Restless Legs Syndrome & Fibromyalgia

From FM Online Newsletter dated November 9, 2007:

A study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., looked at the connection between Restless Legs Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) occurs in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and fibromyalgia; RLS is also common in people with FM. In this study, IBS patients with abnormal lactulose breath testsindicating the presence of SIBOreceived a series of treatments including rifaximin, tegaserod, and zinc. Ten of the 13 patients showed at least 80 percent improvement in their Restless Legs Syndrome, and global gastrointestinal symptom improvement ranged from mild to great. Researchers believe these results suggest that SIBO may be a factor in some RLS patients, and that SIBO therapy may improve Restless Legs Syndrome long-term.