Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Has anyone had bariatric surgery for weight loss and did it have any effect on their RLS?

I can't speak from experience but did a bit of a search.
What I came across was that iron deficiency can occur in about 50% of bariatric surgery patients and it is therefore feasible that RLS could worsen.

I saw that, too, and asked about it at my initial consultation this morning. They said the bariatric vitamins I will have to take for the rest of my life have a healthy balance of nutrients intended to help keep iron in check. Of course, my lab results showed low iron … again. They did check my ferritin which was 25.5. One of the dietitians has RLS and seems very knowledgeable about recent studies so I’m glad she’s on my team.

At 25.5 your Ferritin is too low. You need to not only be keeping your iron in check, you need to be increasing it. A daily supplement may take months before seeing any increase.

There is also the option of intravenous iron infusion/s.

HI Sue - did you go ahead with it?

My sister has mild symptoms - she had surgery a few years ago and never mentioned her symptoms being worse. Of course, I don't remember what she had done.

Ann, I am in the process of determining if I am a good candidate and following the Medicare rules which require at least six months of a supervised diet. It will be at least June before a decision is made. In the meantime, I continue my weaning off ropinirole (getting ready to move from 2mg down to 1mg) with my gabapentin dose at 300mg twice a day.

shinderlider wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 28, 2023 6:45 am

Ann, I am in the process of determining if I am a good candidate and following the Medicare rules which require at least six months of a supervised diet. It will be at least June before a decision is made. In the meantime, I continue my weaning off ropinirole (getting ready to move from 2mg down to 1mg) with my gabapentin dose at 300mg twice a day.

Thanks for responding, Sue. Congrats on your success so far.