Questions about PLMD and Requip

[sharon1965]

When I saw my sleep doc for my 6 week check up, he said i had pretty severe plmd and that it could be contributing to my ongoing tiredness, in spite of cpap; he sent me for bloodwork, and called today to say that my ferritin (sp?) level was on the low side, but still within normal range...my # was 7 and the nurse said the normal range is 7-283, so i'm thinking it's definitely LOW-'normal', so he wants me to see my gp for iron supps...the nurse also said he wants me to take Requip, 25 mg at 6 p.m. and 25 mg at 9 p.m., then call him in 2 weeks with an update as to how i'm feeling...i usually try to avoid medication, but the thought of feeling better is quite appealing, but i don't know what to expect...anyone have any experience with this stuff... any thoughts?
thanks!
sharon1965

[SleepySandy]

Hi Sharon,

I don't personally have experience with Requip, but my mom and my sister both do. Both of them have RLS which makes it very difficult for them to sleep. Unfortunately, the Requip caused them both to have insomnia. Clearly, that defeats the purpose of the medication.

My mom takes Mirapex for her RLS. My sister takes Klonopin. A friend of mine takes Mirapex.

Others here will be able to tell you about their experience with PLMD, but that's what I know about Requip.

Regarding low ferritin - I had pretty much the same thing you do.

• "Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in the body. The serum ferritin level -- the amount of ferritin in your blood -- is directly proportional to the amount of iron stored in your body. The lower the ferritin level, even within the "normal" range, the more likely a patient is iron deficient."

At 7, yours seems pretty darn low.

The normal range at my lab was 10-291. My ferritin was 11. I was told to take iron supplements, but I wasn't given a prescription. I chose Slow FE because it's a slow release formula and regular iron supplements can cause digestive issues. I haven't had a problem with this brand.

You didn't mention hemoglobin, so I assume yours was fine. Mine was as well. I wonder how we can have normal hemoglobin when we have such low iron stores...

[bluegrassfan]

I had restless leg syndrome, usually started late in the evening 8pm or so, and I would take an ibprofren 200mg and that seemed to help. But after the sleep study my leg movements were causing arousal, so my doc put me on Requip....I rarely have RLS anymore, if so it's mild. No side effects that I know of for me. good luck, RLS is no fun. bob

[sharon1965]

sleepysandy and bluegrass fan

thank you so much for your input!

sharon1965

[sleepyred]

I have RLS and my ferritin was 13. After taking Slo Fe for almost two years and getting a pretty nasty case of GERD, my regular doc took me off the iron. My sleep doc says he would like my ferritin to be 60 and I have never gotten it above 30.

I took Requip and had horrible mood swings, I could only take .5 mg. My sleep doc said to stop taking the iron (I will have my ferritin checked every 3 months) and put me on Mirapex - 3 1.25 mg. tablets 3 hours before bed time. My legs are doing so much better (I'm not shaking my hubby out of the bed anymore!) and I am not having the horrible mood swings (which the doc was surprised to hear about). Mirapex has now been FDA approved for RLS. I don't know about PLMD and Mirapex.

I don't know the difference between PLMD and RLS, except they can deprive you of sleep and are annoying!

I agree - 7 seems very low! I know labs have different ranges, but mine said anything below 12 is considered anemic.

[FreightTrain]

I have always kicked like a mule and moved alot while sleeping, when I told my doctor about this he put me on a sample of Requip for 2 weeks before my sleep study. When I went for the sleep study I did not take the Requip so I would get a true result, sure enough they diagnosed me with PLMD. I'am now on the Requip and showing good results. Still waiting to go on my Titration study so I can be outfitted with the CPAP. One side effect I have noticed with the Requip is if I don't get enough sleep (at least 7 hours) I wake up feeling drunk. I take it about an hour before bed it makes me a bit drowsy and off I go into dream land. On one of the few occasions when I wasn't snoring my wife actually woke me up one time to see if I was alive. I like the stuff, I have noticed I'm not as sleepy in the morning and I have an easier time getting up. I can't imagine what it will be like when I finally get on CPAP.

[kteague]

I do hope those who are taking the different meds for RLS or PLMD will report back how it is working for you as time goes on. I am particularly interested in if Requip does help PLMD as well as RLS as advertised. Have taken Sinemet and Mirapex but currently on no meds for the movements. May have to break down and take something again. These types of meds are notorious for side effects, and the higher the dose, the more likely. Just do your research and be aware, and if ever going off them, do it slowly. I didn't, and after 5 months I am still dealing with a neurological glitch that my neurologist says is because of me stopping the Mirapex abruptly after several years of taking it. I knew better than to do that (warnings are on meds for a reason), but I'm a knucklehead sometimes.

This topic has been discussed before, and can be found by searching posts with the keyword PLMD (or RLS if that's the one you are interested in).

Sure hope all of you with these movement disorders find what works for you to get good rest.

Kathy

[curtcurt46]

I have RLS and PLMD. I am on 4mg once daily about 1-2 hours before bedtime. I have had no side effects and sleep more soundly than I can remember. I have been on Requip since last August.

Your original post said 25 mg. I take that to be 2.5mg. 25mg would be a mega dose and 4-5mg daily for RLS is about the max tested in drug trials.

Please continue to report how you progress. Good luck.

[Lyza]

I have horrible RLS yet the sleep study showed zero PLMD. Years before all this sleep study stuff, my Dr. had me on Neurontin for it. It worked for awhile but then just seemed to stop working. I suggested to her Requip after seeing the ads for it but after we discussed the side effects, I decided against it. Mainly the addictive compulsive gambling side effect. She said there are tons of elderly parkinsons' patients out there gambling their life savings away as Requip was originally and still mainly for Parkinson's Disease (at higher dosages). Since I like to gamble and have an addictive personality, I said oh hell no to that medicine. She then put me on 1mg Klonopin each night and it works for me to tame my legs. I'm going on almost a year now with that and still happy with that combination. My Dr. has never tested or suggested anything about my iron levels. Hmmm Might test that myself today at work, since I work at a hospital lab and have easy access to all that.