Quote:
Originally Posted by dlshaffer
When I was first diagnosed with PN in 2001, the doctor also put a name to my leg problems - RLS. I was put on Neurotin and Requip. While the Requip worked, I did not like the way it made me feel.
Fast forward to Spring 2006 when I went on Lyrica. At this point, I was only taking the Requip occasionally. One day I realized that I did not seem to have the symptoms of RLS anymore.
At the end of January (this year), I asked the doctor if we could replace Lyrica with something else as the Lyrica was starting to put weight on and I wanted to see if I could lose some. He put me on Elavil which seemed to work somewhat. I did find that I was taking more Tramadol than I normally was and that the one pill at night was in no way lasting 24 hours. I found I was taking my night pill earlier and earlier to get some relief.
Also, my RLS came back big time. The real test came when I went to a Motocross track with my daughter and grandchildren. My oldest granddaughter (age 10) has raced dirt bikes since she was 5. Anyway, there is a lot of walking involved and it was painful and I was just miserable. The next day I called the doctor for an appointment to see if I could go back on the Lyrica. Thankfully he agreed to it, starting out on 50mg three times a day. I got the prescription locally. He also gave me a prescription to send away for 100mg two times a day. I had been on 150mg three times a day.
I only had to take the first couple of pills and I felt better almost instantly. I had become irritable on the Elavil and did not want to do anything. I had started out on 10mg and then upped to 20mg. So, for a couple of months of experimentation, I found it best to stay with what is working.
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Certain AD's make RLS worse. SSRI's are a big culprit (which I experienced first hand). From that site I was talking about in my first post:
Amitripylline (Elavil) tends to worsen RLS so I would not recommend that drug. You should see a doctor who can treat your RLS more effectively.
That doctor's specialty, at that site, is RLS. He recommends Tramadol and opiates to treat severe RLS. Even with Requip, Mirapex, or Lyrica. From what I've been reading the Requip doesn't help as many as the Mirapex does. And there's more augmentation related to Requip.
Lyrica is closely related to Neurontin. Which might explain the success you had with it and also the weight gain issue. The Requip seems to not work well for many people, sides - like you stated - and of course the augmentation.
Yes! I'm beginning to find a balance for what works and what doesn't. And it's different for each person. I'm beginning to be able to differentiate between what's RLS symptoms and what's PN. The Mirapex seems to be doing the job wonderfully for the RLS symptoms and the Tramadol bails me out from the PN pain when I need it.
On that site he constantly stresses the need to take a holiday from the Tramadol and the opiates. He states 2 days every 2 weeks. With some opiates it's a different time frame and for a longer period. This prevents addiction and tolerance. Most of the time the doses people are on are small enough not to cause problems with proper precautions. The problem I have is I don't have 2 days every 2 weeks with no pain. So what do you do....just bear the pain and pray for the 2 days to go by quickly? I'll have to ask my doctor about that...
I'm so glad you were able to find relief, something that works well for you. I can't take Lyrica because Gabapentin (generic Neurontin) made me suicidal.