Pramipexole vs: gabapentin
After several years of being on Pramipexole, I switched doctors and my new doctor said it would be better for me to switch to gabapentin. He said he talked with a neurologist about my case and that is what they came up with.
My success rate with Pramipexole has been positive/negative. Sometimes I can go up to 5 days without any symptoms and then for some reason, I will have a stretch of 2,3,4 days where it's very agonizing and sleepless.
MY QUESTION: has anyone had a good or bad success story/rate with gabapentin? Right now, I'm a little reluctant to change.
Thank you for your comments, Dennis.
By the way… I have not received any replies/responses to my question regarding gabapentin vs pramipexole
Hi Dennis (
). I'm still hopeful you'll get some feedback on your question. The activity in this community is hard to predict. Sometimes, we get lots of participation and other times, we go through slow periods. I hope you can be patient with us a bit longer. I'm glad to hear you are working wih the VA now. Thank you for your service! Warm wishes. - Lori (Team Member)
Hello Lori, no the doctor did not mention any concerns about augmentation using Pramipexole. As a matter of fact, over the last year, I have been weaning myself off the drug to lower dosage & keeping my fingers crossed.
My story started out with my inquiry to purchase a device called TOMAC. I contacted the company back east sells these and currently they only sell this device (which is FDA approved) in 13 states. Washington state is not on that list unfortunately. There was a lady that called me back from the Tomac company and asked me if I was a military veteran. She said if I was, I could utilize the Veterans Admin to purchase this device. There are no (state) restrictions for veterans. I am a Vietnam veteran so I thought hey that might work out?
I have been working with the veterans administration department since April of this year and right now they're at a point where they want me to try the gabapentin first. If the gabapentin does not work out for me, I do not know how many other steps I have to endure before they will finally authorize the purchase of a Tomac device.
DENNISHello Lori… Yes, I know what augmentation is and I have never had any with the Pramipexole. I guess a my new doctor has different thoughts on treatment? Hopefully somebody in this community has some experience with the treatment of RLS with Gabapectin
Hi Dennis. We don't have a lot of conversations in our archives about gabapentin, but it is mentioned a lot in passing. So I will send you a link to the archives so that you can browse at your leisure.
https://restlesslegssyndrome.sleep-disorders.net/search?s=gabapentinKeep in mind two things: Every person is different in the way they respond to a medication, so it's hard to predict exactly how it will work for you, and people are much more likely to go online to share a negative experience than a positive one. That said, we support whatever you choose to do. Keep us posted, okay? Best wishes! -Melissa, team member
I will check it out… Thank you
Hi Dennis (
). I hope you get lots of responses to this question. Lots of people in this community have reported using gabapentin either alone or in combination with another medication for RLS. I was prescribed gabapentin for shingles pain and it was the only thing that helped me. Is your doctor concerned you might be experiencing augmentation with Pramipexole? Here is an article that explains it in case you are not familiar with augmentation: https://restlesslegssyndrome.sleep-disorders.net/augmentation. Please let us know what you decide and how it goes. Thinking of you. - Lori (Team Member)
