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Email a friendThyroid Treatment Made Restless Legs Worse
Newspaper Columns, Herb & Home Remedy Q&A April 29, 2008
Q. I have severe restless leg syndrome (RLS), but it has been controlled with diazepam. Recently the doctor diagnosed me with an underactive thyroid condition and prescribed levothyroxine. It really made my RLS worse.
He suggested that I stop the thyroid medicine for three weeks to see what happened. It took a full week to get my RLS back under control. I am worried now about him insisting I take levothyroxine for my thyroid condition. Is there anything else I can take instead? I absolutely cannot live with my severe RLS. It affects my whole body, not just my legs, and even affects me mentally.
A. We discovered a case report in the medical literature (Movement Disorders, Nov. 2004) that parallels your experience. The person was deficient in iron and thyroid supplementation made the creepy crawly sensations and limb movements worse.
Perhaps your doctor can check your iron levels to see if you need a supplement. Untreated hypothyroidism is associated with a number of uncomfortable symptoms, including mental sluggishness, depression or confusion. It can cause high cholesterol, constipation, fatigue, swollen hands or feet and weakness, among other problems.
We are sending you our Guides to Thyroid and Leg Pain so that you can learn more about thyroid testing and treatment as well as many non-drug approaches for RLS.
Tags: anemia, iron, levothyroxine, RLS
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Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
© 2008 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Reader Comments
I,too,have RLS, but is nicely controlled by a comb.of 300mgNeurontin and a Klonipin which gives a good night's sleep. Had thyroid removed and take Synthroid with no effect at all on the RLS.Tried all the non-drug approaches, nothing worked.I am in excellent health and 82 years old.
Ruth
Posted by: Ruth B | May 2, 2008 9:14 AM
My restless legs are caused by eating anything in the legume family (soy, peanuts, alfalfa sprouts, etc) and certain other foods such as spinach. I think it has something to do with gout. My mother was diagnosed with gout and she was given a list of foods to avoid, and beans and spinach were on the list. I have never been diagnosed with gout, but it may be because I have avoided those foods causing restless legs like the plague. Hope this helps at least one person with the problem.
Posted by: Mary | May 5, 2008 11:22 PM
I have Hypothyroidism and RLS also, and have had a difficult time trying to get the RLS under control. I am not deficient in iron, and am interested in the non-drug approach to RLS.
Posted by: Jan McD | May 9, 2008 9:17 PM