My Augmentation Experience: Rinse and Repeat

I have gotten personal messages from at least 3 people asking for this article. If you're wondering why, you should probably read my previous article on this story to get some context.

I've been putting this off because I wanted to give it enough time and not just assume that it's not working. If you're still wondering, "What on Earth is she on about?" that means you haven't read my first article on my augmentation experience, and that is A-OK. I'll catch you up.

My GP prescribed me a dopaminergic drug

About 2 to 3 years ago, my GP prescribed ropinirole to treat my restless legs syndrome (RLS). It kind of worked for 3 months, and then augmentation set in.

Augmentation is basically the worsening of RLS symptoms after starting a dopaminergic drug. Last year, my current GP decided to place me on ropinirole again. Now that we're all caught up, let's continue, shall we?

I listened to my doctor and pushed down my skepticism

I was quite skeptical about taking ropinirole again after my last experience, but I was also in really bad shape, as my restless legs syndrome had gotten progressively worse. I decided to listen to my doctor, push my fears deep, deep down into the darkest echelon of my dark, nonexistent soul, give it a sprinkle of good vibes, and hope for the best.

The first few days, nothing happened. It was almost like I was taking a placebo, and honestly, that didn't bother me. By the end of the first week, though, I started feeling slightly better.

By the end of the first month, I was feeling great. That was when my anxiety set in.

I started getting terrible migraines

You see, the first time I took ropinirole, I started to feel better then as well before augmentation set in and knocked me off my not-so-high horse. So of course I was expecting history to repeat itself.

By the middle of the second month, I was still feeling great, but then I started getting these very terrible migraines where it felt like I had offended a carpenter in my former life and he was back in this life as a ghost, hitting the sides of my head with an invisible hammer. The pain was so bad, it started affecting my vision.

I had gone back to my doctor, but he asserted that ropinirole had nothing to do with it. I was still very skeptical, but I do not have a medical degree, so I left it alone and started taking painkillers for the migraines.

After a while, the migraines stopped and my legs were in great shape. However, I noticed my restless genital syndrome (RGS) had started to return.

He chalked it up to my legs 'falling asleep'

Sometime in November of 2021, I was dropping my daughter off at school when I suddenly couldn't feel my legs and nearly slid off the road. Luckily, I swerved in time and decided to park. I called my office to let them know I wouldn't be coming in that morning; then I let my daughter's school know she would be a tad late. I then called a friend of mine to get a taxi and come drive me the rest of the way.

I went to see my GP yet again, and he chalked it up to my legs probably falling asleep. Deep down I knew something wasn't right, but since I'm not a very confrontational person — and to be honest I was slightly in denial — I decided to just keep an eye on it.

My intuition was, of course, right, as it kept happening from time to time until it caused me to fall off the treadmill and fracture my leg.

I regretted not following my intuition

My recovery from that fracture was probably one of the most physically painful experiences of my entire life, because during that recovery period was when augmentation decided to set in with full force! While my legs were fractured and in a cast, my RLS symptoms came back with a vengeance, and I could not even move my legs to feel better.

I cried so many tears and cursed like an old sailor. I regretted not following my intuition and saying no when the doctor decided to put me on ropinirole again.

I have learned to stand my ground

I have since stopped taking ropinirole and have almost fully recovered from my fracture, but I have also learnt to stand my ground and fight for what I know to be true about myself as opposed to what someone else thinks, especially on things I have had prior bad experiences with.

Restless legs syndrome has a way of driving one to desperation, but erring on the side of caution should always win. As for my RLS symptoms, we're right back where we started.