new meds

[wairoa36]

i have severe RLS and i take Methadone daily for this. I have recently been put on Eliquis and Spironolactone . Would either of these aggravate my RLS?

Thanks for your help.

[RLSLearner]

there this on a thread 3 months back with a similar problem with eliquis in Philix

Philix-

SalemLake profile imageSalemLake in reply to MelissaJJ

3 months ago

Hi Melissa, I love a good medical mystery. I’ve been reviewing possible reasons why Eliquis increases symptoms of RLS. First, I read that Eliquis sets in motion a cascade of chemical events that lead to its anti-clotting ability. One of these steps is that it inhibits thrombin. According to this article, thrombin increases calcium ions and calcium influx and this influx, as we know, though not stated in the following article, is needed for dopamine transmission. That’s why calcium channel blockers, which block calcium influx, can increase symptoms of RLS. So, even though Eliquis is not the same as a calcium channel blocker, it is a thrombin antagonist and thrombin prompts that calcium ion influx:

ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161...

Think of it like baking a cake. Calcium channel blockers stop you from turning the oven on. Eliquis takes away your flour. This is all one big guess on my part, but something is up when this many people get worsened RLS symptoms

And here is a quote about calcium channel blockers being dopamine antagonists:

“Therefore, all calcium channel antagonists tested reduce dopamine neurotransmission in vitro and in vivo, whereas the evidence of toxicity for dopamine cells in vitro is restricted to flunarizine, cinnarizine, and diltiazem.”

Most CCBs do cross the BBB. The one that crosses it least, if at all, is Amlodipine and thus should probably be the choice for those with RLS who need a CCB…fyi.

[SueJohnson]

Spironolactone is a diuretic and all diuretics make RLS worse. In researching Eliquis, I haven't found anything that says it makes RLS worse, but 1 person said it did. A safe blood thinner is dipyridamole. You might want to discuss this with your doctor. It has helped some people on this forum and another forum I am on and has completely eliminated RLS in some. In the winter 2022 edition of Night Walkers, the publication of RLS.org there is an article by Sergi Ferre about dipyridamole discussing the effectiveness of it in a 2 week double blind placebo controlled study showing it completely ameliorated all symptoms. The study was by Dr. Garcia Borreguero movementdisorders.onlinelib... sciencedirect.com/science/a... movementdisorders.onlinelib...

[nocturne in reply to SueJohnson]

Hi Sue, I'm so grateful that you posted this! I've been on Spironolactone since May, when my dermatologist prescribed it for my hair loss. It caused dizziness and fatigue, so I was recently told to reduce the dose by 25%. But this is the first I'm hearing about this drug exacerbating RLS. Could you kindly send me a citation for this? My RLS *has* gotten a little worse since May, so I'd like to discuss this with my dermatologist. Thank you!

[Nanpat in reply to nocturne]

Hi, I also take this medication in the morning and it hasn’t affected my rls

[SueJohnson in reply to nocturne]

Https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... although ignore the treatment options they suggest as they are out of date. But it is well known that diuretics make RLS worse. There are other medicines that work for hair loss that do not make RLS worse.

[nocturne in reply to SueJohnson]

Hi Sue,

Thank you so, so much for the link! I will forward it to my dermatologist. Would you be able to suggest another medication for female-pattern hair loss that won't affect RLS? Thank you again!!

[nocturne in reply to nocturne]

Lucky you. Did you experience any other side effects? And if you, like me, are taking it for hair loss, have you noticed an improvement?

I've been on it for 4 mos. so far, and have seen no change in my hair. I've read that it takes 6-12 months to kick in, so I'm trying to hang in there. But if the side effects continue, I'll have to give it up.

[SueJohnson in reply to nocturne]

Rogaine

[nocturne in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks, Sue! Alas, I already use it.

[Nanpat]

Hi, spirinolactone hasn’t affected my rls, I take it in morning