• Benzodiazepines: Clorazepate Dipotassium, Tranxene
• Caffeine
• Sedatives Hypnotics
• Skeletal Muscle Relaxers: Tizanadine, Zanaflex
• Sleeping Pills: Ambien, Benadryl, Chloral Hydrate, Dalmane, Diphenihydramine, Doral, Estazolam, Flurazepam, Noctec, Oxazepam, Prosom, Quazepam, Serax, Zolpidem Tartrate

Restless legs: impact and treatment update, Bandolier:"Bandolier has been keeping a quiet eye on restless legs syndrome (RLS). It is common (Bandolier 118), and though Bandolier has looked previously at trials of pergolide (Bandolier 67), those were very small with fewer than 60 patients in three trials. Because RLS is common, and because there are limited therapies available, any pharmaceutical company worth its salt would be looking for the possibility of significant potential sales with an effective drug. This may be happening, because we now have newer, larger, and better trials, and large surveys of the impact of RLS on patients, all funded by pharmaceutical interest in this area."
Bandolier Office
Pain Research
The Churchill
Oxford
OX3 7LJ
Telephone +44 1865 226132
Fax +44 1865 226978
http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band125/b125-3.html

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Granite State Restless Legs Syndrome Support Group:"The Granite State Restless Legs Syndrome Support Group meets every other month at Concord Hospital. Directions to the hospital and to the meeting location can be found here or at the Directions link on the left. The group exists for all who live with RLS, or who care about someone who does. This Web site is dedicated to providing helpful information and resources for support group members and anyone else interested in this often debilitating condition."
Fay Crowley, Coordinator
9 Sargent Place, Lot 106
Gilford, NH 03249
(603) 527-1017
info@gsrls.org
http://www.gsrls.org/

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Facts About Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:""Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder in which a person experiences unpleasant sensations in the legs described as creeping, crawling, tingling, pulling, or painful. These sensations usually occur in the calf area but may be felt anywhere from the thigh to the ankle. One or both legs may be affected; for some people, the sensations are also felt in the arms. These sensations occur when the person with RLS lies down or sits for prolonged periods of time, such as at a desk, riding in a car, or watching a movie. People with RLS describe an irresistible urge to move the legs when the sensations occur. Usually, moving the legs, walking, rubbing or massaging the legs, or doing knee bends can bring relief, at least briefly. 4 pages. NIH Publication No. 96-3645.
NHLBI Health Information Center
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
Phone: 301 592 8573
TTY: 240 629 3255
Fax: 240 629 3246
nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/rls.htm

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Restless legs syndrome (RLS)What is the prognosis? National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS):"RLS is a life-long condition for which there is no cure. Symptoms may gradually worsen with age. Because symptoms are intensified by inactivity and lying down, RLS patients often have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Left untreated, RLS causes exhaustion and fatigue, which can affect occupational performance, social activities, and family life."
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/restless_legs/restless_legs.htm

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Restless Legs Syndrome And Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, National Institutes of Health (NIH):"Restless legs syndrome is a common neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations of the legs and an urge to move them for relief. Because symptoms are intensified by inactivity and lying down, RLS patients often have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Left untreated, RLS causes exhaustion and fatigue, which can affect occupational performance, social activities, and family life. Most prevalence estimates are around 2-5% of the population, although many more may be affected because the disorder is often not diagnosed. Severe RLS is more common in the elderly, affecting an estimated 10-11%, although symptoms may develop at any age. The etiology of RLS probably involves central dopamine mechanisms, and both dopaminergic agents and dopamine agonists have been used to treat symptoms."
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-01-086.html

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What is Restless Legs Syndrome? National Sleep Foundation:"Sleep disturbances are common with RLS and are a major effect. The sleep disturbances can range from mild to severe, but sleep problems are often the reason that people suffering from RLS seek a doctor's help. If leg twitching or jerking is also present, a related disorder called periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) may be the cause. With PLMS, the leg movements may be severe enough to awaken you. In RLS, PLMS-like symptoms can sometimes occur during wakefulness, as well as in sleep."
NSF Main Phone Number: (202) 347-3471
nsf@sleepfoundation.org
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeplibrary/index.php?secid=&id=66

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What are the symptoms of RLS? National Women's Health Information Center:"RLS symptoms are not the same for every person. They range from uncomfortable to painful and can vary in frequency. A person can have periods when RLS does not cause problems, but the symptoms usually return. Another person can have severe symptoms every day. Common symptoms of RLS include: Unpleasant or uncomfortable feelings or sensations in the legs often described as creeping, crawling, tingling, pulling or painful, often producing an irresistible urge to move the legs. These feelings most often occur deep inside the leg, between the knee and ankle. While rare, they can also occur in the feet, thighs, arms, and hands. Most of these feelings involve both sides of the body, although they can happen on just one side of the body."
National Women's Health Information Center
(800) 994-9662
http://www.4woman.gov/faq/rls.htm

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Restless Legs Syndrome, Diagnostic criteria and common features, Postgraduate Medicine Online:"In 1995, the newly formed International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group developed criteria for diagnosing restless legs syndrome (3). Four basic elements must be present to make the diagnosis: (1) a desire to move the limbs, often associated with paresthesia or dysesthesia, (2) symptoms exacerbated by rest and relieved by activity, (3) motor restlessness, and (4) nocturnal worsening of symptoms. These and several additional features commonly seen in restless legs syndrome are discussed in the following paragraphs."
Postgraduate Medicine
4530 W 77th St
Minneapolis, MN 55435
phone: (952) 835-3222
fax: (952) 835-3460
http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1999/03_99/evidente.htm

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Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation:"The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) agency that is dedicated to improving the lives of men, women, and children who live with this often devastating disease. The organization's goals are to increase awareness of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), to improve treatments, and, through research, to find a cure. The Foundation was formed in 1990, when a few individuals came together around a kitchen table to encourage each other through their struggles with a disease that they finally had a name for - restless legs syndrome. Their common goal was to help others cope with RLS and to build awareness for unknowing thousands who were searching for help with the "creepy-crawly sensations in their legs". The legal nonprofit organization - RLS Foundation - was formed incorporated in 1992."
Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation
819 Second Street SW
Rochester, MN 55902-2985
USA
Phone: (507) 287-6465
Fax: (507) 287-6312
To obtain a free Living with RLS booklet, call: 877-463-6757 (877-INFO-RLS)
Email address: rlsfoundation@rls.org
http://www.rls.org

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Restless Legs, Sleepnet.com:"Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a discomfort in the legs which is relieved by moving or stimulating the legs. This feeling is difficult to describe and commonly referred to as a crawling, tingling or prickling sensation. Medications have been found useful."
http://www.sleepnet.com/restless.html

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Southern California RLS Support Group:"What are the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and PLMD (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder) ? This is a chronic condition which occurs in 5-12% of the population. RLS has probably a disease for thousands of years, but it was only first described in the English literature in 1672 by the physician, Sir Thomas Willis. Oppenheim, in 1923, described the disease as a neurological disorder. Dr. Ekbom, a Swedish neurologist, described the condition more fully in1944. The next year, in 1945, he named the disease, Restless Legs Syndrome. Dr. Symonds, in 1953, used the term, Nocturnal Myoclonus, to describe the leg jerks that occur at night."
http://www.rlshelp.org/

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Overview of Restless Legs Syndrome, Wemove.org:"If you, a member of your family, or someone you care about is affected by Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), please read this section. You will find information about the primary features of RLS, its potential causes, and today's most effective treatment options. This site also includes a glossary of RLS terms and FAQ area. Click here for the transcript of the RLS Web chat, which was in conjunction with WE MOVE and the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation at the BetterHealth site on America Online. This information is provided for educational purposes and is not meant to take the place of consultation with your physician. Please contact your medical professional if you have any questions about RLS or its treatment."
204 West 84th Street
New York, NY 10024
E-mail: wemove@wemove.org
http://www.wemove.org/rls/rls.html

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