Restless leg syndrome, symptom of opioid withdrawal

[Keif' Richards]

Went to the doc and was prescribed Clonidine. Doesn't seem to work. Did the jig again last night.

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have any luck. RLS is like my worst nightmare, so I always have some acute sympathy for those who suffer from it. Clonidine (Catapres) is often not a sufficiently-helpful medication for the condition. It works well as a sedative drug for a lot of folks, which hopefully entails sedating them through the night's bout of RLS, but I never found it to be a suitable treatment for this symptom. Also, with Clonidine when used in this fashion, the effects are immediate and shouldn't take any length of time to determine its efficacy.

Go back to your prescriber and try whatever you need to do to acquire a Gabapentinoid. They're commonly prescribed for this purpose anyway.

 

[teflon320]

I also found certain drugs make RLS much worse for example I took Mirtazapine every night to sleep for years but when I stopped using opiates I couldn't take it anymore because it would trigger terrible RLS that no amount of Gabapentin could get under control. So have a look at what other medications you are taking because they might be causing RL.

The hot bath works for about 15 minutes in my experience so not really much use. I have been looking at these weighted blankets and might invest in one, has anyone had any luck with the blankets?

Thanks. Can't take baths due to surgery wounds that haven't healed yet. The only other meds being taken are blood thinners since a pulmonary embolism back in July.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Loperamide isn't a cure for RLS. However, It is quite effective at countering the gastrointestinal issues of opiate/opioid withdrawal and not shitting yourself is definitely a bonus! Gabapentin and pregabalin can be effective at negating more general withdrawal symptoms, but should only be used short term as the side effects can be quite shitty. Alternatively, methoxetamine is extremely effective - if you can get it.

 

[Coolwhip]

As said, the gabapentinoids are your best bet, and while not hard to obtain it may not be easy depending on your relationship with your doctor, especially now that the media is slandering them as a drug of abuse used by opioid addicts to get high because they don't understand they are being used to treat the side effects of dependence or to help those addicted to opioid who are also suffering from chronic pain; its ridiculous that they are basically asserting that just because opioid addicts take them that automatically makes them a drug of abuse to get drunkenly high on. They don't understand the effects of gabapentin or the motivations for taking them AT ALL.

Gabapentin is easily obtainable online but they will probably ship from India and take forever to get there.

Another option is Clonidine, its not meant for RLS specifically but opioid WD in general, and should be extremely easy to obtain, go to any doctor and tell them you are going through opioid WD and ask for it and they will readily prescribe it. Another possible option, which I haven't tried for opioid WD but it is used for RLS are dopamine agonists like ropinirole, cabergoline, or my favorite pramipexole...but start low with your dose and titrate up or you will throw up especially with pramipexole. But as I said, I can't vouch for their reliability in treating RLS induced by opioid WD but they do work for regular RLS.

edit: just saw clonidine didn't work for you, I'm sorry to hear that, did you try taking a rather large dose? They are usually prescribed in 0.1mg increments but it can take up to 0.5mg to get much relief from WD although at that point your body will feel heavy and you'll have dry mouth...I didn't think clonidine would be especially helpful for RLS but it was worth a shot.

Oh, just thought of this, try a heating pad at the base of the spine or wrapping your legs in a heated blanket.

 

[DMTimmyJ]

I don't understand the consensus of gabapentin. It does not affect dopamine levels in the brain.. Which is why you have the rls in the first place, a drop in dopamine.

 

[Coolwhip]

I could take a shot at the pharmacokinetics and how it could modulate dopamine, maybe through inhibition of inhibitory neurons i.e. disinhibition, but I am not sure if classical RLS is even caused by the same mechanisms as opioid WD induced RLS, but I can assure you gabapentin works VERY well for both, and gabapentin works great for opioid WD in general. In fact dopamine can have opposing actions depending on which neurons are activated, and then when you throw receptor dimers into the mix, it can get pretty complicated, but gabapentenoids have all sorts of downstream effects which aren't very well understood.

 

[teflon320]

No morphine for a month. Feel much better now. Still have infrequent bouts of RLS every third night or so but the symptoms are abating.

Thanks so much to everyone that took the time to try and help.

Cheers BL

 

[PearlBoots]

Happens too me after even just 2 days of use, but it also goes away just ask quickly if I stay away. Honestly what made me quit opioids in the first place.

 

[DonSmittyKong]

In my personal experience, I can contribute some advise that might be helpful to you.

Starting off, I know that opiate WD and kratom WD don't compare under the same degree of suffering and discomfort. In ways, they have their similarities though.
*Don't let my mention of kratom defer you from this post*

I use to be a heavy using opiate addict, and know what the WD's are like from opiates - They are awful!
I am now a current kratom user, and kratom has helped me so much, by muting my craving for prescription opiates.

The last time I used any type of opiate was the other day, only because a can of butane exploded near me and I received some really bad burns.
My mom had a leftover bottle of Tylenol 3 w/ codeine and I took five, so I could go to sleep, and still have leftover pills that I haven't thought about
touching since that first night. But, I still have my kratom, so I just use that daily. I could care less about the leftover T3's.

Let me digress:

When I use to go through opiate withdrawal, and whenever I take kratom vacations - cold turkey - I use to go buy the Day/Night time DM cold medicine jell capsules from the super market.
Unfortunately, they put more day time jell capsules in the pack, than they do the night time caps. The DXM and acetaminophen in the cold capsules really helped take an edge off of the WD's.
The night time caps were way more self valued, in my opinion. I would normally take one (two if necessary) and I would take melatonin that was made with 5-htp added by the manufacturer,
and that combination really helped me get a full night's sleep 90% of the nights I would go to bed.

Keep in mind, everybody is different, our bodies are different, and we are all different mentally (mind over matter).


This option in supplements I'm throwing out here are based on my own personal experience, and I'm not advising them as a cure-all.
I'm just letting you know what worked for me, to dull my past experiences of WD in both opiates and kratom.

Eat healthy. Get some sun. Drink fluids - Pedialyte was great for me. Exercise, if possible - even a quarter mile walk a day has a huge impact on getting through physical WD. And for me, most importantly, find a way to stay busy.
I know that in WD, the majority of people don't have the energy or the interest to do anything; many people become bed-bound through WD, and will lay there throughout the day focused
on how good it would feel to go score again, or they lay there with nothing to occupy their mind, and in doing so, it gives their brain nothing but time to focus on the depression, anxiety, pain, and cravings.

Anyway, I hope my words helped. I hope that you can get through this as painlessly, and quickly as possible.
God bless you, and good luck!

 

[ObieWan]

Oh boy I tapered down to 1/8 of a mg of sub and still had W/D for for or 5 months. Strips are easier to dose smaller. Tabs crumble. After 4 weeks you will end up with a tramadol habit.