title: Long-term treatment with pramipexole in restless legs syndrome.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to look at the long-term efficacy and side effects profiles of pramipexole in a large cohort of drug naïve patients with regard to dopaminergic medications. In all, 195 consecutive restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients who were prescribed pramipexole more than 1 year previously, agreed to undergo a telephone interview to assess both the efficacy and side effects of pramipexole. Forty-three patients had discontinued pramipexole: 20 because of side effects, six because of a lack of efficacy, six for both and 11 for other reasons. Patients who continued pramipexole for more than 1 year (n = 152) reported a mean decrease in RLS symptoms severity of 80.9% (SD = 19.6%). At the onset of treatment, the most common side effects were nausea (30%), tiredness (9%), dizziness (8%), headache (4%), insomnia (3%), dry mouth (2%), difficulty to concentrate (1.3%) and sleepiness (0.7%), At 30 months, most patients (n = 124/152; 81.6%) reported an absence of side effects of pramipexole. None of the adverse effects occurred in more than 5% of patients at follow-up. The present study confirms, in a large cohort of unselected patients, that pramipexole is effective and safe in the long-term treatment of RLS.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'étude du sommeil et des rythmes biologiques, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Université de Montréal, QC, Canada. jy.montplaisir@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montplaisir
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Fantini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Desautels
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michaud
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Filipini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D052160:Benzothiazoles / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000077487:Pramipexole; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D000077487:Pramipexole