I have sleepless nights with restless leg syndrome. Kindly help with medications.

Question

Hello doctor,

I am 45 years old. I have been struggling with restless legs for years. I took Pexola at increasing dosages (1 mg) until last year. I then started to take Requip XL 2 mg twice daily, as my RLS was giving me a hard time during the daytime as well. It worked very well, but now my legs are acting up big time again. I have no trouble falling asleep, but I wake up at about midnight and have difficulty falling asleep again. I started jogging about three months ago and lost about 5 inches. I eat a healthy diet and limit my alcohol and caffeine intake. I have no other health issues.

My other medications are Dormanoct 2 mg, Cilift 20 mg, and Prexum 5 mg. I want something that can help me with a good night's sleep.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. According to your statement, you have been suffering from restless leg syndrome and insomnia.

Restless leg syndrome causes an unpleasant or uncomfortable sensation in the legs and an irresistible urge to move them. In the majority of cases, there are no obvious causes of restless leg syndrome. In some cases, it is caused by an underlying health condition like iron deficiency anemia, Parkinson's disease, renal disease, DM (diabetes mellitus), peripheral neuropathy, chronic diseases, vitamin deficiencies like vitamin B complex, nutritional deficiencies like calcium, magnesium, dehydration, etc.

If restless leg syndrome strikes when you are asleep, take a walk for five minutes. Usually, just getting out of bed quickly can make symptoms disappear. When symptoms develop in the bed, try rubbing or lightly massaging your legs. Avoid spending more than 20 minutes awake in the bed with restless leg syndrome.

Chronic insomnia can result from anxiety, stress, depression, anger, worry, grief, trauma, etc. Again, having difficulty sleeping can also make anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms worse.

For your insomnia, you can follow a sleep schedule. It would be best if you tried to sleep at a specific time regularly. Keep your bedtime and wake time consistent from day to day, including on holidays. You can take some medications for sleeping like Eszopiclone (Lunesta), Zolpidem (Ambien), Midazolium, Clonazepam, etc., at bedtime for a week.

I hope this helps.