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Drug Patch Approved for Advanced Parkinson's and Restless Leg Syndrome
Posted 3 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 3 – The Neupro (rotigotine) transdermal system has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat advanced Parkinson's disease and moderate-to-severe restless leg syndrome, the Belgian drug maker UCB said Tuesday in a news release. The continuous drug delivery patch was first approved by the FDA in 2007 to treat early-stage Parkinson's. The dopamine agonist skin patch is believed to work by stimulating dopamine receptors within the caudate-putamen, the portion of the brain that regulates movement, the company said. In clinical testing, observed side effects of Neupro included nausea, vomiting, skin site reactions, dizziness, insomnia and headache. Neupro contains sodium metabisulfite, which could cause deadly allergic-like reactions in certain susceptible people. Also, the drug should not be used by pregnant women, UCB warned. More information To learn ... Read more
Related support groups: Restless Legs Syndrome, Parkinson's Disease, Neupro, Rotigotine
Classic Restless Legs Syndrome Not Linked to Parkinson's
Posted 10 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 – People with early Parkinson's disease are not more likely to have restless legs syndrome, but many people with Parkinson's do report leg motor restlessness, according to the results of a new Norwegian study. People with restless legs syndrome, or RLS, have an overwhelming urge to move their legs. This typically occurs at night during rest, and the sensation is relieved by movement. By contrast, leg motor restlessness is characterized by the urge to move the legs throughout the day, and this sensation does not improve with movement. Both RLS and Parkinson's disease, which is a chronic and progressive movement disorder that affects nearly 1 million people in the United States, do respond to the same drugs, but that is where their connection ends. Medications that boost levels of the brain chemical dopamine treat both conditions. To better understand the relationship ... Read more
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Restless Legs Syndrome May Boost Blood Pressure
Posted 10 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 10 – Middle-aged women who suffer from a common condition called restless legs syndrome may be at increased risk of high blood pressure, U.S. researchers report. Restless legs syndrome is a sensory motor disorder that causes intense, unpleasant leg sensations, and an irresistible urge to move the legs, often at night. The condition, which may affect between 5 to 15 percent of U.S. adults, can disrupt sleep and cause daytime drowsiness. "For those who experience restless legs syndrome symptoms, please consult your doctor regarding this issue," said lead researcher Dr. Xiang Gao, an assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School. "The risk of hypertension can be substantially reduced by following a healthy life style, including a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and keeping optimal body weight," he added. Unabated, hypertension, also known as high ... Read more
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Genes Linked to Restless Legs Syndrome Identified
Posted 14 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 14 – An international team of researchers has identified two genetic regions that seem to be implicated in restless legs syndrome. Restless legs syndrome is a condition in which people experience a tingling or "creepy crawly" feeling in the legs, relieved only by movement. One of the most common neurological diseases, the syndrome can lead to chronic sleep loss, daytime fatigue and even depression. In the new study, scientists from Europe, Canada and the United States analyzed genetic sequence variants in nearly 5,000 people suffering from restless legs syndrome along with more than 7,000 people who did not have the condition. The researchers found two new genetic regions that play a role in the syndrome. One of the regions is within a gene involved in regulating brain activity, known as TOX3, according to the report published online July 14 in PLoS Genetics. Although ... Read more
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Impotence Linked to Restless Legs Syndrome
Posted 15 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 15 – Men who struggle with restless legs syndrome face a higher risk of impotence, a new study suggests. The study, by researchers from Harvard University, builds on earlier research by the scientists that found that impotence, or erectile dysfunction, was more common among older men with restless legs syndrome – and the more frequent the symptoms of the sleep disorder the higher the risk of impotence. For the new study, the researchers started with more than 11,000 men, with an average age of 64 at the start of the trial in 2002, who did not suffer from impotence, diabetes or arthritis. The trial, called the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, began with the men answering a standardized set of health-related questions. Men were considered to have restless legs syndrome (RLS) if they met four RLS diagnostic criteria recommended by the International RLS Study Group ... Read more
Related support groups: Restless Legs Syndrome, Erectile Dysfunction
GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort Receive FDA Approval for Horizant
Posted 7 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
LONDON & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. & SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 6, 2011 - GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and XenoPort, Inc. announced Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome in adults. Horizant is not recommended for patients who are required to sleep during the daytime and remain awake at night. The efficacy of Horizant in the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome was demonstrated in two 12-week clinical trials in adults. It is the first medication in its class to be approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome. "Clinical experience has substantiated that Restless Legs Syndrome, also referred to as Ekbom Disease, is a long-term neurological ... Read more
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Home Dialysis for Kidney Patients May Ease Restless Legs Syndrome
Posted 21 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, March 18 – Short, daily sessions of hemodialysis at home may reduce sleep problems caused by restless legs syndrome in dialysis patients, according to new research. The study – sponsored and funded by NxStage Medical Inc., which makes home dialysis products – is published online March 17 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Dialysis patients are about four times more likely than people in the general population to experience restless legs syndrome (RLS), which causes abnormal sensations such as pins and needles or creepy-crawly feelings in the legs while at rest. Restless legs syndrome can interfere with sleep. This study included 235 patients who performed dialysis at home for a few hours six days a week, as an alternative to center-based treatment. This led to significant improvement in restless legs symptoms, according to the researchers. "Over 12 ... Read more
Related support groups: Restless Legs Syndrome, Renal Failure
Restless Legs in Pregnancy Likely to Recur, Researchers Say
Posted 6 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Dec. 6 – Women who experience restless legs syndrome (RLS) during pregnancy are at increased risk for having it again during future pregnancies or developing a chronic form of the condition later in life, researchers have found. RLS causes unpleasant sensations in the legs. Symptoms are generally worse at night and tend to progress with age. Movement generally relieves symptoms. Italian researchers recruited 74 women who had RLS during pregnancy and 133 who did not. Six-and-a-half years later, the women were interviewed about RLS symptoms, additional pregnancies, occurrences of other diseases and medication use. Of the women who had RLS during pregnancy, 18 (24 percent) also had the disorder at the end of the study, compared to 10 (8 percent) of the women who did not have RLS during pregnancy, the investigators found. About 60 percent of the women who had RLS during a first ... Read more
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Restless Legs Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Linked in Study
Posted 17 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 15 – People with fibromyalgia are 11 times more likely to have restless legs syndrome (RLS) than those in the general population, according to a new study. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can cause significant pain and fatigue. Women account for 80 to 90 percent of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Its cause is unknown. The findings suggest that treating RLS – which is characterized by an unpleasant urge to move the legs, usually at night – may improve sleep and quality of life for people with fibromyalgia, the researchers said. RLS is often treated with drugs such as pramipexole or ropinirole. In this study, U.S. researchers compared 172 fibromyalgia patients, average age 50, with a control group of 63 healthy people, average age 41. The prevalence of RLS was about 10 times higher in the fibromyalgia group (93 percent of whom were female) than in the control group ... Read more
Related support groups: Fibromyalgia, Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless Legs Syndrome Can Have Family Ties
Posted 10 May 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 10 – Siblings and family members of people who have restless legs syndrome are also more likely to suffer from the condition, a new report suggests. The authors of the study, which is published in the May issue of Archives of Neurology, hope the findings will raise awareness of the condition for both physicians and patients. "These authors found very stark significant evidence that if you have a sibling or a family member with restless legs syndrome, you have a very high risk of having it," said Dr. Carl Boethel, assistant professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and medical director of the Sleep Institute at Scott & White in Temple, Texas. That means if you have a family member and, particularly, a sibling with restless legs syndrome, or RLS, you might want to get screened, he said. Fortunately, said study senior author Dr. Guy ... Read more
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Restless Legs Linked to Erectile Dysfunction
Posted 5 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 5 – Men with restless leg syndrome are more likely to have erectile dysfunction, new research suggests, but it's not clear how the two conditions are related. "There is an association, but we don't know which one comes first," said study author Dr. Xiang Gao, an instructor in medicine at Harvard University School of Public Health. If researchers do discover how they're connected, it could lead to more effective treatments, he said. Restless leg syndrome "afflicts a significant portion of our population and in a minority of cases can cause insomnia and other important consequences," said Dr. Robert Vorona, an associate professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Virginia who studies sleep disorders. Its causes remain a mystery, Vorona said, but some evidence suggests it's related to reduced levels of iron and the neurotransmitter known as dopamine in the brain. Those ... Read more
Related support groups: Restless Legs Syndrome, Erectile Dysfunction
Restless Legs May Vary by Race and Gender
Posted 1 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Nov. 2 – Restless legs syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by a strong urge to move the legs, is much more common among some racial groups than others, a new U.S. study has found. Researchers interviewed 190 people being seen at a primary care clinic. About 12 percent of those who were black, compared with 36 percent of those who were not black, were found to have restless legs symptoms. Overall, the prevalence of restless legs was 23 percent among the clinic participants. Among blacks, the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) was 12 percent for both men and women, compared with 40 percent for women and 29 percent for men among the others, most of whom were white. "There are significant ethnic differences in the prevalence of restless legs syndrome, but the exact causes of higher prevalence among Caucasians are unknown," study author Dr. Ammar Alkhazna, of the ... Read more
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Common Drug Eases Restless Legs Syndrome
Posted 29 Apr 2009 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 29 – Lyrica, a drug used to treat epilepsy, nerve pain, anxiety and fibromyalgia, shows promise in easing the symptoms of restless legs syndrome, a Spanish researcher reports. Some 5 percent to 10 percent of adults in the United States have restless legs syndrome (RLS), a disorder that causes people to feel a compelling need to move their legs, especially while lying down. The condition can have a substantial impact on sleep, daily activities and quality of life, researchers say. "This is the first time this drug is being tried for RLS," said Dr. Diego Garcia-Borreguero, director of the Sleep Research Institute in Madrid. "Pregabalin [Lyrica] is an effective drug for the treatment of RLS – it leads about 60 percent of patients into clinical remission." The drug improves both the sensation and motor symptoms of RLS, Garcia-Borreguero said. He also noted that patients ... Read more
Related support groups: Lyrica, Restless Legs Syndrome
Pot Belly Boosts Risk for Restless Legs Syndrome
Posted 6 Apr 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 6 – Having a big belly or being obese appears to increase the risk for restless legs syndrome (RLS), a new study finds. Some 5 percent to 10 percent of adults in the United States have RLS, a disorder that causes people to feel a compelling need to move their legs, especially when they're lying down. The condition can have a substantial impact on sleep, daily activities and quality of life, researchers say. In the new study, "we found that obesity was associated with a 40 percent higher risk of having RLS," said lead researcher Dr. Xiang Gao, an instructor in medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Individuals with a higher waist circumference, a marker for central obesity, are also 60 percent more likely to having RLS relative to those with a low waist circumference," he added. The researchers also found an association between obesity at age 20 and a higher ... Read more
Related support groups: Obesity, Restless Legs Syndrome
Spinal Anesthesia Doesn't Cause Restless Leg Syndrome
Posted 19 Nov 2008 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 19 – Spinal anesthesia won't cause or worsen restless legs syndrome. That's the conclusion of a new study published as a letter to the editor in the Nov. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study compared people undergoing general anesthesia to those undergoing surgery with spinal anesthesia and found no difference in restless legs syndrome symptoms between the groups. "Our study was designed to test the hypothesis that spinal anesthesia would worsen the symptoms of restless leg syndrome," said the study's lead author, Dr. Thomas Crozier, an associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Gottingen Medical School in Germany. "This is important, because restless legs syndrome is a very unpleasant condition that affects up to 10 percent of the population," he added. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes people to feel a ... Read more
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