Treatment of restless legs syndrome.

Objective: Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by a desire to move limbs, which is usually only present or worsens during rest or at night. The objective of this article was to review the available literature about pharmacological treatment for this disorder.

Method: A search of recent literature was undertaken on online databases (Medline, Pubmed, Scielo and Lilacs).

Results: 502 articles were retrieved, of which 30 were selected. Dopaminergic agents, anticonvulsants, opioids, benzodiazepines, zolpidem, entacapone and ketamine were all effective on the restless legs syndrome treatment. One study showed that iron was not effective.

Conclusions: Based on few double-blind, randomized, controlled trials, it seems that the best options to treat restless legs syndrome patients are gabapentin and L-dopa associated to its sustained release formulation.