraines/epilepsy today, needing control of intermittent brain misfirings. 3-grams is considered an exceedingly high dose. Your side effects sound very severe & another drug probably should have been used in it's place, unless it was for some reason, the one of few options available for your system. To have had lasting symptoms is unusual, can be contributed to drug or even vitamin interaction if you're still taking others & I'm sure you have, but if not, should be checked by a physician - another one if your current one is doing nothing about it & asking you to accept these lingering symptoms as "normal". They sound vastly unacceptable.

As you know, everyone's system vastly differs with treatment & some drugs that are magic for some will land others in the hospital. I've been in the hospital 1/2-dozen times due to allergies to antibiotics. With chronic pain or distress, I'd try anything & everything available to me for relief, listening to other's stories but ultimately making my own decisions, as you've probably already done.

Sorry to hear of your distress & I hope you soon have relief... VV

[southernlady5464]

I was taking increasingly high doses because the physician I was under the care of AT THE TIME put me on those doses. My last physician decided to take me off neurontin and put me on topamax, thankfully.

At the time I started neurontin, topamax was not an alternative. It became one later but the doctor I was with didn't even think to switch me to it. I had to move and switch doctors to have that option.

I posted all that to make people aware of all the problems that neurontin has with it. Yes, topamax also has issues as well. It's a case of making sure what works well for each individual.

Even natural remedies can be a hazard...so be aware of interactions. Liz

[SaveSouthCarolina]

Throw away the drugs, they will not help! I have had restless leg syndrome, Acid Reflux, Chrohn's Disease and other ailments!

What I did...

I started eating a very strict diet of Organic Fruits and Vegetables, Organic Chicken, RAW MILK (I mean Really Raw, Not Heated), Raw Cheese (Again really raw), GT's Kombucha (A drink that will digest all your food), Raw Fermented Vegetables (Sauerkraut, but Raw not heated), and other organic foods. This is a very hard diet to live with but it is worth it! I had 4 kids to live for!

I started this diet to beat the Crohn's but it also got rid of the RLS and Acid Reflux. Every once in awhile when I eat something I shouldn't like Apple Pie or anything sweet the RLS will kick in. But I can drink the GT's Kombucha and it will Vanish in 5-10 minutes! The first time you drink the GT's Kombucha you can actually feel your legs tingling as if they are waking up from a long sleep!

They sell the GT's Kombucha at Whole Foods and other Health Food Stores!

I hope this helps!!

[mimosa]

gee, listening to all of you i don't feel so bad anymore. i get rls when there is a full moon. my one leg feels like things are crawling inside it and i cannot get comfortable in bed. then it goes away till the next full moon. weird, huh?

[blackacrocat]

Originally Posted by mimosa

gee, listening to all of you i don't feel so bad anymore. i get rls when there is a full moon. my one leg feels like things are crawling inside it and i cannot get comfortable in bed. then it goes away till the next full moon. weird, huh?

I get horrible RLS and am ill when there is a full moon; you are the first one I heard that has the same issue.

[AlfalfaSprout(y)]

Yeah. A lot of those drugs are horribly horrible for you. The side effects killed me, they really did. I switched over to using natural products, which really do work much better. It’s nice because their primary selling point is no side effects. There are a lot of choices out there, but I use Restulex. I’ve found it to be the best. Do some research and digging, see what you can find.

Natural is always the way to go.

[hisway08]

Magnesium cure my RLS. I take a capsule everynight.

[AlfalfaSprout(y)]

It’s funny that you say that. The Restulex I use has Magnesium in it with a lot of other minerals. This is why I say natural is the best – it’s always the minerals and vitamins. : ) I bet you that’s why drug companies hate this stuff.

[cherry251]

RLS does affects the arms and torso as well...