SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Appropriate Use of Opioids to Treat RLS

About 1 in 33 Americans – 3 percent of the US population – have RLS that is severe enough that they need treatment with medications. Unfortunately, treatment options are limited and do not provide life-long coverage. Dopamine agonist medications (pramipexole, ropinirole and rotigotine patch) can actually make the disease worse over time – an effect called augmentation. Alpha-2-delta agents (gabapentin, pregabalin and gabapentin enacarbil) are effective for only 70 percent of RLS patients and can have serious side effects such as suicidal thoughts.

Opioids are an established, highly effective treatment option for people with severe RLS when other therapies have failed. These medications bring dramatic relief to an estimated 90–95 percent of RLS patients. Clinical experience among experts has not shown the degree of drug misuse, dependency or addiction that is commonly associated with opioid use to treat chronic pain, which has a different underlying biology from RLS.

Clinical guidelines published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings are available for clinicians to appropriately prescribe opioids for RLS, assess patients for risk of addiction, and monitor use over time. The RLS Foundation actively conducts educational outreach to help ensure that healthcare providers know how to diagnose and treat RLS, including treatment with opioid therapy.

Learn More About RLS Treatment Options

If you are struggling to control your RLS symptoms, consult with your healthcare provider about which treatment options may be right for you. A good resource to share with your provider is the RLS Medical Bulletin, available in the Member Portal at www.rls.org.

If you are looking for an RLS healthcare provider, visit www.rls.org or contact the RLS Foundation at info@rls.org for information about RLS Quality Care Centers and other providers knowledgeable about RLS.