CPAPtalk.com

lorri214 wrote:... I have had RLS over 30 years. ... My dr. is trying to get the RLS under control. Last night was my 4th night on the CPAP, and it is not so great yet. I sleep worse with the CPAP than before I had it. I can't even leave it on all night. I was expecting more and I know sometimes you have to wait a while for better results. I need sleep!!!

Oh, I do hear you. I've been in tears I've been so desperate for sleep.

I know getting used to CPAP can be frustrating. There is NOTHING normal about putting a mask on your face and trying to sleep.

Since you have both obstructive sleep apnea AND restles leg syndrome, you need to have both addressed. Sometimes addressing the OSA helps reduce the RLS. Decreased O2 levels as well as the distress OSA creates tends to trigger higher RLS activity.

Below are a couple studies that show that while CPAP helps it is (as you know all too well) not the full answer. It is just an important part of the answer. In essence, you have two problems, both have to be addressed.

We sure wish you well with your CPAP therapy. And if there is any way we can help you manage that part of your therapy we are happy to do what we can. As Rooster (who posts as Roster) notes, many of us often face the three "W"s. Wrong Mask, Wrong Machine, Wrong Settings. So if we can we want to help you find the ideal mask, machine and settings to help address your OSA. Then you can tackle the RLS, which might even see some relief with the OSA under control.

Hope that helps.

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Outcome of restless legs severity after continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) treatment in patients affected by the association of RLS and obstructive sleep apneas
http://www.sleep-journal.com/article/S1 ... 3/abstract

which concludes:

Our findings suggest that not only fatigue and sleepiness but also the severity of RLS show a favorable response to n-CPAP in the group of patients with OSAS and RLS.

OUTCOME OF SLEEPINESS AND FATIGUE SCORES IN OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME AFTER NASAL CPAP
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/anp/v65n1/a12v65n1.pdf

which concludes:

Following n-CPAP treatment, a positive response in terms of a decrease in fatigue and sleepiness scores was observed in both groups. Nevertheless, OSAS and OSAS+RLS patients responded differently to the n-CPAP therapy, with higher residual fatigue and sleepiness scores persisting in the OSAS+RLS group. Such finding may be due to possible central dysfunctions observed in RLS. Thus, there seems to be a need to treat OSAS+RLS patients for both respiratory and motor symptoms.

lorri214 wrote:I am currently taking requip and oxycodene.

Any narcotic like oxycodene can make osa worse so stick with the cpap. It does take time to adjust, after 2 weeks I am now getting some deep sleep, I suspect the first few days weren't much better than my titration sleep study (51% sleep efficiency, no stage 3/4 or REM sleep).

I have RLS and complex sleep apnoea syndrome, as well as PLM. It took nearly 2 years to get my VPAP machine sorted out, as the sleep technician had never used one, and the wrong/incompatible mask was initially given to me.
I live in AUstralia, and sometimes things get done slower here. I find if I sleep on my stomach my RLS is eased a lot, however that causes my mask to be very uncomfortable. Eventually after about 2 hours every night, I get to sleep. I certainly am having more sleep than i ever did before. Hang in there

I have all three probs. I take prolopa and clonazepam for the legs and an 11 for the cpap Going back to sleep lab as I am getting more restless and periodic limb movements. Been about 4 years since I was last tested so might need medicine/machine change

Yes, I have both. I also am of the belief that sleep apnea has nothing to do with RLS. I think they are both different beasts. At present, I am on 3mg of Requip one hour before bedtime. I find that if I take the meds and go to bed one hour afterward I still have problems most of the time. The RLS usually kicks in about 1 to 1.5 hours after going to bed. If I get up and move to my recliner and read/watch TV or listen to music on my I-pod for about 45 minutes to an hour, I can go back to bed with no further problems. Also, if I start out at bedtime in my recliner and read/watch TV or listen to music for an hour or so I can go to bed with no problems. I have also noticed that if I do a lot of tiring activity during the day or evening, take my Requip and go to bed I usually am not bothered with the RLS. As others have stated, RLS is a strange beast and you just never know if it will show up or not.

Hope these comments help some.

have both rls & sleep apnea. 11 years.

Generic mirapex , 25 mg. controls the RLS.

CPAP works well. Hang in there!

I see this is a resurrected thread.

I also have RLS. I think that I have had it my whole life, both thin years and fat years. Even as a kid I remember it bothering me and I would wiggle in my chair at school, forced to move my legs. For years my husband had to rub my legs vigorously right before I went to bed so that I could get some sleep. Mirapex is as close to a miracle drug for me as it gets. It controls the RLS most every night and so far no side effects. No gambling. No inappropriate sexual behavior. It has made a huge difference in my life. Unfortunately for me it was not an iron problem. For me, exercise makes the RLS worse. Like many, caffeine makes it worse. No folk remedies made a whit of a difference, though the hard massage did provide some immediate relief.

I still am feeling the joy of just laying there and going to sleep.