Gabapentin (Neurontin®) is a consensus first-line medication in the treatment of restless legs syndrome (RLS), but for some people, it does not seem to work. ‪@andyberkowskimd‬ of ReLACS Health breaks down reasons why it may not work and what can be done to improve its effectiveness.
Among the topics addressed:
- Introduction to how the alpha-2-delta ligand class of drugs works
- The effects of absorption into the body
- Limits to how much can be absorbed at once in terms of doses
- Why the medication timing matters
- How to optimize the dose and timing of this medication to improve its effect
- Circumstances when gabapentin enacarbil (Horizant®) may be more effective, even though it is the same active drug (i.e. gabapentin)
- Role of dopamine agonist augmentation on the effectiveness of this treatment
For more information on gabapentin versus Horizant, watch this video:
• Gabapentin Versus Hori...
Everyone with RLS should know about augmentation from dopamine agonists because starting on the wrong treatment can lead to sometimes irreversible effects. This blog post goes into detail why dopamine agonists should NOT be prescribed for RLS:
www.relacshealth.com/blog/v3h...
For more details about Horizant, watch this video:
• Important Details abou...
For more details about the third drug in this class, pregabalin (Lyrica®), this video will help:
• Lyrica for Restless Le...
For those who want to nerd out about the absorption of gabapentin and gabapentin enacarbil, you can read this article, which will also reference other studies of absorption of this medication:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
This video provides general medical information, but those who live in or near Michigan, Ohio, or Florida can hire ‪@andyberkowskimd‬ of ReLACS Health for formal consultation regarding gabapentin, augmentation, treatment of RLS, or any other sleep symptoms that require a little more time and expertise. Go to www.relacshealth.com/ for more information.