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Finding Help!

I have had RLS my whole life. I can remember my mom telling me that I always was kicking in bed when I was little. It wasn't until my 20's that I realized that I had a hard time in the evenings sitting still and had to get up and move around.
I have tried various drugs the past twenty years or so and as of lately I can't seem to get any of them to keep me sleeping through the night. Some of the over-the-counter medicines that I used to take for colds I can't tolerate anymore as I have aged. I have never in my life been able to take any type of sleeping aids. I have tried all of the Parkinson's medications only to have vivid dreams like taking sleeping medication.
Just in this past year my arms have become nervous like my legs before bed. I read that RLS can spread to other limbs, which I guess my doctor didn't know. It's been a frustrating journey trying to figure out what will work. Right now, I'm prescribed 50mg of Tramadol, .05mg of Klonopin. I feel better the next day when I only take half of the Tramadol because I won't fall asleep during the next day. I started adding 300mg Gabapentin back in before bed and that has cut my restlessness down in my legs and my arms before bed most of the time.
Now I wake up around 3:30 a.m. and my legs are restless, and I can't get back to sleep unless I take something. It's way too late to take something but I do because I need to sleep, but I'm tired and need a nap the next day.
Because of the lack of knowledge that I get from my doctor's or find a doctor that is knowledgeable with RLS, I'm on my own trying to figure out the right course of medication.

  1. Right now the .50mg Klonopin, 50mg Tramadol and the 300mg Gabapentin have been keeping me from having restlessness in my arms as well as my legs. I've been sleeping most of the night and waking up early with a little restlessness in my legs. So, overall it's better since I added the "Gabapentin.

    I have searched for new doctors and a couple of them that I have found are no longer seeing patients but doing research or writing books. I did go to another doctor thinking that he specialized in RLS but what he prescribed made me feel like I wanted to sleep all day. I think each one of us have a different tolerance to drugs and we have to experiment to find out what combination works for each of us. This may work for me for a while and then I'll have to change it up again.

    1. I hope you find something that helps you through the entire night, . ow frustrating. Have you tried finding a new doctor or are you burnt out in that regard right now? Thinking of you and wishing you the very best. - Lori (Team Member)

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