Generic Name: Gabapentin for Restless Legs Syndrome (gabapentin)
Gabapentin for Restless Legs Syndrome Reviews
"Feeling great this morning! I started gabapentin 2 weeks ago for RLS. Last night I was in bed at 10:15, RLS a tiny bit and then got up to the bathroom, dropped off at 11 p.m., slept like a baby until 5:40 a.m. I've had RLS for 25 years, bad, very bad, extreme, intolerable at various times, but always avoided meds. The past 6 months RLS has been intolerable, all night every night. I've been taking Gabapentin for two weeks, 300mg at night. Side effects at first red flushing, dizziness, clumsiness and for one morning (1 hour) weird dark mental thoughts. Now body adjusted I’m sleeping great, RLS and side effects gone. I feel happier. Having RLS so long and lack of sleep I thought my normal mind was normal, but now I feel happier. I am not sure if it is that I am now sleeping or the gabapentin itself or combination. Don't know, don't care. It's early days, but promising. Just arrived at work, pouring with rain as usual (Manchester, England), but KC and the Sunshine Band are playing on the radio. Good luck all. :-)"
"I've suffered with restless leg syndrome since the age of 20, and now I'm 40. As I've aged, it has worsened, and I also get it in my arms and hands. I was prescribed 6 of 600mg by my GP and find it's the only thing that helps them settle. I would truly go insane if I didn't have this medicine, which I've been taking now for 3 years."
"I have been suffering from Restless Legs Syndrome for several years, sometimes very pronounced and frustrating. I recently had major surgery, and for reasons unknown to me, the doctors prescribed Gabapentin for me (3 x 300mg caps daily). Since taking them, my RLS has totally disappeared. That's right, totally. Nada, nunca, none. It has been two weeks now, and I can only pray that this continues."
"300 mg of gabapentin was prescribed to me months ago. I use it 'as needed' for restless leg syndrome at bedtime. I also have anxiety and spondylitis, so it may have been a catch-22. It has worked for me... HOWEVER... I cannot see how anyone functions during the day on this med?! It makes me extremely floppy, sleepy, dopey, and forgetful! Everyone is different so I am only wanting to warn you to please be careful if you have a lot of responsibilities and stuff to take care of."
"I have been on the struggle bus with painful legs preventing me from getting sleep at night and regular migraine headaches. I tried every supplement and therapy as I really don't like taking drugs. I finally relented and tried 300 mg of gabapentin before bed. First time ever my Fitbit recorded an excellent sleep score. I haven’t woken up feeling this good in years. Hope it’s not a fluke. I feel like I just got my life back."
"I have been taking Tramadol for RLS for three years. It worked absolutely wonderfully, and any time I ran out or stopped for some reason, I had no withdrawal symptoms at all. Also, I never felt like I was dependent on it, nor addicted to it. It helps that this is a non-narcotic medication. At the beginning of this year, my doctor added gabapentin 300mg/night. With this combination, I must say, I have never had a more restful night's sleep in my entire life. I wake up refreshed, not groggy at all, and ready to hop right out of bed and take on the day and the world."
"I had been using gabapentin successfully for almost ten years for restless legs. I thought I should take a break and gradually reduced my regular dosage of 1500/day down to zero. What a mistake! I reverted to waking up every two hours with leg pain, joint pain, and a floating depression. Needless to say, I'm back on the gabapentin."
"This is my first night on Gabapentin, and I am lying in my bed with my laptop as comfortable as can be. I feel normal. The past year has been brutal, and my restless legs syndrome got exponentially worse, which led to higher anxiety issues and depression. I went through a few doctors and tried numerous medicines including Tramadol (which worked well for a little while). Apparently, this medicine starts working better as time goes by, which is great for me."
"I’ve had moderate RLS for as long as I can remember (I remember sitting in church as a kid with the need to have pressure on the bottom of my feet and to move them back and forth over the kneeler). Several years ago, I was diagnosed with general anxiety and was prescribed an SSRI, and when that stopped working, I was prescribed an NSRI (Cymbalta). My RLS got so bad I was trying anything. I tried CBD oil and failed a drug test, so no more CBD oil. I went to a neurologist, and she took one look at my allergy medications and my anxiety medications and told me both are known RLS causes/enhancers. Cymbalta is a very well-known trigger for this condition. I stepped down from the Cymbalta, and my RLS is so much better. I stopped taking Benadryl and any allergy medication ending in “dine.” I’m okay taking “zine” allergy medications. Once I stopped taking all the triggers, I started the Neurontin, and within one hour of taking 100 mg, I am comfortable in bed in a way I hadn’t been in years."
"I have suffered with RLS for pretty much my entire life. I'm 55 now. Discovered gabapentin while reading blog posts. I have tried all the other meds. My RLS was getting so bad I was having a lot of episodes during the day, not just at night, but worse at night. I could not sit still to even look at a newspaper or magazine. There were times I actually thought I was going to go completely insane. Most nights I didn't sleep more than an hour or two. Even then, I was not getting a good deep sleep. When I asked my GP about gabapentin, he had no problem prescribing it for me. He even followed recommendations for the dosage. I take 100 mg in the morning and at lunch. Before bedtime, I take 200 mg. All I can say is that this has been a godsend for me."
"Initially, was prescribed 400mg to take at night. It worked great for two weeks. I slept like a baby. But it stopped working, and restless leg symptoms returned, so I took a double dose (800 mg). So far, so good. I wake up refreshed. I used to be such a grouch in the morning for most of my life. I cannot take it during the day because it makes me sleepy. If I take a nap, I take a 400 mg tablet. I love it."
"I have been on gabapentin 300 mg at night for about more than 10 years for RLS. It has done wonders. It has been a wonder drug. However, lately, it has not done as well as in the past. I plan on asking my doctor to get his thoughts on increasing the dose. For this to work as long as it has for 10 years, I cannot complain."
"Gabapentin has really helped my nasty restless legs. Before gabapentin life was awful due to the side effects of Mirapex (for 10 years). In any case, I would have given gabapentin a higher score, but it is only half the reason I now sleep through the night. Another medicine called trazodone when taken with gabapentin does the trick. My wife reports that my legs still do their crazy movements at night but I am sleeping the whole time. Current dose is 900 mg about 3:00 pm and 300 mg. at bedtime with the trazodone."
Neurontin (gabapentin) "Before taking Neurontin, there were 4 to 5 nights a week that I was unable to sleep. I started taking Neurontin regularly and I no longer have RLS. It has helped me tremendously and made a big difference in my quality of sleep."
"I have been on gabapentin for 2 1/2 to 3 years now. At first, it worked great, I am up to maximum dose a day and still no help. So, my doctor also put me on myaplex too. At first, I thought we finally found the right dose. Now, a year later, it is back, and I can't sleep and can't function during the day because it is so bad. I belong to the RLS foundation, and they still don't have any help. Please, I'm begging, if anyone can give advice on what to do, I would be eternally grateful."
"This medicine has been life-changing! I was always told my RLS is in my head and not real. It's just me being worried or nervous. Thankfully, I asked my doctor. She told me it's very real and asked my symptoms. They matched perfectly with all RLS symptoms. I take Gabapentin before bed. It takes about 30 minutes to kick in, but when it does, I'm able to relax and sleep. When I get out of bed in the morning, my legs don't ache because I'm no longer moving them all night. Please seek medical help if you are struggling with RLS. This medicine might not be for you, but whatever medicine works is worth it!"
"I started having restless legs at 15. Then I kept it to myself even when I would be up all night sometimes taking 5 hot baths because I thought it was in my head. My psychiatrist actually prescribed it because she had prescribed me Adderall for ADD and it got so bad. When mine hits, it's literally like I want to claw/cut my legs off, kick them front to back, left to right, scratch them, hit them. Nothing helped. Gabapentin helped me immediately. To those of you who said it didn't help or it made you too sleepy... I was told to take mine at bedtime. Normally, I take it 2-3 hours before. 900 mg. I gave it a 9 because I do have breakthrough spells and bad clumsiness. Taking it 2-3 hours before makes me only be dizzy and clumsy before bed and not the next morning."
"Yes, I have had RLS since I was nine years old. Experts say that children cannot experience RLS, but I can remember it clearly when trying to sleep and at Saturday morning picture club! When I flew to Australia, it was so bad I wanted to jump off the plane! I even get it in my arms. Now in my sixties and still a sufferer. I don't eat or drink after 6 PM and only have one coffee at 8 in the morning. Last night was a bad night with it in my left leg and arms. I took two Gabapentin, which is great for relief and knocks me out. I cannot understand why there is no research into this awful condition. If I won the lottery, I would fund research into a cure!"
"Gabapentin has saved my sanity. I have severe RLS 24/7, all day, every day, no exception. I was put on Requip, which did nothing. I was then prescribed gabapentin, and my legs immediately calmed down. I couldn't believe it! I was ecstatic! I feel like a normal person again. It has caused some dizziness, balance issues here and there, and cognitive issues as well. But nothing I can't live with. I'm sure the symptoms will subside since I've only been on this medication for about a week. But it's worth it to stop that horrible feeling in my legs. I literally felt like I was going to lose my mind. This has been a miracle drug for me."
"Restless legs and peripheral neuropathy. Got rid of restless legs 5 or 6 out of 7 nights. Hard to say if it tones down neuropathy as it is all over the place. Take it 1 to 3 times a day. If you start to take less, wean yourself. I couldn't deal with restless legs without taking this."
"Only problem I have found with Gabapentin is the need to increase the dosage over the long run. I am now up to 2000 mg a night. Having talked to many using the same medicine, it would seem the limit is 2400 mg, after that no increase seems to help. I started back in 1999 with 100 mg a night. Over the last 13 years, the need to increase has been gradual but needed. I am approaching the limit. Gabapentin has been a godsend."
"I've been taking 1800 mg of gabapentin for restless legs since April of this year. It has been wonderful. Plus, I get a tad drowsy, but, alas, there is a problem: weight gain. I've been on a 1200 calorie diet and I continue to gain weight. 15 lbs since the end of April. What to do?"
"I believe I have the worst case of RLS in the universe! I was taking pramipexole, and it worked great, but it seems it stopped being as effective after several years! I would wake up almost every hour and be up an hour, so the doctor started me on gabapentin today! I took one 2 hours before bed. I dozed off but woke up soon and have not been able to go back to sleep since! She gave me samples, and I don't remember how many she said I could take! I ended up taking two more over an 8-hour period! No relief yet!!! I don't think I've slept more than one hour altogether tonight!! Is gabapentin something that has to get into your system for longer than one day in order to help?! I was so hoping and praying this was my miracle! After many months of deprived sleep, I'm very exhausted!! I just took a pramipexole! I hope it's okay to mix the two!!! I just need sleep! I'm so miserable with these legs... and it feels like my whole body has RLS!!! Thank you for listening!"
"I was started on gabapentin 5 days ago. I began with one 300 mg pill a night. I have not had more than 3 hours of sleep since I stopped taking my other medication. I am going to increase it to 600 mg per night to see if it relieves the pain and leg jerking. I am near my wit's end. I have suffered from restless legs syndrome for over 30 years."
"I am a 45-year-old female and have been suffering from RLS for the past 6 months (located in BC, Canada). I also have chronic migraines since puberty. Met with a new neurologist this week, and she prescribed me gabapentin as she said it would help with both (I am also taking 1000 mg of magnesium daily). Last night, for the first time, I took 300 mg of gabapentin before bed, and for the FIRST time in what seems like forever, I was able to have some actually good restful sleep. I did experience some dizziness when I woke to use the toilet in the middle of the night, but what usually would have been a terrible time getting back to sleep was not bad at all. I did have two occasions with knots and spasms in a calf and thigh, but I put on a heat pad over those areas and drifted off to sleep easily. This is a dream come true. I look forward to going to sleep tonight. Sweet dreams to all of you also who are finding that this med has worked for you."
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