Is It Really Restless Legs Syndrome?

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I read your article about statin drugs and their effect. My question is what, if any, drugs can cause restless leg syndrome? I’m currently taking a cholesterol-lowering medication and wonder if that is the reason for my discomfort.

Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

DEAR READER:
As I have indicated numerous times in the past, almost every drug, even over-the-counter aspirin, carries side effects for some individuals. You don’t indicate what medications, other than your cholesterol-lowering drug, you may be on. Most major brands of cholesterol lowering medications can cause serious muscle pain and/or leg cramps.

Now we can approach the next issue. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is characterized as an uneasiness, fatiguing, twitching, and itching deep in the muscles of the lower part of the leg. It is accompanied by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, particularly when at rest. Massaging, muscle stretching or bicycling the legs while in bed provides some relief, but that relief is short lived. The overwhelming urge to move the extremities returns quickly and an individual so afflicted gets up from bed and walks the floors for countless hours for relief.

It is unknown what triggers RLS, but half of all reported cases are thought to have a hereditary connection.

Leg cramps from statin drugs feel like a charley horse, a painful contraction of the hamstring muscle marked by soreness and stiffness.

Did you have your condition prior to taking statin drugs? Did you strain, stress or tear a muscle that coincidentally occurred at the same time as initiating the new drug? Before a firm diagnosis can be made, you should return to your physician and provide a complete picture. In that way, he or she can differentiate between possible RLS and a drug reaction. Should it be the drug, your doctor might choose other possible methods of control for your high readings or adding co-enzyme Q10 to your daily regimen. Make an appointment promptly and get to the bottom of this troubling condition.

To give you related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Understanding Cholesterol” and “Compelling Home Remedies”. Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed, stamped, number 10 envelope and $2 for each report to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).