Restless Legs Syndrome and Related Disorders - Medications

Medications

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends medications for RLS or PLMD only for persons who fit strict diagnostic criteria, and who experience excessive daytime sleepiness as a result of these conditions. (Excessive daytime sleepiness results from nighttime sleeplessness due to RLS or PLMD symptoms).

More research and physician training is needed to better diagnose and treat RLS with medications in children and adolescents. Little is known about the best way to treat RLS in general, but some experts suggest the following for adults:

• If lifestyle changes do not control the problem, over-the-counter pain relievers should be the first form of treatment.
• People with RLS should have a test for iron deficiency. If they are iron deficient, they should start treatment with iron supplements.
• Dopaminergic drugs (drugs that increase levels of dopamine) are the standard medicines for treating severe RLS, PLMD, or both.
• Other drugs may be helpful if dopaminergic drugs fail, or for patients who have frequent -- but not nightly -- symptoms. These include opiates (pain relievers), benzodiazepines (sedative hypnotic drugs), or anticonvulsants. However, benzodiazepines and opiates can become habit forming and addictive.

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Tylenol and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Before taking stronger medications, people should try over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Rufen), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, Aleve), and ketoprofen (Orudis KT, Aktron).

Although NSAIDs work well, long-term use can cause stomach problems, such as ulcers and bleeding, and possible heart problems. In April 2005, the Food and Drug Administration asked drug manufacturers of NSAIDs to include a warning label on their product that alerts users of an increased risk for heart-related problems and digestive tract bleeding.

Levodopa and Other Dopaminergic Drugs

Dopaminergic drugs increase the availability of the chemical messenger dopamine in the brain, and are the first-line treatment for severe RLS and PLMD. These drugs significantly reduce the number of limb movements per hour, and improve the subjective quality of sleep. Patients with either condition who take these drugs have experienced up to 100% reduction in symptoms.

Dopaminergic drugs, however, can have severe side effects (they are ordinarily used for Parkinson's disease). They do not appear to be as helpful for RLS related to dialysis as they do for RLS from other causes.