Restless Leg Syndrome Drug Receives FDA Approval

Health Talk ^ | May 07, 2005 | David Hamilton

[rface]

Individuals affected with restless leg syndrome (RLS) describe the sensations as pulling, drawing, crawling, wormy, boring, tingling, pins and needles, prickly, and sometimes painful sensations that are usually accompanied by an overwhelming urge to move the legs. Movement provides temporary relief from the discomfort.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug by GlaxoSmithKline for the treatment of restless leg syndrome (RLS).

The drug, Requip, was first approved in 1997 for Parkinson's disease.

In a statement, the FDA said Requip effectively treated adults with moderate to severe RLS in three studies.

Requip is effectively the first and only drug ever approved to treat RLS.

[Marie]

Other than this new drgu, how is it treatable?

[Marie]

cherry=drug

[Walkingfeather]

bttt

[kcvl]

Thanks for posting this. Russ is full of it on this one. All males in my family have got RLS. It is only a problem at night when you are trying to sleep.

Many diabetics suffer from RLS. I know some doctors have prescribed Ativan (an antianxiety drug) for it on a short term basis.

http://tinyurl.com/bl7y8

[Danae]

Is this why mu husband CONSTANTLY is bouncing his legs? It is only really when he is awake, but it drives me NUTS! He bounces the car around with that crap! He bounces the MONITOR because he is vibrating the floor so hard! There is a Tx for it??? Maybe I will join the drug culture afterall!

[aviator]

This is why I am awake at 4am!

[tiki]

I was married for years before I would believe that my husband wasn't doing the leg thing on purpose. If he wasn't such a jokster I'd have probably believed him earlier.

[LynnHam]

This is why I am awake at 4am!

same here maybe got 1 hr sleep

[united1000]

Cooling the legs/feet helps - the colder the better. I love North Idaho winters because when the restless legs starts in, a barefoot stroll around the cold cement floor in the unheated garage for a couple of minutes usually takes care of it and then I can go back to bed and actually lay still long enough to get some sleep.

 

I often hang my feet out of the covers but never thought about taking a stroll on the cold floor.  I've got a basement too, the laundry room is cement, even in summer ought to be better than nothing. I'll try it.

[united1000]

I haven't gotten to the sleeping pills yet, would like to avoid those if I can. I guess that's why some nights there is hardly any sleep at all:-) I think diet may have something to do with it. When I didn't eat any wheat at all it seemed to be better. So I need to cut it all out again and see if it does really make a difference. I really don't want to take drugs.

[IdahoNative]

Went through a sleep clinic and started using a CPAP because of sleep apnea; the restless legs improved and it was both the respiratory therapist's and my doctor's theory that the restless legs was a by-product of the apnea. Unfortunately, it was only a temporary respite (which sometimes occurs) and the RLS came back so I'm back to relying on chilling for relief. My sister takes a spray bottle of ice water to bed with her so she can cool down her feet.

[Spyder]

Interesting you would discover this - that's true of multiple sclerosis as well. One of the previously favored treatments were ice baths.

[Xenalyte]

It's funny 'cause it's true, saith the warrior princess who has bad RLS.

[Xenalyte]

That episode made me laugh so hard! That's a perfect description of it.

[Xenalyte]

I take Remeron and Mirapex. (I also have period limb movement disorder, and my sleep cycle is hugely skewed, which is why the Remeron.)

[IdahoNative]

A friend of mine with MS moved to Alaska because she did better up there in the colder weather but I'd never heard about the ice baths. She wants to move home to Idaho but the warm summer months are putting her off - guess I'll have to suggest that to her if she doesn't already know. Thanks.

[A knight without armor]

I get the Jimmy Legs, too. However, I find relief by getting up and soaking my feet in HOT water. Hot as I can stand. It always works.

Since others say cold temps help maybe relief comes with a big temperature change either way.

To people who think this is just moving around a lot, it is not. Fidgeting is just ants in your pants. The Jimmy Legs is a drawing or wormy feeling that compels you to try to get away from it.

[Saundra Duffy]

Try a bar of soap under the bottom sheet and rub your legs on it if you start to cramp up.

[Spyder]

We actually had to do it ourselves in our hydrotherapy class in physical therapy school in the 70s. The recommended length of time in the bath was up to 4 minutes. Those are 4 very, very long minutes. ;-).

[nuconvert]

I love Seinfeld.
I'm sorry you and others suffer from this disorder. It sounds maddening.