I'm currently on Requip, but I would like to know if anyone has tried Mirapex, Baclofen, Horizant, or anything else for RLS and PLM? If so, what did you like or dislike about the drug? Also, this applies to what has worked or not worked for you pertaining to, muscle spasms, muscle twitching, and parkinsons disease, etc...
What drugs have you found effective in treating Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement?
- Asked
- 10 Aug 2011 by HPoole
- Updated
- 5 August 2019
- Topics
- mirapex, requip, muscle spasm, parkinson's disease, chronic spasticity, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, baclofen, muscle twitching, horizant
Answers (45)
My mother has parkinsons disease. She takes Comtan,and Carbidopa/levo for parkinsons disease. The parkinsons targets the muscles, thus, making them shake,tremble,twitch,etc. Before my mom got on the flexeril she would drool really bad.She could not sit up by herself. She was shaking bad.she would make a noise with her tongue (a ticking noise).
Her Dr. said that this was bad and she would have to go into a nursing home.We did not want that to happen so he tried her on that and by the next day I saw tremendous results, and of course,she felt them too.I am in no way shape or form telling you this will work for you.It did work for her. My point is,run this medication by your dr.and see what he thinks if your current meds arent working. When she went back to the Dr.HE was very impressed with the improvement.all of her symptoms are gone.maby this could be an option for you and your Dr.
Ok, I was on Requip for a period of time, and was also on Mirapex as well. They both felt more or less the same, except that with the Mirapex, I would get hallucinations from it, in a way where you couldn't tell if you were dreaming or not, it was awful... I currently take Klonopin and if I'm not mistaken, it too can be used for RLS. Klonopin is a benzo, however the side effects are nothing in comparison to the other meds listed. Even flexeral, a med that to me feels like I took 20 Benadryl is better than something like Requip or Mirapex. That was my experience, and of course everyone reacts differently. At the time, I was also on a series of other sedating medications, so it's hard to tell if it was only from the one med, or if it really was due to a combination effect.
Dave, my hubby, has severe RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome). He's used several drugs in the past such as Mirapex & Carbidopa/Levodopa but they always had to be switched after being maxxed out or not working well enough any longer.
In June, his dosage was increased again. He now takes 300 mg Lyrica & either 2 or 3 Pramipexole tablets that are 0.25 mg in size at bedtime every day. Presently, this dosage is beneficial & is working well for Dave. He doesn't seem to be experiencing any side effects. I'm hoping that he'll be able to use this combo for a long time.
Dave's used so many different meds over the years, that I'm unable to easily recall their names. After today, he be using 17 different pill prescriptions; some pills he takes once daily but still others can be 3X daily. Since he's suffered since he's been a child & due to the fact of all of the other pills, I'm unable to tell you specific effects from past pills. Please look at the reviewers' ratings on this website for more of that information.
I'm so sorry about your condition! Even though I personally don't suffer from RLS, I've seen firsthand how it can affect 3 different people. It also can bother people sitting beside or sleeping beside you.
Dave used to take extra showers too, sometimes in the middle of the night for much needed relief. I'm so glad now that he's able to sleep through most nights due to the fact that he'd swallowed some tiny, little pills. Amazing!
All the best to your health! Good luck!
P.S. Try not to drink caffeine or alcohol in the evening before bedtime. His RLS seemed to "act up" more if he had done too much physical labour.
Does you husband only have RLS? or is it associated with Parkinsons? I have Parkinsons and have recently been put on Mirapex for RLS. I find that the "squarmies" dont keep me awake since I started the Mirapex. I was up every night in a hot shower just to get relief from RLS and it helped but it cut into my sleep time.Dont know how long the Mirapex will work, but at least it is working for now.My husband never know when I am up and down during the night because he sleeps like a rock and I am thankful for that.
Hi beckytom! Nice to meet you! :)
Presently, Dave, my hubby, additionally has other medical conditions. He doesn't have Parkinson's. He's had RLS all his life. It's only been during these past several years that his doctor FINALLY prescribed something for his Restless Legs. I'm normally a light sleeper so I envy your hubby. LOL
(Sometimes I sleep on a reclining chair because of my health problems but I'm trying to train myself to get used to lying down on the bed again.)
Dave's older sister has this syndrome as well as his son. His son doesn't take meds so instead he'll be in the shower 1 or 2 times per night normally.
One thing that you might want to check is your iron level, beckytom. I recently found out that may have an effect on RLS.
Also, try not to use caffeine, chocolate or alcohol after 6 P.M.
If you haven't already joined the RLS support group here, please feel free to do so to find out about other people's different experiences & medications & info.
Good luck to you, beckytom! Good health! from Wendy :)
Hi everyone again! I'm sorry but my earlier post wasn't worded very well. Dave takes 17 different meds right now because he has a chronic heart condition in addition to RLS. He takes 2 prescriptions for RLS & sometimes a sleeping pill.
Apologies for my misleading statement. from Wendy :)
I have RLS all day and night sometimes. I just found this site and am so happy to find other people that understand the emormity of this syndrome. I find that hot baths help sometimes - I have taked as many as 5-6 in one night - reeks havok on my skin! I am currently on Requip 12 mg. daily. I have actually gotten disability because I cannot stay awake at work and keep taking the meds I need to check the RLS. Mirapex did nothing for me. I have a scrip for vicadin if it gets so bad that nothing else helps. Is anyone else in the vicious cycle of arthritis pain - restless leg - meds which cause compulsive eating - which leads to more arthritis pain - which leads to more rls, ... I would love to find an answer to this conundrum
Does Iron help with RLS ?
I was taking Mirapex for RLS and it ruined my life. I couldn't sleep was hyper was making things like craft stuff and knitting couldn't stop, up all night knitting.
My balance was terrible, I fell in shower and cut my neck on facet.
My head was buzzing awful feeling.
One night I forgot to take the Mirapex and felt like my old self again it took months for me to get back to normal.
Hello my husband and I both take Requip he takes I MG and I take 10 mg
I also use an all natural cream to rub
On my legs I am 72 and started when I was 25 . I think the requip is good but however side effects really bug me. It just seems there is no end to pain also started with fibro at the same age.
But you have to keep going. And I always worked. Hope this helps.
I use Mirapex, Baclofen pump and now Horizant. I have PLM. Just began it last night. I moved all over my husband said yet, I slept thru it. I took it after 5 pm since had not read label then prescription said bedtime. It makes you more drowsy with other bed meds. We shall see. I have to get more then 45 minutes a hour thru the night hours as I am sleep depraved to a extreme.
Also, I have Generalized Dystonia.
I would like to know if the Baclofen pump helped you since I am going to ask my doctor about it. Sorry my question is 6 years after your comment, and I realize you might not have signed up for receiving comments.
I have had restless leg syndrome for 10 years & I made an accidental discovery in 2005. Apples & apple sauce does the trick. I kid you not, it works like a charm. All you need is 3 to 4 rounded tablespoons or 1 apple.
When do you eat the applesauce or apple. My husband starts getting his symptoms around 2-2:30pm. Then he takes .25 mirapex and another .25 at 5 or 6pm. So how would he substitute the apple? Ray
Use over the counter generic Leg cramp tablets from Rite Aid, main ingrediant quinine was using Miro Pex bad reactions
Just an FYI... (I used to take quinine tears ago) I wasn't aware that Rite Aid sold that... DIET seltzer water also contains quinine... Thanks for the heads up... Peaceful nights... :-)
Mirapex worked but exspensive, and had reactions. Switched to over the counter Leg Cramp tabs. Main ingredient Quinine.2 tabs at nite time !
Did the Quinine work ?
Thank you
Mirapex made me live out a dream, grab into thin air, pass out as well, fall off toilet.
I need help, when I overdo on my feet, I get up at nite and pass out. I have been hurting my ribs. I have been taking tequila and Percocet . After one of those episodes I literally sleep for 3 days. I need help
I was diagnoses with neuropathy, and with degenerative disk disease, only to discover a couple years into my course of tx he added restleg syndrome. My neuro gave me lyrica, tizinadine, and diclofenac, while I was taking lamictal and ambien for bipolor and insomnia. I have recently discovered after receiving tx from a chiro after an accident this past Jan, that my painful cramps and spasms down my legs to my feet, would lessen greatly when I began to move my back and do some stretching! and not knowing any better I would take them all together at bedtime, getting zonked out. I figured out my legs would thrash and kick all over because my brain was trying to get me to wake up to go pee! So my new venture has been to study how my meds work togehter, had a pharmacist look at the times I take them, etc. then present this information to my doctors.
Doctors dont seem to like to work with one another but I continue to advocate for myself. Baclofen made me sick to my stomach. Do you have any disk problems?
Hi Mediyuck! Nice to meet you! :)
Congratulations on your strength & perseverance for advocating for yourself with your health issues! Well done!
I personally believe that if every doctor and pharmacist could have 1 day of training while having to endure pain (not even a full day, per se, but probably only a work day LOL), I think our world would be totally changed in respect with our healthcare systems.
Oh well, I guess we'll just have to start trying to change things for the better, one doctor at a time! :)
The time for a medical revolution is nigh. :)
from Wendy :)
thanks Wendy for your supportive response! My name is Julie. I came up with Mediyuck when I first got on Drugs.com. One big indication how I felt when I began to subcribe to this two years ago!
Advocating for yourself as long as it takes is Soo impOrtant. great job! Even I as an RN had RLS and fibromyalgia so terrible, I felt hopeless to advocate because of intense, chronic pain, I vowed to research & educate while working on a neuroscience degree if i EveR got relief to HeLP those that suffer.helpful to have someone to help advocate also, is drs, @ nurses don't seem to have a grip, due to minimal research and answers in the field.
I took Requip but developed OCD issued as the dose was increased. Sinement only made the leg pains worse. I couldn't flush that one fast enough. Gabapentin and Klonipin cocktail kept me going for years but it never took away the pain completely. My doctor and I did not want to use opiods so I just dealt with the pain and minimal sleep. It wasn't until I took Horizant that I slept through the night without pain for the first time in almost twenty years. I am looking forward to plenty more restful nights. I wish you all the luck as you search for what works for you. Be patient but persistent.
Hi bebe!
Your OCD issue intrigued me very much. Was there an actual known connection between requip and OCD? Did your OCD go away after you stopped requip?
How is the Horizant working?
The OCD issues were connected to Requip and stopped when I stop using the drug. As far as Horizant, it's still doing okay. Not as good as when I first took it but still better than anything else.
I tried Horizant 600mg and did not like the way it made me feel and switched to Neurontin (gabapentin) so far so good and no popping limbs. My Neuro has me on 300mg before bed. Its suppose to make you sleepy too but it does not for me, so I am trying melatonin in addition cause I have trouble sleeping. The popping limbs were what was keeping me awake.
I was taking Seroquel 300XR for insomnia but that's another story. So the Neuro doc wanted me to get off it and get on something for RLS. But a year ago the psych people wouldn't listen they said I was depressed and could not sleep and that I had delusions something was physically wrong. My brain MRI shows Multiple Sclerosis. So I am a little bitter, but happy I have proof now and do not have to be on that awful medicine!
I tried requip but it took me down to fast. I am on Mirapex .5 and when I take the full .5 it too drags me down, so now I take 1/2 dose about 2:30 or 3:00 and take the other 1/2 around 5 or 6 and that seems to work better. I have RLS. Ray
I have been diagnosed with severe RLS. For the past approximately 13 or 14 years I have been taking Mirapex. I call it my miracle drug because when I first began taking it that's what it seemed like was a miracle. I had instantaneous results, going from almost continuous RLS episodes to no episodes at all. Unfortunately, it seems that every year or 18 months I reach a point where the Mirapex quits being effective and I have to go off it for a time. When I do go off the Mirapex I usually take a Requip / Baclofen combination, which isn't nearly as effective as the Mirapex for some reason, but does work fairly well. Then after anywhere from one to three months I can return to the Mirapex for another year to 18 months. I usually start with a dosage of .25 mg 3-4 times/day to start and often I increase to .25 mg 4-6 times/day before I actually get off the medication. Hope this information helps.
I tried Horizant and Neurontin and had bad side effects from both. Since I have insomnia from the popping limbs I found hat temazepam 30 mg works quite well for putting me to sleep and its an anticonvulcent and does the trick for that too. Well thats my experience anyway, best wishes.
FYI my friend with M.S. takes baclofen and it works for her.
I have tried the Horizant for 2 wks now and my dreams aren't as bad, but I constantly have to keep up in the middle of night to pee and my mouth is always dry and I am like a zombie when I get up in the morning, that way most of the day. My Dr. said all his patients love it, I am the first to complain. My husband said I was sleeping well, even snoring (oh great) but he said my legs were jumping all over the bed, and he had to leave. Weird, since I didn't know it. I guess I go back to the Mirapex and have my weird dreams, it also made me put on weight when I started taking it 8 yrs ago. I didn't have any luck with Requip! Thanks for the input!
Hope you find something that helps!
Hi Hpoole, I have suffered from Restless Legs Syndrome for most of my life and didn't know that anyone else suffered from this. I have never taken medicine for this but I use a natural remedy called transdermal magnesium (liquid magnesium). When I get restless legs I spray it on and rub it on my legs whenever I can and it has helped me a lot. The other thing that also helps is Kneipp therapy (water therapy). Try this. Spray your legs with cold water, one leg at a time, front and back, starting at the knee and ending at the toes and then repeat a couple of times, then change legs. Do not touch the legs with your hands whilst doing this and once you are finished do not dry your legs, just let them dry naturally. If you do not have a hand shower, take a bucket of cold water and a jug and start pouring the water on at the knee so that the water runs down to your feet and repeat. perhaps this will help.
my experience has been with requip, klonopin,and nuerontin. nuerontin for me, is least in side effects.
Further Information
- Mirapex Drug Information
- Requip Drug Information
- Baclofen Drug Information
- Horizant Drug Information
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How long did it take it to work? How soon notice it helped?
She was delirious at the dr's office, he was ready to put her in a nursing home.I got her home about thirty minutes later and gave her the pill.Now,keep in mind she had been terrible for weeks... within two hours or less,she was fast asleep,because she was worn out from the Parkinson (it targets muscles). The next day it was like a total 180 she was back to herself to a point..When I took her back to the Dr. in one month, everyone was shocked at how she responded to the medication.
I began it Tuesday and another bedtime med for sleep. I still had a extreme amount of movement but, slept thru it, Not sure if one med or another but, praying the pain stops and it works. Thanks for sharing. And so glad your mom is doing better!!
I too have RLS and I am on anatripilin not sure on how to spell it. And it has worked really good so far. Look it up it is used for many different things but RLS is one. Amanda
hi all i was put on carblevo 25-250 the other day for rls it made me sick pored sweet told me dr and she wanted me to keep taking it.i had to tell her no it mite work for some not me,