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Restless Leg Syndrome - What is it?A few years ago, no one had heard of it. RLS. Restless Leg Syndrome. Today, they claim up to 10% of the population might suffer from some sort of this affliction. What is Restless Leg Syndrome? No one knows exactly what causes RLS, but the RLS Foundation defines the diagnosis of RLS as meeting 4 symptoms:
Best Restless Leg Syndrome Medication - Requip - MirapexGlaxo SmithKline, the drug-making giant, is given a lot of credit for creating awareness in RLS, some say they have even convinced people they have something that no one worried about before. They make a drug called Requip which was designed to regulate the production of dopamine in the brain to treat Parkinsons Disease. Dopamine helps control body movements, and Requip helps control the tremors common to Parkinsons sufferers. Glaxo reconfigured their drug to be used to treat this condition known as RLS. They began a marketing campaign in 2004 to reach doctors, and then began advertising direct to consumers as well (they spent over $30 million advertising Requip in 2005). An lo and behold, suddenly people began going to their doctors claiming they had this condition and wanted drugs to treat it. How many? Well, Glaxo should make around a quarter of a BILLION dollars this year from selling Requip to RLS sufferers -- not too bad!Another Parkinson's treatment, Mirapex, is also being turned into a treatment for RLS as other competitors jump on this new gravy train. Anyways, you can find out more at Requip.com. From their website: "Requip is the first FDA-approved medication for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome, or RLS (15 or more episodes monthly)." Requip does relieve the symptoms for most people - improvements are usually seen within just a few nights of taking the drug, with ongoing long term relief after 9 months. It is normally taken nightly a few hours before bedtime. Since RLS is a chronic condition, the patient can assume they will need to keep taking the medication on an ongoing basis - it is treatment, not a cure. Sinemet is another dopamine drug. Some doctors also treat RLS with pain relievers, like Darvon, Percocet, and Roxicodone. Valium and Klonopin are also used to help patients relax and sleep. As with all medications and illnesses, consult with your doctor before taking any treatments or medications for Restless Leg Syndrome. Other diseases like diabetes include symptons like pain, tingling, and numbness in the legs, so a correct diagnosis by a medical professional is important. If you search online, you will also come across a lot of herbal and homeopathic "remedies" for RLS. None of these are FDA approved or laboratory tested, so be wary of any claims they make about magically curing RLS or relieving all your symptoms. Many of the sites have professionally drawn up "sales letters" -- long pages of text and supposed success stories, designed to keep you reading and seemingly answer all your questions, build your confidence, and get you to send in your $20 or $50 or whatever for their product. Talk to your doctor before trying any alternative medicines. Restless Leg Syndrome WebsitesAnother good site to visit for information on diagnosis, treatment, and research of Restless Leg Syndrome is Neurological and Disorders and Stroke site, here. They cover topics like "What is restless legs?", "What are common signs and symptoms of restless legs?", "What causes restless legs syndrome?", "How is restless legs syndrome diagnosed?", "How is restless legs syndrome treated?", with solid information and answers on each topic. They also offer contact information for National Sleep Foundation, WE MOVE, and National Organization for Rare Disorders. WE MOVE is located at WeMove.org/rls. Their site covers all movement disorders, including ataxia, parkinsons, rett syndrome, and others besides RLS. Life-In-Motion.org also has good facts sheets with information aiding diagnosis of RLS on their site - symtoms, causes, diagnosis, medications, questions to ask your doctor, etc. We suggest visiting these sites and reading up on RLS - that way you can talk intelligently to your doctor and know what to look for when considering your own symptoms, or those of a loved one.
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