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Ropinirole Improves Sleep Abnormalities Associated With Restless Leg Syndrome: Presented at AAN

By Jill Stein

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- April 27, 2004 -- Once-daily treatment with the dopamine agonist ropinirole appears to significantly improve the quality and quantity of sleep in patients with restless leg syndrome (RLS), according to data reported here on April 27^th at the American Academy of Neurology 56^th Annual Meeting.

Dr. Richard P. Allen, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, presented the findings from a combined analysis of three similarly designed studies. He said the study is the first analysis of a large dataset investigating the impact of an RLS-targeted drug on sleep using the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) sleep scale.

Subjects included patients with primary RLS who had been randomised to 12 weeks' once-daily treatment with ropinirole or placebo. Patients who had received medication for RLS or sleep disorders prior to the study underwent a washout period. During weeks 1 though 7, the dose was titrated upwards, through pre-determined levels ranging from 0.25 to 4.0 mg/day, to reach patients' individual effective doses. Doses remained stable after week 7 or after reaching the optimal dose. Treatment was administered 1 to 3 hours before bedtime.

Results in 605 patients who completed MOS sleep scale assessments showed that levels of sleep disturbance decreased nearly twice as much for patients who received ropinirole as those on placebo. Patients who received ropinirole achieved on average an extra 42 minutes of sleep each night compared with placebo-treated patients. Compared with the placebo group, ropinirole-treated patients reported a threefold greater improvement in sleep adequacy. The decrease in levels of daytime somnolence was roughly twofold in the ropinirole group compared to placebo.

Dr. Allen said that the results are consistent with the view that ropinirole alleviates the underlying sensorimotor symptoms of RLS known to cause sleep disruption. This action, he added, reduces sleep arousals, which leads to less disrupted sleep, and reduces sleepiness.


Presentation title: Ropinirole in RLS: Alleviation of Motor Symptoms and Consequent Sleep Benefits. Poster #P01.079]

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