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Confused About RLS Medications?
Medical treatments for RLS are rare. For most sufferers of this condition, RLS can be taken care of with natural cures, but for severe cases, sometimes RLS medications can be used to help.
The most common treatment is pills or patches containing the drug dopamine. This chemical, which occurs naturally in the body anyway, is a neurotransmitter and is thought to help the brain communicate with the leg in a more efficient way, therefore reducing the pain and symptoms of RLS.
The most common source of dopamine is found in the drugs levodopa and carbidopa. The commercial name for the combination of these drugs is known as Sinemet. Using Sinemet to treat Restless Leg Syndrome has been shown to help 85% of patients. There are, however, side effects that include nausea, vomiting and headache.
A problem that has developed in patients that use Sinemet is rebound phenomena. During rebound, a sufferer may notice symptoms during a time of day when they have never had them before. Doctors are not sure why this happens, but it’s almost if the body ends up having symptoms suppressed during the evening when the medication is taken and so it ends up displaying symptoms at other times to make up for it.
A second common way to treat RLS with drugs is by using dopamine agonists. These drugs do the same essential function as the others (increasing dopamine levels in the brain) but they usually result in fewer side effects in the long run. They do, however, have their own set of side effects that vary depending on which of the four commonly prescribed drugs are used. With Permax, the common side effects are nasal congestion and dizziness, Mirapex users complain of dry mouth, dizziness and insomnia, Parlodel users report fainting, abdominal pain, headache and weakness and Requip patients report sleepiness, indigestion, vomiting and dizziness.
A third type of drug that is commonly used for RLS treatment is benzodiazepines. These drugs are used as sedatives to reduce the affects of RLS during sleep. While this classification of drug is broken down into three different prescribed medications, the side effects for all three are the same: a loss of coordination, dizziness, slurred speech and drowsiness.
While none of these drugs can claim to be a cure-all for RLS, most sufferers have found some degree of help by using them.
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For some RLS sufferers who don’t show any response to dopamine treatment, there are drugs available that affect the central nervous system. The drugs are normally used to treat epilepsy. Carbamazepine is a commonly prescribed drug in these cases. These drugs are often more commonly prescribed to those that suffer painful RLS.
If a patient’s RLS doesn’t respond to any other medication, the only common treatment left is painkillers such as codeine or oxycodone. These drugs tend to be addictive, so they should only ever be taken under the supervision of a doctor.
Unfortunately, since RLS is so misunderstood by most medical professionals, there is no major consensus about RLS medications and treatment options.
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Source: www.articlecube.com