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How Can Restless Leg Syndrome Be Treated?
Hello, I am 19 years old and I have been diagnosed with restless leg syndrome. My doctor has prescribed me with 300 mg gabapentin and I have taken one pill at night for the last three days. I have got some other opinions on gabapentin saying that I should not take a serious drug at such a young age. I was wondering if I could just stop taking the pill as I have only taken it once for the last three days at night
Mon, 19 Feb 2018
Hello! Welcome to HealthcareMagic!
I know the suffering of patients with restless leg syndrome (RLS) as I'm one of them. Let me first suggest the treatment :
1) Iron deficiency anemia is very commonly associated with RLS. So, iron supplementation for at least 4 to 5 months would surely help in relieving symptoms.
2) Also check for any occult blood loss as in stool (anal fissur,haemorrhoids), menstruation(excess blood loss); any nutritional deficiencies of iron, vit B12, folic acid, vit C are to be corrected.
3) Gabapentin is really effective with very less side effects when comparted to other medication. You can go for Gabapentin for even 4 to 6 weeks. Drowsiness is the main and common side effect. So,you need to avoid activities on the next day, which require utmost concentration like driving.
4) Once you get some relief, you can taper the dose to 100 mg for a week and then stop the drug. If you still don't feel like taking the drug, you can comfortably stop it now. But please try the iron therapy once.
Hope my explanation clears your doubts. Any further queries, please let me know. It's my pleasure to guide you. Thank you for the queries.
Take care
Regards,
Dr. Pallavi.m, Anesthesiologist
I know the suffering of patients with restless leg syndrome (RLS) as I'm one of them. Let me first suggest the treatment :
1) Iron deficiency anemia is very commonly associated with RLS. So, iron supplementation for at least 4 to 5 months would surely help in relieving symptoms.
2) Also check for any occult blood loss as in stool (anal fissur,haemorrhoids), menstruation(excess blood loss); any nutritional deficiencies of iron, vit B12, folic acid, vit C are to be corrected.
3) Gabapentin is really effective with very less side effects when comparted to other medication. You can go for Gabapentin for even 4 to 6 weeks. Drowsiness is the main and common side effect. So,you need to avoid activities on the next day, which require utmost concentration like driving.
4) Once you get some relief, you can taper the dose to 100 mg for a week and then stop the drug. If you still don't feel like taking the drug, you can comfortably stop it now. But please try the iron therapy once.
Hope my explanation clears your doubts. Any further queries, please let me know. It's my pleasure to guide you. Thank you for the queries.
Take care
Regards,
Dr. Pallavi.m, Anesthesiologist
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