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Restless Legs Syndrome

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Trilogy and restless legs

Foxden6915 profile image
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Trilogy has been on my list of medications for the past few months. I need it for COPD. Shortly after beginning therapy my restless legs kicked in with a vengeance. It seems like it's every night, mornings too. Discontinuing Trilogy it's not an option.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? My doctor gave me Requip years ago but I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest when I took it. I didn't take it long.

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Foxden6915
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10 Replies

I think you're referring to Trelegy Ellipta?

In which case it's a combination of a steroid, fluticasone, a beta 2 adrenergic agonist, vilanterol

and

an anticholinergic agent. umeclidinium

It may be the umeclidinium that's exacerbating your RLS.

If Requip, a dopamine agonist, caused you problems, then you could first try looking at all the other triggers and deficiencies which can make RLS worse. Try non pharmacological remedies then -

try an alternative medication, i.e. an alpha 2 delta ligand.

Here's a link you may find helpful

uptodate.com/contents/treat...

Foxden6915 profile image
Foxden6915 in reply to

Thank you very much. I appreciate your help. I did some research a couple of weeks ago and found neurontin was suggested for RLS. I have a prescription for neurontin but only needed it once in a blue moon. My doctor had given it to me after surgery on a nerve. I was having occasional pins and needles sensation. I still do. I read that works for restless leg but I'm not sure how much to take. Originally I was prescribed 200 mg at a time and was sensitive to that so I asked for 100mg three times a day. I found 100mg does not even touch my restless legs so I've been taking 200 or 300 mg at bedtime. I have seen some improvement but I hate to be on so many medications. I take three different blood pressure medications. I can't help but worry about my kidneys. Even though they seem to be fine now, I don't want to be on dialysis 5 or 10 years down the road.

in reply to Foxden6915

Hi, firstly, apologies, a mistake in my prevous reply, vilanterol is NOT a beta blocker, it's just the opposite,

The dose of gabapentin for RLS can be 900mg or more. It depends how much you can tolerate. You do get used to it after a while.

I take 600 mg at bedtime, you could take another 300mg earlier.

Some blood pressure medications can also make RLS worse e.g. beta blockers.

Sorry you have to take so many medications. Do keep an eye on your kidney function, but also your liver. Quite a few medications are metabolised by the liver which puts a stress on it. Gabapentin isn't.

Foxden6915 profile image
Foxden6915 in reply to

Thank you very much for replying to me. I do take Atenolol 25 mg. Losartan 25 mg. and Lasix 40 mg. for my blood pressure.

I also take generic Nexium every morning 40 mg. I've been taking Nexium for 16 years.

Last August I had a heart attack and respiratory failure. One of the cardiologist said it appears I've had multiple heart attacks but I didn't know that, although there were times I wondered if I was.

I have heart failure too but a different cardiologist told me that pumping at 40% isn't that bad because 50% is normal. I also have a left bundle branch block.

It all sounds terrible, now that I look at it in black and white.

The lasix is causing the loss of my hearing. The constant humming (like a bunch of fluorescent lights are on above my head) is quite annoying as well.

The only medication that's been changed since my hospitalization is a baby aspirin added to my daily regimen.

in reply to Foxden6915

OMG

that's quite a cocktail.

I can see that the medications you take are all necessary, but it really isn't of any surprise that you have RLS

In summary

The umeclinidium.in the Trelegy is an anti-chlinergic agent and can exacerbate RLS

Atenolol is a beta blocker and can exacerbate RLS

Lasix a diuretic which can lower serum potassium levels and this can exacerbate RLS

Nexium is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) which reduces stomach acid but also the release of the substance IF which is necessary for vitamin B12 absorption, hence may cause B12 deficiency and exacerbate RLS

PPIs also.inhibit iron absorption, which can lead to Brain Iron Deficiency (BID). BID causes RLS.

I'm not a doctor and even a doctor can't offer a complete solution to your RLS.

It would be good however if you had a good discussion with an appropriate doctor to look at all your medicines to see if anything can be done.

Some suggestions vould be :-

- review and change blood pressure meds, stop the atenolol and substitute something else that's NOT a beta blocker.

- try stopping the Nexium and substituting with a simple antacid which neutralises acid rather then preventing stomach secretions, e.g. milk of magnesia, gaviscon. NOT a H2 inhibitor like zantac.

Other options

Blood tests for ferritin, vitamin B12 and potassium and if there's any deficiency get them corrected.

A low ferritin level, i.e.below 100mcg/L needs iron replacement. Unfortunstely oral iron may be of little value if you can't absorb it.

IV iron infusion would help if you can get it. There is a patch PatchMD which I know has been mentioned on this forum. but I'm not sure if it's a scam or not.

Vitamin B12 supplements if your B12 is low. Again taking tablets may be of little value, you can get an oral spray which is directly absorbed into the blood stream.

EXTREMELY experimental. Dipyridimole is a medicine currently used to prevent "platelet aggregation" i.e. blood clot formation. It has been used to prevent blood clotting in atheroscerosis, hence strokes or ischaemic heart disease.

There is now some emerging evidence (very complicated) that Dipyridimole can treat RLS.

You might persuade someone to prescribe it in view of your heart condition, if not your RLS. It hasn't been properly clinically tested for RLS, but theoretically it seems it may he better than other RLS meds.

Just some idle thoughts really, I have no authority to tell you anything.

Foxden6915 profile image
Foxden6915 in reply to

Thank you so much for the ideas. I will definitely look into each and every one and discuss various alternatives with my doctor.

I must say, I looked forward to hearing from you and find your knowledge impressive.

I have a lot of medications working against me and I think my Albuterol nebulizer is another contributor.

RLS has always been a problem for more than two decades with me. It's exhausting 😔

in reply to Foxden6915

A study has shown that RLS is more prevalent in asthma sufferers than non-asthma sufferers generally, but neither beta 2 agonists or bronchidilators were identifed as a factor. The albuterol should be OK.

RLS is a more significant problem for many sufferers than people imagine.

Foxden6915 profile image
Foxden6915 in reply to

From the first time I used Albuterol I became shaky and hyperstimulated. My daughter had a really bad cold and her Albuterol wasn't helping so she went to the hospital. They gave her a albuterol nebulizer treatment. She told me she was shaking so bad on the way home she had to pull over.

I don't know but it seems to make sense that a stimulant would trigger an episode. I wonder if this is inherited too. My great grandmother's legs were always moving when she was hospitalized and in bed.

For the first decade of my life, my father would sit on the couch and I would lay on the other end and he would rub my feet till I fell asleep. I loved it.

My husband died in 2017 but he was never an affectionate man.

Some nights I rub lotion on my feet and it seems to calm things down but RLS can make your life a living hell when you need to be up early to get ready for work and you've tossed and turned half the night with RLS. Thankfully, I'm retired.

in reply to Foxden6915

What you call abuterol I know as salbutamol. it is known to cause "salbutamol shakes". This is not the same as RLS

It does sound as if you have the inherited form of RLS,

It's a shame you have nobody to rub your feet, have you ever tried reflexology?

I believe magnesium ointment helps with RLS, I've nevr tried it.

Foxden6915 profile image
Foxden6915 in reply to

I've never heard of that before but it sounds very interesting. I will look for some magnesium ointment too. I need all the help I can get and welcome any suggestions.

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