New Developments in Restless Legs Syndrome

Medications which are under investigation for restless legs syndrome include:

• Amantadine
• Selegeline
• Valproate (Depakene)
• Lamotrigine (Lamictil)
• Baclofen (Lioresal)

• NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

• Drug delivery systems under investigation for restless legs syndrome, including:

  • skin patches for controlled delivery
  • intramuscular or subcutaneous (under the skin) slow release medication
  • epidural infusion where measured doses of a drug can be delivered as needed via an implanted pump

• Other aspects of restless legs syndrome under investigation include:

  • creating and validating tests to measure quality of life changes
  • comparative studies of various dopamine agonists and other medications
  • long-term effectiveness of drugs on restless legs syndrome and PLMS
  • treatment of children with restless legs syndrome
  • treatment of women during pregnancy
  • learning more about the causes and pathophysiology of restless legs syndrome
  • developing new and more effective long-term treatments for restless legs syndrome
  • determining why augmentation of restless legs syndrome symptoms occurs in some patients being treated with dopaminergic drugs and how to prevent this phenomenon.
  • identifying the genes involves in restless legs syndrome
  • elucidating the relationship between pregnancy and the development of restless legs syndrome in some patients