does an rls friendly diuretic exist?

[thorp]

I have bad swollen legs which my GP thinks is caused by excess fluid

It probably comes from a combination of my RLS medicines ( Pregabalin 250 mg and 2mg Neupro patch) plus a recent knee replacement operation.

To get rid of this excess fluid my GP upped my normal 50mg Spironolactone dose to 75 mg.

This was fine for the first few days and then total chaos and I have been lucky to get two hours sleep a night for the last few nights

I know diuretics can be bad for restless legs but I thought that, since I had had no trouble from just my regular 50mg Spironolactone, a small increase might be tolerable

But no.

Does anyone please know of a diuretic which. does not make RLS worse

I would be very grateful for this information.

Many thanks in advance

[SueJohnson]

Unfortunately there are none.

[SueJohnson]

Have you had your ferritin checked? If so, what was it? Improving your ferritin to 100 or more helps 60% of people with RLS and in some cases completely eliminates their symptoms. If not when you see your doctor ask for a full iron panel. Stop taking any iron supplements including multivitamins that have iron in them 48 hours before the test, don't eat a heavy meat meal the night before, fast after midnight and have your test in the morning before 9 am if possible. When you get the results, ask for your ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) numbers. You want your transferrin saturation to be over 20% but less than 45% and your ferritin to be at least 100. If they are not, post them here and we can give you some advice.

[Nikos64]

Wow! A couple of years ago I was switched from hydrocholorothiazide to chlorothalidone which is one of the drugs I take to control my high blood pressure. At the same time my RLS became unbearable. I really suspected the chlorothalidone and mentioned it to my doctor but she would not take me off it. She also did not think it caused RLS.

So, mystery solved for me. The diuretic is the guilty party here.

It seems to me that the hydrochlorothiazide affects RLS significantly less than what I’m on right now. But it is a weaker diuretic apparently.

Thanks for the confirmation!

[Eryl]

Excess fluid is most often due to bad diet not a lack of function of the kidneys and liver. the most common cause is an excessive consumption of sugar and starch and lack of vegetables. The excessive consumption of sugar and starch is also the main cause of RLS so improve your diet and you'll cure both conditions. youtu.be/0pEjjaaFaVs(Not working as expected?)

[thorp in reply to Eryl]

Dear Eryl

Thank you so much for your most interesting reply

Could you possibly tell me the source of your conclusion that excessive consumption of sugar and starch is also the main cause of RLS

thank you

[Eryl]

Personal experience, I noticed that my RLs came on about half an hour after eating particularly sweet foods and investigated why that might happen. I have eliminated my RLS by concentrating on reducing my consumption of inflaamatory foods and adding a few foods having antioxidant properties. The most common food which causes inflammation is sugar and starch (which metabolises easily into glucose). For proof just google 'inflammation and sugar'. An inflamed area of the body is hypersensitive so inflamed nerves send out signals which result in RLS.

[RLSLearner]

I have seen the inclusion of sugars causing/aggravating RLS. Always worth considering even if for general health