Restless Legs Blog

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute had this piece on their website on some of the available drugs that are out there for RLS. Please note that they say these are for use when lifestyle and nondrug treatments are not working. I appreciate that comment, because drug companies would have you think that their drug is the only cure, for me this is responsible reporting by an institute.

Medicines

Medicines can help relieve some symptoms of RLS. Doctors prescribe medicines to treat RLS in people:

• With clearly defined symptoms
• Whose symptoms cannot be controlled by lifestyle and nondrug treatments

No single medicine is helpful in all persons with RLS. It may take several changes in medicines and dosages to find the best approach. Sometimes, a medicine will work for a while and then stop working.

Some medicines may not be safe for pregnant women.

Always talk with your doctor before taking any medicines, even over-the-counter medicines.

Specific medicines

Medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease also are used to treat RLS. Even though these medicines help reduce RLS symptoms, RLS is not a form of Parkinson’s disease. The medicines help reduce the amount of motion in the legs. They include:

• Levodopa (le-vo-DO-pa)
  • Is best used to treat mild cases of RLS
  • Is short-acting
  • Works for a while but does not work long term in most people
• Dopamine agonists (pergolide (PER-go-lid), pramipexole (prah-mih-PEX-ohl), and ropinirole (roh-PIN-ih-roll))
  • Are used to treat moderate and severe cases of RLS
  • Are used to treat mild cases of RLS if levodopa stops working
  • Are long-acting

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved ropinirole to treat moderate to severe RLS.

Other medicines may be used to treat RLS, including:

• Strong pain-relieving medicines (narcotics).
  • Used most often when symptoms are severe
  • May be used in people who don’t respond to dopamine agonists
• Sedatives (benzodiazepines (BEN-so-di-AZ-e-pens)).
  • Help with falling asleep
  • May cause daytime sleepiness
  • Are not recommended for people with sleep apnea and for older persons
• Medicines used to treat epilepsy (anticonvulsants: gabapentin (gab-ah-PEN-tin), carbamazepine (kar-bam-AZ-e-pen), and valproate (val-PROH-ate)). These types of medicines are:
  • Considered when dopamine agonists fail
  • Most effective in persons with daytime and evening symptoms, as well as sleep-onset symptoms, and in those who describe the unpleasant feelings in the legs as painful.
• Iron supplements, if iron deficiency appears to be contributing to RLS. Iron supplements should only be used if recommended by a doctor.

Kris

My summer schedule is always different than winter, especially my sleep habits. I go to bed later, usually not at the same time, and wake up later and at different times. My restless legs seem to act up more. So is there a correlation between keeping the same sleep schedule and RLS? We hear all the time how important it is to maintain a regular sleep schedule for good health but can it also make RLS worse? I was reading on the website for the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and ran across these points on sleep and wanted to share them.

 Adopt good sleep habits:

• Keep your bedroom or sleep area cool, quiet, comfortable, and free of unnecessary light.
• Use your bedroom for sleeping, not for watching TV or using computers or cell phones.
• Go to bed every night at the same time and wake up at the same time every morning. Some people with RLS find it helpful to go to bed later in the evening and get up later in the morning. The important thing is to get enough sleep so that you feel rested when you wake up.
• Follow a program of moderate exercise

Other activities before bed that also may help relieve symptoms include:

• Walking or stretching
• Taking a hot or cold bath
• Massaging the leg or arm
• Using heat or ice packs

Good advice!

Kris

This was posted by someone on one of the forums I visit and I felt it was worth repeating on my blog.

Restless limbs linked to genes
LEG TWITCHING: Two studies back the reality of the poorly understood syndrome.
By Mike Stobbe
The Associated PressATLANTA – Scientists have linked certain genes to restless legs syndrome, suggesting the twitching condition described as “jimmy lets” in a “Seinfeld” episode is biologically based and not an imaginary disorder.New studies published this week are being called the first to identify specific genes responsible for restless legs syndrome symptoms.