Treatment Options for Restless Legs Syndrome

Goals of Treatment

The most important goal in treatment of restless legs syndrome is the cessation of symptoms during rest and the ensuing end to the disruption of quality of life and daily activities for the patient. This may be achieved through educating the patient about the various aspects of restless legs syndrome, and/or treatment with medication either on a continuous basis or on an as-needed basis. Treatment of restless legs syndrome is not medically required and is initiated only when the patient feels that non-medication efforts to control their symptoms have not improved their quality of life and that the only solution is medication. It is important that any treatment plan initiated to treat restless legs syndrome must include improving quality of sleep for the individual. This fosters symptom reduction and enables the patient to:

• Increase the overall quality of life
• Increase activities of daily living
• Reduce or prevent daytime fatigue and sleepiness
• Improve sleep quality

As mentioned previously, restless legs syndrome may occur secondary to certain medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, uremia, iron deficiency, pregnancy, and peripheral neuropathy (among others). The first step in the management of secondary restless legs syndrome is to attempt to identify a primary underlying condition that may be responsible for producing secondary restless legs syndrome and then treat the underlying medical condition. For example:

• Secondary restless legs syndrome in patients with chronic kidney failure often disappears after kidney transplantation.
• Secondary restless legs syndrome associated with pregnancy usually resolves after giving birth
• Secondary restless legs syndrome associated with iron deficiency may be treated with iron supplementation to control the symptoms of restless legs syndrome. Under unusual circumstances, iron infusions are being studied.

If no underlying medical condition can be identified as the cause of restless legs syndrome (idiopathic restless legs syndrome), treatment may be initiated to control the restless legs syndrome symptoms.