Does Flomax trigger RLS?

[707twitcher]

I could not find an answer to this question online. It’s described as an Alpha blocker, and is used to relax the muscles in the prostate and bladder in cases of enlarged prostate. I just started it and it seems to be aggravating my RLS.

[ChrisColumbus]

As with many meds there are mixed reports about tamsulosin (Flomax and other brand names) some saying it seems fine and some saying it caused bad RLS.

I had awful RLS when first on tamsulosin but was also on a statin at the same time, and when I came off the statin - while the RLS didn't disappear altogether - it got less troublesome.

Search the forum under tamsulosin for other reports.

[Joolsg]

healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po... thread shows that it doesn't affect some.

[SueJohnson]

I have 3 people who said it made their RLS worse and 1 who said it didn't - the one in Joolsg's link. I also have one person who suggested switching to tadalafil which is safe and may even help RLS.

[ChrisColumbus in reply to SueJohnson]

In this thread...:

healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po...

...besides a couple more sufferers there are another 3 who - while perhaps unsure that tamsulosin helped their prostate issues - could not say that it triggered or exacerbated RLS.

I'm not convinced that tamsulosin affected my RLS: after coming off the definitely guilty statin my symptoms remained but mild. But then I hadn't at the time worked out that sugar (e.g. the sweet sticky iced buns that I enjoyed while waiting in the hospital), aspartame (in the diet cola drinks I was imbibing there) and caffeine (as before) were also triggers for me!

That doesn't mean that some aren't sensitive to tamsulosin - including possibly 707twitcher.