Anticonvulsants to treat idiopathic restless legs syndrome: systematic review.
BACKGROUND
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensory motor disorder characterized by a distressing urge to move the legs and sometimes also other parts of the body usually accompanied by a marked sense of discomfort or pain in the leg or other affected body part. Many treatments have been used to minimize the discomfort of the disease, among them the anticonvulsant therapy.


OBJECTIVE
This review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anticonvulsant treatment for idiopathic RLS.


METHODS
Systematic review of randomized or quasi-randomized, double blind trials on anticonvulsant treatment for RLS.


RESULTS
relief of RLS symptoms, subjective and objective sleep quality, quality of life, and adverse events associated with the treatments.


RESULTS
A total of 231 patients were randomized in three cross over studies and one parallel study. Three studies with carbamazepine, one with sodium valproate, and one with gabapentin, and they were very heterogeneous so we could not perform a meta-analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
There is no scientific evidence on RLS treatment with anticonvulsants for clinical practice.
Conti
Cristiane Fiquene
CF
Department of Emergency Medicine and Evidence Based Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Oliveira
Márcio Moysés de
MM
Valbuza
Juliana Spelta
JS
Prado
Lucila Bizari F
LB
Carvalho
Luciane Bizari Coin de
LB
Prado
Gilmar Fernandes do
GF
D000588:Amines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D000077206:Gabapentin; D006801:Humans; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000588:Amines; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D002220:Carbamazepine; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D014635:Valproic Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin