Will this drug aggravate my RLS?

[Retiredlady]

My cardiologist today prescribed 40 mg Pantoprazole for gastric acid.

Worried it might make RLS worse!

Appreciate your thoughts please

[Madlegs1]

Yes, it will.

I think there is a form of gaviscon that is safer, but it may not be available in Oz.

Someone will come on to be more specific.

Meanwhile,could you list what medications you are on at present, to help our advice.

[marsha2306 in reply to Madlegs1]

I take Gaviscon Extra Strength. Works great and does not affect my RLS.

[Joolsg]

It's a PPI gastric med and they block iron absorption. Low iron can worsen RLS.Gaviscon or gaviscon advance in the UK are safe.

The formulas are different in each country though, so check ingredients.

[SueJohnson]

Gaviscon advance unless you are bothered by aspartame in the tablets or saccharin in the liquid. Take it 30 minutes after eating and . 4 hours before or 2 hours after taking iron. Don't take it within 2 hours of taking gabapentin.or antihistamines.

[grassgree]

PPIs are more effective than over-the-counter meds, and if you're at risk for a stomach ulcer you have to consider that too. How long did your doctor advise you to take it? Often you can stop after a month or so.

[Retiredlady in reply to grassgree]

He wants me to take it for 2 weeks to rule out gastric juice’s aggravating my af

[grassgree in reply to Retiredlady]

That doesn’t sound like it would aggravate your RLS too much. The doc needs to know how to treat your atrial fibrillation. But you could ask him if it’s OK to use Gaviscon and see what he says.

[Sinor]

It's a proton pump inhibitor that reduces your production of stomach acid. You need a good level of stomach acid to prevent iron deficiency anaemia. Low iron levels can worsen RLS.

[Johndivney]

I take a high dose of PPI’s because of oesophageal problems, so I’ve been using an iron spray under the tongue, in the hope of getting round the difficulty of low acid and poor iron absorption. Is this worth doing?

[SueJohnson in reply to Johndivney]

Check the amount of iron in each spray. If it is 5 mg, which is common, you would need to spray, wait 1 or 2 minutes for it to be absorbed, then spray again for 7 times to get 35 mg of elemental iron.

[Johndivney in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you. That’s certainly worth knowing.

[Gmc54]

I take omeprazole which is a ppi I don't notice an increase in my symptoms.

[SueJohnson in reply to Gmc54]

It doesn't directly cause an increase in symptoms. If one's ferritin is below 100 and one tries to bring it up by taking iron tablets it can affect the absorption of iron. And even bringing it up to over 100 only helps up to 60% of people with RLS.

[Sueleerocks]

There is a natural product that works so good. I have had acid reflux forever. Try DGL, two caps before a meal, it works!

[HipHop1972]

Helllo Retiredlady. I suffer from acid reflux and have RLS and was prescribed Omeprazole 20mg gastro resistant capsules which I take 1 every morning didn’t affect my RLS before it was medicated for RLS and doesn’t now. I haven’t suffered acid reflux since. Might be worth talking to your doc about it. It’s pretty much available in most countries.

Good luck HipHop1972 🤞

[707twitcher]

Pantoprazole is the most effective PPI available I believe. It has helped me on and off over the years. I did not experience increased RLS symptoms when taking it, but we all react differently. Gaviscon Advance is good to help with episodes, whereas PPIs try to prevent the episodes. But PPIs are usually meant to only be taken for a few weeks. I take 20mg Pepcid (famotidine) daily and that seems to work for me.

[SueJohnson in reply to 707twitcher]

Gaviscon advance prevents acid reflux. It is not just for use with episodes.

[SueJohnson in reply to 707twitcher]

It is also just as effective medscape.com/viewarticle/76...

[ParisianTN55]

I take it in the morning. It doesn’t seem to make RLS worse for me.