RLS and Pituitary Adenoma

RLS occurs more frequently in certain populations, including people with end-stage renal disease, women during pregnancy, and people with iron deficiency. Also, RLS/WED in the elderly and children brings other challenges. Sharing your experiences may be extraordinarily helpful to others.
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suzannemk

RLS and Pituitary Adenoma

Post by suzannemk »

Has anyone had worsening of rls as a result of a pituitary adenoma (benign but hormone-secreting tumor)? I finally went to the doc because of very bad rls. I also haven't had a menstrual cycle since my baby's birth over a year ago. I thought it was just from breastfeeding (I only weaned her a couple weeks ago) but doc seemed to think it could be from "prolactin" secreted by the adenoma. After doing my own web research, I am convinced that I have an adenoma. My doc is currently running blood tests to see if this is the problem. Anyone have a similar experience?
Thanks,
Suzanne

Sue S

pituitary adenoma and RLS

Post by Sue S »

I too have a pituitary tumor and RLS. Pituitary tumors are very slow-growing, often being there for 20 or 30 years before they are discovered, so I don't know if there is a direct correlation. However, my primary care physician said RLS can usually be caused by one of four things: not enough oxygen in the blood (this is where exercise may help), a reaction to a medication (I had this reaction when I was taking Lipitor -- I'm told any of the statins have this side effect), not enough calcium, not enough potassium. When I stopped taking Lipitor (this was before my tumor was found),the RLS immediately stopped. A year later, the RLS was back. A blood test indicated I had somewhat low calcium levels. I added calcium, a 600 mg pill. No effect on the RLS. But once I added a Vitamin D tablet, which the body needs to be able to make use of the calcium, most of the RLS went away. Unfortunately, not all of it.

Re your tumor, there is an excellent website www.pituitary.org you might want to look at. Pituitary tumors are hard to diagnose, primarily I think because the effects happen so slowly over a long period of time, and because there are 8 or 10 different types of tumors, and these tumors can be preceded by other illnesses. My tumor is a growth-hormone producing tumor, which results in acromegaly and borderline hypothyroidism. Acromegaly symptoms include: depression, increase in hand/foot size, swelling of all soft tissues in body (upper respiratory, arthritis symptoms in fingers, etc), carpal tunnel syndrome, colon polyps, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels. I had almost every one of these symptoms. I wouldn't be at all surprised if RLS will eventually be attributed to something associated with the pituitary gland.

(These tumors can usually be detected by blood tests at an endocrinologist's and an MRI).

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