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Cervical Pain, Restless Legs, Trouble Sleeping, Taking Oxycodone, Mobic, Zanax
Question: I am a 29 year old male and I have been suffering from cronic cervical pain for about 3 years now, and it is currently controlled with medications (oxycodone 10mg, Mobic 7.5mg, and XXXXXXX 350mg). for the past few months i have had severe restless legs during the bed and while going to sleep, the urge to move my legs and do anything in my power to get sleep is overwhelming. this leg feeling at first was very infrequent, maybe once a month for about 6 months, now for the past 4 days, day and night my legs wont stop, and it is driving me insane, nothing will help and i cann NOT SLEEP. i have even tried taking a zanax, and a adavan, and though they did make me relaxed and sleepy, my legs were still going and i couldnt sleep, no matter how tired i was. Any advice? Please help? -XXXXXXX
Hi XXXXXXX and thanks for your query.
Lat me start out by saying that I am a bit concerned about all the medications you are currently taking. XXXXXXX plus oxycodone can be quite sedating and I am wondering also what imaging workup and consultations have been done during the workup of this condition. I would be hopeful that someone of your age would benefit from therapy or perhaps a procedure which would relieve the cervical pain.
Now, as for the restless legs, a number of things need to be ruled out prior to making a pure diagnosis of restless leg syndrome. This will require a laboratory evaluation and clinical exam. Things like electrolyte or iron deficiency as well as anemia can sometimes masquerade as RLS. If this is as disabling as you report, I would suggest you seek an evaluation soon. I am sorry you have to deal with the stress of not being able to sleep. It is one of the most mentally challenging things a human can face and I am sure you will eventually get past this with the help of a good physician as well as good support from family and friends.
I hope this has been helpful, informative and adequate regarding your query and I am certainly available for your followups if needed.
Best regards,
Dr. Robert Galamaga
Lat me start out by saying that I am a bit concerned about all the medications you are currently taking. XXXXXXX plus oxycodone can be quite sedating and I am wondering also what imaging workup and consultations have been done during the workup of this condition. I would be hopeful that someone of your age would benefit from therapy or perhaps a procedure which would relieve the cervical pain.
Now, as for the restless legs, a number of things need to be ruled out prior to making a pure diagnosis of restless leg syndrome. This will require a laboratory evaluation and clinical exam. Things like electrolyte or iron deficiency as well as anemia can sometimes masquerade as RLS. If this is as disabling as you report, I would suggest you seek an evaluation soon. I am sorry you have to deal with the stress of not being able to sleep. It is one of the most mentally challenging things a human can face and I am sure you will eventually get past this with the help of a good physician as well as good support from family and friends.
I hope this has been helpful, informative and adequate regarding your query and I am certainly available for your followups if needed.
Best regards,
Dr. Robert Galamaga
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I have had an MRI, CT scan, EMG (i think thats what its called) ekg, and everything seems normal, i have SEVERE take all of those medications together or even in the same day sometimes. I make a conscience decision when i really need a dose and when i do not. when my cervical pain flares up i get tunnel vision, severe pain radiating into my shoulders, and stabing/throbbing sensations, nausea. this only and always occurs in the right side of my neck. all the way up C1 and down. this pain is not constant 24hrs/day, but upwards of 3+ times a week. I see a chiro at least 3x a month sometimes 1x week, and get massages a couple times a month. I also get trigger point injections when its really bad some months with serapin, or traumeel. so i am doing alternative therapy before i choose to take a dose of the medications that i list. All of my blood panels are normal, and seratonin is normal also. I have healthy GABA levels beacuse i suppliment them regularly, and do multi B vitamins via IM a couple times a month. I am in the medical aesthetics and wellness field, so im into regular basic suppliments that i have been also taking for years, i.e: argenine, B (multi), l-carnatine, GABA, pottasium, and lab panels show No deficiencies. everyone says even many docs that i work with on a daily basis tell me that everything looks ok, and i am doing all (and more) that i or most people could do.
Hi XXXXXXX,
Thanks for the update regarding your history.
I would like to suggest a complete holiday from all supplements and medications. This would be a one to two week period where you take nothing other than medication which you have been provided for the severe pain. This way, you could rule out any potential interaction among these medications. Regarding the injections I generally do not advocate intramuscular vitamin B injections in the absence of documented vitamin deficiency. My hope is that during a holiday period off of the supplements etc that your restless leg symptoms will eventually clear.
I would also suggest you seek additional opinions from musculoskeletal specialists regarding the set of issues which you are dealing with. You are simply too young to look forward to 70 years of these symptoms without a clear explanation or clear solutions. If you have some time you could consider visiting a regional center or institute where you could be seen by experts in the field of musculoskeletal syndromes.
I again hope this has been helpful for you XXXXXXX. Let me know if I can help you with followups as well.
Dr. Galamaga
Thanks for the update regarding your history.
I would like to suggest a complete holiday from all supplements and medications. This would be a one to two week period where you take nothing other than medication which you have been provided for the severe pain. This way, you could rule out any potential interaction among these medications. Regarding the injections I generally do not advocate intramuscular vitamin B injections in the absence of documented vitamin deficiency. My hope is that during a holiday period off of the supplements etc that your restless leg symptoms will eventually clear.
I would also suggest you seek additional opinions from musculoskeletal specialists regarding the set of issues which you are dealing with. You are simply too young to look forward to 70 years of these symptoms without a clear explanation or clear solutions. If you have some time you could consider visiting a regional center or institute where you could be seen by experts in the field of musculoskeletal syndromes.
I again hope this has been helpful for you XXXXXXX. Let me know if I can help you with followups as well.
Dr. Galamaga
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
i did stop everything for little over a week. and still the same. plus i have been on this regieme for a long time with none of these symptoms. I see a ortho neuro specialist, and a pain control specialist, and a chiropractor. I promise when i am saying i have already triesd everything. Thank god i work with doctors that do some of this for me for free beacuse i work for them. I am also uninsured.
Hi,
Thanks for writing back to me.
As you have seen all the specialist whom i can think of for your problem.
The only option I have to consider is "Restless leg syndrome". As i cannot examine you I cannot say this is the diagnosis for sure.
Restless leg syndrome is a disorder in which there is an urge or need to move the legs to stop unpleasant sensations.
Symptoms:
1. Usually occur at night when you lie down, or sometimes during the day when you sit for long periods of time
2. May be described as creeping, crawling, aching, pulling, searing, tingling, bubbling, or crawling
3. You will feel an irresistible urge to walk or move your legs, which almost always relieves the discomfort.
4. Most patients have rhythmic leg movements during sleep hours, called periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).
5. All of these symptoms often disturb sleep.
Note: Symptoms may be worse during stress or emotional upset.
Treatment:
1. There is no known cure for restless leg syndrome.
2. Treatment is aimed at reducing stress and helping the muscles relax.
3. The following techniques may help:
a.Warm baths
b.Gentle stretching exercises
c.Massage
4. If your sleep is severely disrupted, your health care provider may prescribe medications
5. Low doses of narcotics may sometimes relieve symptoms of restless leg syndrome.
Restless leg syndrome is not XXXXXXX or life-threatening, and it is not a sign of a serious disorder. However, it can be uncomfortable and disrupt your sleep.
Hope I have answered your query and Wish You Best Health.
Thanks for writing back to me.
As you have seen all the specialist whom i can think of for your problem.
The only option I have to consider is "Restless leg syndrome". As i cannot examine you I cannot say this is the diagnosis for sure.
Restless leg syndrome is a disorder in which there is an urge or need to move the legs to stop unpleasant sensations.
Symptoms:
1. Usually occur at night when you lie down, or sometimes during the day when you sit for long periods of time
2. May be described as creeping, crawling, aching, pulling, searing, tingling, bubbling, or crawling
3. You will feel an irresistible urge to walk or move your legs, which almost always relieves the discomfort.
4. Most patients have rhythmic leg movements during sleep hours, called periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).
5. All of these symptoms often disturb sleep.
Note: Symptoms may be worse during stress or emotional upset.
Treatment:
1. There is no known cure for restless leg syndrome.
2. Treatment is aimed at reducing stress and helping the muscles relax.
3. The following techniques may help:
a.Warm baths
b.Gentle stretching exercises
c.Massage
4. If your sleep is severely disrupted, your health care provider may prescribe medications
5. Low doses of narcotics may sometimes relieve symptoms of restless leg syndrome.
Restless leg syndrome is not XXXXXXX or life-threatening, and it is not a sign of a serious disorder. However, it can be uncomfortable and disrupt your sleep.
Hope I have answered your query and Wish You Best Health.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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