Mum's progress / Mirapex help please

[Guest guest]

Just a quick note to say that the mental health doctor that Mum

saw yesterday was at least courteous and tried not to hide

ignorance of RLS. I got blinded by science at some junctures

because he rattled off drug names and interactions etc too fast to

get them all noted.

Although I mentioned a few times that tri-cyclics (not correctly

spelled no doubt), he has not changed the Triptafen prescription; I

think I will now write a polite note forwarding concerns that Dr.

Levin expressed about its contents.

He has requested that Mum try 2mg (may have been 0.2mg -

forgive me) epam half an hour before bed. I think this is a

benzo-something or other, and I have no idea what it's effect with

RLS is likely to be. It was described as being " completely safe " .

I told him about Mirapex, but he could not find anything about it in

his British Formulary. I would love some help please on other

names / generic name etc. (Dr. Levin to the rescue?)

It occurred to me the day before the interview that I was not 100%

clear whether it was plain vanilla insomnia making Mum go

walkabout so much, or whether it was RLS. So I stayed up all

night, and grilled her each time she showed up downstairs -and it

was obviously the RLS - you could see from the way she was

moving her legs. I even got some videotaped, and was ready to hit

the doctor over the head with the cassette if he tried to deny the

existence of the problem (after making him watch it of course :-)

). She only has a few hours in bed, let alone asleep.

During the interview, Mum had a lovely attack of RLS and had to

get up and walk around.

Now I know more certainly that it's the legs wrecking her sleep, I

let her sleep any time during the day if her legs have subsided,

because, as we all know, there is no point trying to keep her

awake in the hopes that tiredness will make her sleep - we all

know it doesn't work that way.

Thanks everyone for expressions of support and concern for this

particular 82 year old sufferer.

Is she the oldest we know about? There must be someone out

there who can top 82!!!

Happy Thanksgiving.

CB in England (at work on Thursday, but looking forward to a big

break at Christmas).

[Guest guest]

Dear Colin

Congratulations on the detective work. I think you are helping more than

your Mum's doctors. Mirapex (US) is generically named " pramipexole " . It

is marketed on the continent and in the UK as " Sifrol, Mirapexin,

Mirapexol and Firol. " The EU number is EU/1/.../051/ In the UK it is

distributed by Pharmacia/Upjohn and by Boehringer Ingleheim.

epam (Valium in US) is an older benzodiazepine which was very

popular in the US at one time as an anti-anxiety drug. Because of its

side effects, it has lost its popularity here. It is very dangerous in

the elderly. One of its worst side effects in the elderly is its ability

to depress the central nervous system to the point that the patient

appears to have had a stroke. This is not dose-dependent and can occur

with small amounts of the drug. My mother experienced this and she

appeared to me as a full blown stroke. Luckily, the changes slowly

disappeared over a period of days and she returned to her normal state.

With associated alcohol intake, it can be fatal. Sorry to be such a

gloomy gus but these are the facts.

Your Mum needs to be taken off of her poisons and treated for her RLS.

Maybe then she can get some sleep and you can evaluate her without all

of the overlying effects of her medications.

Your Mum is indeed fortunate to have such a caring, devoted son.

Dr. Levin