Gabapentin for Restless Legs Syndrome User Reviews (Page 3)

• Legs...
• November 5, 2016

"Good drug but watch out for withdrawal.4 days in bed awful. Talk to your doc to get low doses to taper off. This is an unpredictable drug I swear DO Not RUN OUT or you're introuble and get magnesium (nothing relaces this drug...nothing) god luck"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 2, 2015

"I just took my first dose of Gabapentin I experienced severe reactions from tongue and throat swelling, slurring of words , headache, swollen glands and face, blurred and double vision. My Dr. is trying to wean me off Mirapax and Neupro patch as they have augmented. Now on a steroid and Benadryl to counteract that, still have blurred vision and it is 24 hours later."

• MaxxO...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 18, 2017

"I originally got Gabapentin for Nerve Pain in my neck and down my arm due to Arthritis damaging my spine. But I noticed that my Restless Leg problem I had for many years was also going away. That's when I read the drug was given specifically for restless leg syndrome. I mentioned this to my doctor and she said "yes it does". But what made me angry was when I specifically asked for something years earlier for the same thing, she wouldn't give me anything. Duh..."

• pain_...
• August 29, 2015

"I'm a recovering drug addict (all opiates) and I have restless leg, degenerative disk disease and and severe nerve damage for almost 20 years now. My RLS has kept me up for 5 days at a time. Night time and early in the morning I would be going absolutely insane, crying and screaming and hallucinating from lack of sleep. I know a lot of u have been thru it too and my heart goes out to u. Anyway I know this is a real problem for the recovering addicts out there and a major cause of relapses, I've been to the rodeo a few times myself. My gabapentin stopped working a few months ago, gradually. I'm already on a high dose at 1800, can't go up. any ideas? Thanks."

• JonJon
• September 29, 2019

"Was on Gabapentin for awhile for Bipolar and felt like it wasn't doing anything! In the past I also suffer from extreme RLS which keeps me up for hours. While on gabapentin for bipolar I never had RLS. As soon as I quit taking it about a week later the RLS started up again! Never knew Gabapentin treated RLS....."

• Chillaw
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 31, 2018

"Ironically, my doctor prescribed this medication and I was so thrilled to have relief from the RLS which increased after a surgery pain nerve block; unfortunately, as the dose was increased [ 100mg. to 300mg 3x a day ]- so did the RLS intensity and as my doctor then lowered the dose back to 100mg. - I noticed the RLS intensity decrease but the RLS remained nightly. I stopped Gabapentin and my RLS stopped. I have slept through the night for 2 nights now and it is a total relief - you cannot imagine the prior intensity I had for 2 months. I have had RLS all my life - usually, prior, had occurred maybe 1x a week. I hope this sharing helps others."

• grammyb
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2014

"Neurontin helped a lot with my severe restless leg syndrome & some with my chronic back pain. However, the 2 times it was tried on me over the years I had the bad side effect of doing things in my sleep I was unaware of! I once microwaved a remote & the house was filled with smoke! Also, would find bathroom towels in a kitchen cupboard, boxed food in the fridge, ect. So, even though it was helpful-had to quit using due to those side effects!"

• mllns...
• May 29, 2008

"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 Restless Legs Syndrome. It has helped me tremendously and made a big difference in my quality of sleep."

• Kay
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 22, 2018

"I began experiencing severe leg cramps at night about 2 hours after I was asleep, and then they'd come back every hour or so until daybreak. It was horrible pain but more so the lack of quality sleep to go to work the next day was the worst. Was on Requip, which stopped the cramps, but did nothing for waking up in the night 2-3 times. Was prescribed gabapentin and WOW, what it is amazing! Finally after a long time of sleep with interruptions with leg cramps, Now gabapentin allowed me to get a good night's rest to wake up the next morning feeling like a human being and not a zombie"

• Fiest...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 15, 2017

"I have had RLS for most of my life. Gabapentin has been the only medication that has helped me with a good night's sleep. 600 mg. about an hour before bedtime and my legs calm down and I drift off to sleep. No next day after effects to report."

• Dave...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 25, 2019

"Had RLS for 33 years now. Was prescribed gabapentin 30 years ago but didn't take them as it sort of scared me, being a Parkinsons med. Started on them 2 years ago due to paresthesia in my face (tingling/numbness) and it worked like a charm, but also fixed my RLS totally! I never had one single RLS episode for 22 months till last month, and its back with a vengeance after a hip replacement op. Daytime also, both legs and both arms. I threw my phone by accident the other day. I'm hoping its just a passing phase again, and I'm persisting with the Gabapentin, but adding one extra tab in the afternoons to see if I can control it, as I could chop off my legs (metaphorically) sometimes. Ah well... I must have been a right one in a previous life."

• Wabis...
• February 15, 2021

"Great information and feed backs from taking Gabapentin. I've been taking Gaba since 11/20 that had a bad side effects first. My doctor's advised me to take on 100 mg a low dose up to 600 mg. It worked great for few weeks...then my legs were driving me crazy again. The doctor told me to increase to 300 mg after dinner 900mg in bed time. Again, I was not able to function day time because of a bad side affect. So last night I skipped 300 mg, only tool 900 mg bed time, but I still had a same side effect today. Gabapentin supposed to help sleep deprivation, but my case isn't working at all. I take combinations of CBD, CBN and THC at night and working good to sleep. By the way, I'm 75 yr old female never thought about taking cannabis in my life ever!! Finally, I want to let people who have RLS, please join RLS Foundation."

• JOBO
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2020

"Hello, I am just going to offer a generic solution that may work for restless legs. I slanted my bed to around a 45 degree angle. I sleep with my head at the low end and my legs at the high end. This helps greatly with my restless legs. Of course, it only helps at night. During the day I have bad restless legs. I am going to ask the doc for gabapentin for my daytime restless legs."

• Joge
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 15, 2017

"I have had RLS and insomnia since around age nine. I was 1st prescribed gabapentin after herniating a disc three years ago. Didn't notice any effect on my RLS, but I was so drugged up, I wouldn't have. I was prescribed it again as a sleep aid two months ago. I have been taking lorazepam for sleep for years, and wasn't thrilled about taking 2mg of a benzo every night. It works great for sleep, but I feel hung over the next day -- can't seem to clear the fog. I ran out of gabapentin and noticed, holy cow, my legs are driving me crazy. Only then did it occur to me - - I hadn't had any RLS symptoms since I started taking it. I thought I had made a major discovery. LOL. This is the only drug that has ever touched my RLS."

• Nonic...
• August 2, 2019

"I had taken Mirapex for about 12 years, and though my RLS symptoms had abated, there were a few problems: I had to annually get a higher dosage (which should have been a red flag for my doctors and myself) and there were severe behavioral side effects which started insidiously and ended up terribly. As a result, I discontinued taking Mirapex and took no drug whatsoever for RLS for 3 years. It was a miserable 3 years, but I did discover within that time that RLS seems to somehow be a dopamine issue, so I did whatever I could right before bed to trump up my dopamine levels: vigorous exercise, sex, and chocolate/sweets. If it was a really bad night, then all three methods were employed! I have a new physician and she suggested I try gabapentin at only 100 mg to start. Within 5 nights, my RLS was much worse, with one leg jerking so badly it flew up in the air. Gabapentin doesn't seem to work for me, so I guess I'm back to vigorous exercise, sex, and chocolate."

• Don...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 29, 2017

"My many years of RLS stopped immediately with Gabapentin, I'm not crazy about the side affects ( I feel like a dizzy Zombie) Was prescribed for back pain, hasn't helped that at all, but OMG, a good nights sleep every night for the few weeks since I started taking it. 300 mg, 3 times a day. Probably needs to be much higher for the back/nerve pain."

• garden
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 10, 2019

"58y/o post menopause woman - been on gabapentin for 1 month at 300mg (but currently only taking 100mg at night) - originally prescribed for RLS but see that it helps in other ways too. It helps with night sweats, neuropathy in toes, helps with knee and shoulder aches and I haven't had interruptions in sleep since I started it. Getting 6-7 hrs sleep straight through, rather than 4-5. Will continue gabapentin up to 300mg (if needed, and no bad side effects show up) and wean off, once I lose 50lbs and get back to exercising regularly."

• muski...
• February 15, 2016

"Started taking gabapentin a couple months ago. Hate to take meds of any kind and am afraid of augmentin which I have had. I started on a low dose of gabapentin and increased it to 300mg at noon, and 300 mg. after dinner. In the evening I take ropinirole. After taking ropinirole I am up for at least 2-3 hours wrestling with my legs. Tonight I decided to skip ropinirole, and take another 300mg of gabapentin. Not sure yet if it will work. Going to bed soon. I am standing while writing this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 21, 2017

"I am male, white, 92 years old, very healthy, little exercize. Have had RLS for ~30 years when sedentary - reading, TV, trying to go to sleep. Six weeks ago our GP Rx 300mg gabapentin. I take one in early afternoon and it has worked like a charm. No side effects so far."

• Alpha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 9, 2019

"I've had issues with RLS and chronic insomnia since I was 4, until finally a (new) doctor many decades later put me on Ambien as part of my depression treatment regimen. I still had RLS from time-to-time but would take my Ambien (and years later, an earlier dose of Klonpin for anxiety) and it didn't matter. Fast forward many years and kids later, after a cervical disk injury, I was put on gabapentin (later, Gralise) for nerve pain. It didn't occur to me that my RLS had faded away too, until I phased out the Gralise because of the side effects and my RLS came back with a vengance. I've restarted a smaller dose of Gralise and it has helped tremendously. Be forewarned - on high doses of gaba (about 1200mg 3x/d or 1800mg Gralise 1/d), I had weight gain, bloating, forgetfulness, psychological numbness/foggy thinking. Still, it was worth it for the nerve pain. For RLS, gabapentin is shorter-acting, so try to be on the lowest dose possible. Gralise is a long-acting version."

• Help...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 15, 2022

"I'm 76 years old and I have been suffering from RLS for 35 years. The last 10 years were horrible. I couldn’t tolerate all the usual meds that were prescribed. I would go to bed at midnight, lie awake for an hour, doze off, and be awakened by the horrible RLS symptoms, causing me to have to get into a hot bath for 20-30 minutes. Back to bed, dozing on and off until I’d get out of bed around 7:30. I went through this routine EVERY NIGHT. Even when I was dozing, I was thrashing around often. I had a sleep study done and the doctor couldn’t believe I never slept- a frequent occurrence. He put me on 300mg of gabapentin (3 one hundred mg pills). I awoke whoozy in the morning so I cut back to 2 pills after supper. Suddenly, 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep, the 5, then 6–one time even 8! With NO RLS symptoms! I couldn’t believe it. I was so afraid it would wear off or I would need ever increasing dosages. It’s been 14 months with no RLS symptoms."

• Jim...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 7, 2017

"800 mg an hour before bed have eliminated my RLS . I had it bad , sleep was difficult and the desire to move and contract my leg muscles was maddening . Gabapentin at 800 mg cleared it up. I worked with my doctor and started at 300 and increased over time to 800. This works great for me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 21, 2020

"I just started taking the medication Gabapentin for RLS but my legs are still very restless. I’m suppose to work up to 300 mg. I still have to take requip which I truly dislike. I don’t think this medication is going to help. I’m willing to try anything."

• marci...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2017

"I've been taking Ropinirole HCL 1mg 3 times daily starting at 5:00 P.M. and another at around 7 and one more around 9 for years but it wasn't doing much for my restless legs. I can't sit for very long if I don't have it in my system. Even when driving I have the horrible jumping and restless legs. My doctor just recently put me on Gabapentin 300mg, one pill at bedtime. The first night I took it was great I finally had more than a few hours of sleep. But last night when I took one I didn't feel it was doing anything so I took another Gabapentin. Now I'm up after 2 hours of sleep and my legs are driving me crazy. I just took another Ropinirole so I hope I can calm down, I'm just so weary. Why is Gabapentin not doing anything? Right now I could just scream!"

• Laura...
• March 30, 2017

"I've suffered with Restless Legs as long as I can remember. This has been life changing for me. Still get them occasionally but nowhere near as bad. The tablets also do not make me sleepy although I take at bedtime."