The Article in Brief

Background People with restless legs syndrome experience unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move to relieve these feelings. A type of drug called nonergot dopamine agonists (NEDAs) is often used to treat restless legs syndrome. This study examines existing research to evaluate the effectiveness of NEDAs in treating restless legs syndrome, the risk of side effects, and the influence of side effects on whether patients continue to take the drugs.

What This Study Found Patients taking NEDAs show significant improvement in symptoms and severity of restless legs syndrome, especially in the early stages of treatment. Many patients discontinue use of the drugs, however, because of side effects, including nausea, dizziness, sleepiness, and fatigue.

Implications

• It is possible that individual NEDA drugs might differ from one another in terms of effectiveness and safety. Future research should directly compare NEDAs with each other in patients with restless legs syndrome and examine the drugs’ long-term effects.