TY - JOUR
T1 - Pergolide and carbidopa/levodopa treatment of the restless legs syndrome and periodic leg movements in sleep in a consecutive series of patients
AU - Earley, Christopher J.
AU - Allen, Richard P.
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - Carbidopa/levodopa has become accepted as a primary treatment for both the restless legs (RL) syndrome and periodic leg movements in sleep (PLMS). It, however, usually significantly augments the RL symptoms in the day as well as night, requiring medication change for about 70% of the patients. The dopaminergic agonist pergolide provides a potentially useful treatment; doses given at dinner and before bed could suffice to treat the symptoms for most of the 24-hour day. A series of consecutive patients with RL syndrome or PLMS was studied using a standard medication protocol starting with carbidopa/levodopa, switching if needed to pergolide and, finally, to an opiate or other treatment. For 51 patients entered into the study, 21 (39%) continued on carbidopa/levodopa and 26 (50%) switched to pergolide. For those tried on pergolide, 19 (73%) responded well. Restless legs augmentation occurred for only four (15%) and was severe enough to require medication change for only one (4%) of these patients. The patients with PLMS responded best to carbidopa/levodopa, whereas severe RL patients responded best to pergolide. Pergolide provided a good treatment for the RL syndrome, particularly for the more severe RL cases without significant problems with RL augmentation.
AB - Carbidopa/levodopa has become accepted as a primary treatment for both the restless legs (RL) syndrome and periodic leg movements in sleep (PLMS). It, however, usually significantly augments the RL symptoms in the day as well as night, requiring medication change for about 70% of the patients. The dopaminergic agonist pergolide provides a potentially useful treatment; doses given at dinner and before bed could suffice to treat the symptoms for most of the 24-hour day. A series of consecutive patients with RL syndrome or PLMS was studied using a standard medication protocol starting with carbidopa/levodopa, switching if needed to pergolide and, finally, to an opiate or other treatment. For 51 patients entered into the study, 21 (39%) continued on carbidopa/levodopa and 26 (50%) switched to pergolide. For those tried on pergolide, 19 (73%) responded well. Restless legs augmentation occurred for only four (15%) and was severe enough to require medication change for only one (4%) of these patients. The patients with PLMS responded best to carbidopa/levodopa, whereas severe RL patients responded best to pergolide. Pergolide provided a good treatment for the RL syndrome, particularly for the more severe RL cases without significant problems with RL augmentation.
KW - Carbidopa/levodopa
KW - Pergolide
KW - Periodic leg movements
KW - Restless legs augmentation
KW - Restless legs syndrome
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U2 - 10.1093/sleep/19.10.801
DO - 10.1093/sleep/19.10.801
M3 - Article
C2 - 9085489
AN - SCOPUS:0030437822
SN - 0161-8105
VL - 19
SP - 801
EP - 810
JO - Sleep
JF - Sleep
IS - 10
ER -