IBS, Restless Legs Linked

Posted in August 21st, 2009

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Dr. Leonard Weinstock, a gastroenterologist at Washington University in St. Louis, recently conducted a small study on the relationship of an small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and restless leg syndrome (RLS).

Dr. Weinstock developed the theory that there is a relationship between IBS and RLS when his cousin developed both conditions after having travelers’ diarrhea. Dr. Weinstock also said he has heard reports of IBS being associated with fibromyalgia, which, in turn, has been linked to RLS.

Dr. Weinstock found that bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, one factor in IBS, also may play a part in RLS and that antibiotics appear to help both conditions.

The test involved 13 patients who have both IBS and RLS. The patients were given a 10-day course of the antibiotic rifaximin. All of the participants experienced improvement in IBS symptoms and 10 found significant relief from their RLS symptoms.

Rifaximin is not absorbed by the bloodstream. Participants in the study also were given long-term prescriptions for the IBS drug tegaserod, marketed under the trade name Zelnorm, and a one-month course of zinc and probiotic therapy. Dr. Weinstock, who is a consultant and speaker for Salix pharmaceuticals, marketer of rifaximin, is now starting a multicenter trial that will involve 600 patients.

Restless leg syndrome is a condition that is characterized by an irresistible urge to move one’s body to stop uncomfortable or odd sensations.

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