BP meds.

[Whymelord]

Hello everyone, I recently read on here that the BP tab.Losartan can exasperate RLS,I've been on this along with another BP tab.Lercanidipine for a few years,just wondering if that could be one of the reasons why my RLS meds.don't work as well as they should.Im taking one 75mgs of Pregablin and one half of 0.88 mgs of Pramipexole, weaning off the Pramipexole🙏.

[SueJohnson]

It's certainly possible since both can increase RLS symptoms in many. Discuss with your the BP medicine dipyridamole as it is safe for RLS.

[Whymelord in reply to SueJohnson]

Thankyou SueJohnson I will take your very helpful advice.

[Butterflysun1 in reply to Whymelord]

see my reply to Sue. Dypiridamole is not a treatment for high BP. Thankfully your GP would know this. Just because something has the potential side effect of lowering BP does not mean it is used as a BP treatment.

Calcium channel blockers ( ending in idipine ) are known to potentially make RLS worse, types of 2nd generation ACE inhibitors eg ‘sartans’ I don’t think there is much evidence.

Many with high BP need combinations of various tabs to control it. Also you can be prescribed these things for specific other reasons.

Many on this site are brilliant at knowing about & advising on treatment for RLS. I’m afraid considerably less so at advice on eg BP treatment.

[SueJohnson in reply to Whymelord]

Sorry - that is not a blood pressure medicine - it is a blood thinner. Instead discuss Clonidine which may actually help RLS or Propranalol with your doctor.

[Butterflysun1 in reply to SueJohnson]

dipyridamole is not a treatment for high BP. Please let us know where you think you learnt this. Lercanidipine is much more likely to adversely affect RLS than Losartan

[SueJohnson in reply to Butterflysun1]

Whoops - your right. It is a blood thinner. Didn't get enough sleep last night but no excuse.

[ChrisColumbus]

I was on Perindopril for months and had to come off it because I developed a cough, which is apparently a known side effect. My GP switched me on to Losartan, and I never noticed that it triggered my RLS. But then I was on statins for much of the same time, and they definitely DID trigger RLS. After coming off the statins Losartan didn't seem to affect me but if I drank diet drinks the sweeteners substituting for sugar definitely did. But, of course, "we're all different...."

[Whymelord in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Hi ChrisColumbs,thankyou for replying, as it happens I am on Atorvastatin for high cholesterol, I see you said you came off your statins,I'm wondering how you managed this as I was told that I would probably have to take them for the rest of my life.

[ChrisColumbus in reply to Whymelord]

Atorvastatin in particular is notorious for triggering RLS and can quite possibly override any medication for RLS. Other statins are nearly as bad: my GP also tried me on Rosuvastatin. So I got moved onto a non-statin cholesterol drug: Ezetimibe. It doesn't reduce cholesterol as fast as the statins, but also doesn't trigger my RLS. Doctors rely too much on statins, saying that you just need to put up with the side effects but they are not the only possible drug. And life style changes - going largely vegetarian, even moving towards a vegan diet (I don't have the willpower for vegan), increasing exercise levels - can be as effective as drugs. Good luck.

BTW: both my consultant and my GP agreed on Ezetimibe. Talk to yours.

[Butterflysun1 in reply to ChrisColumbus]

it’s all swings & roundabouts isn’t it?! Where do you intercept the vicious cycle & what takes precedence. Drs have it dinned into them the improvement in life expectancy with statins in some situations but to me ( just my opinion I stress! ) what is the point of a longer life if it’s full of torture ie RLS? I would think if a statin has lowered cholesterol then the then slower reduction with Ezetimide is ok. A 40 yr old friend of mine managed to reduce his cholesterol from 8 to 5 purely with lifestyle & diet after his 40yr old friend sadly died of a sudden heart attack - and has kept it up for 30years.

As Chris has said statins are well known for making RLS worse - much more than any tenuous possible link to losartan & controlling BP for longevity & good health is important.

If it was me i’d ask for change in cholesterol treatment before intercepting the vicious circle at BP treatment - but as I nag on about on here, that is a matter for you & your Dr. as we on here don’t know your full circumstances. If eg your circumstances are that you are already known to have heart disease then that might be different.

I wish you peace

[Whymelord in reply to Butterflysun1]

Hi Butterflysun1,thankyou for replying, as I mentioned my gp prescribed Atorvastin with no discussion of using any other type.i don't have heart trouble,I believe my BP is raised because of lack of sleep for years,I'm pretty fit for my age,late 70s.i have learned so much on this forum, not only about RLS but about different types of meds.im really thankful.

[Whymelord in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Thankyou,for this information, I just assumed that the Statin I'm on was the most prescribed one,I have long felt that it did exacerbate my RLS ,I will talk to my gp( if I'm lucky).

[ChrisColumbus in reply to Whymelord]

Again BTW: my consultant, a specialist in stroke and dementia (I had a TIA) in the UKs leading research centre in the subject, was completely unaware of the severity of RLS - she had known I had it - and the effect of Atorvastatin on it. "It's not in the literature..." I got rather angry, referred to this forum, and demanded an alternative. Luckily after some browbeating she agreed to Ezemitibe. (The experiment with Rosuvastatin was by my GP later: I tried it as he's a good guy. But after a while - and more RLS - I got him to put me back on Ezetimibe)

[Butterflysun1 in reply to Whymelord]

I replied to Chris but probably should have replied to you - see above / below or wherever my recent reply appears!

[DicCarlson]

Statins are tough for a lot of people. I was on 3 different ones - all had side effects - muscle pain, cramps, exercise intolerance (I just couldn't go!). I lowered my Cholesterol from 234 to 197 with diet and these supplements: Citrus Bergamot, Pantethine, and Nattokinase.

[Whymelord in reply to DicCarlson]

Hi DicCarlson,thankyou, I'm gonna show my ignorance now and ask about the last two that you mentioned here and will I have to go to a health shop to buy them?

[ChrisColumbus in reply to Whymelord]

I'm not sure where you are: Dic is in the US and will no doubt reply soon, but just in case:

Pantethine occurs naturally in the body and is related to vitamin B5. It *might* increase concentrations of some chemicals that lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides in the body. It's not widely available in UK health food stores, you might have to order online if you're in the UK. This is one source that I haven't tried:

nutrilink.co.uk/products/pa...

Nattokinase is an enzyme that comes from fermented boiled soybeans. It *may* thin the blood and help break up blood clots. Again, you may have to go online if you're in the UK, e.g.:

simplypure.co.uk/product/na...

I have not tried either product or either supplier. If you're not in the UK, Dic will be able to advise you where to go in the US; elsewhere you'll need to check your favourite search engine.

[Whymelord in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Thankyou for this,I'm in Northern Ireland so the chances of getting these here are slim but I would like to consult my gp although I can't imagine he or she will be too happy that I might have a different opinion.

[ChrisColumbus in reply to Whymelord]

Yes, check with your GP. Mine was happy enough to go along with prescribing Ezemitibe when I explained I couldn't tolerate statins, although even in a call today he'd like me to experiment with statins at different times of day. I've already tried that without success so told him no.

The only thing is I imagine that your GP *might* be more agreeable to try you on Ezetimibe rather than you move away from prescribed meds entirely to e.g. Dic's suggestions of diet and supplements.

That's not to say that the latter might not be more effective: I've got a couple of friends who entirely controlled cholesterol on vegan diets.

[DicCarlson in reply to Whymelord]

Yeah - they are not widely available - I get everything at VitaCost. But, I'm sure you can get all of these on Amazon or other sites like iHerb.

vitacost.com/

[SueJohnson]

My husband lowered his cholesterol from 221 to 131 by going on a vegan diet.

[PWMoo]

I was on Losartan for years until recently, but my RLS has worsened after surgery.