Efficacy and Safety Study of Topiramate to Treat Restless Legs Syndrome

Neurocare

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 4

Conditions

Restless Legs Syndrome

Treatments

Drug: Topiramate

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Industry

Identifiers

NCT00200941

CAPSS-178

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is intended to determine whether topiramate is an efficacious and safe treatment for restless legs syndrome.

Full description

Benzodiazepines, levo-dopa/carbidopa, dopamine agonists, anticonvulsants, and opioids have been used with variable success, to treat RLS. Often, RLS patients treated with a benzodiazepine, over the course of several months, develop tolerance to the medication. Also, benzodiazepines can cause confusion or daytime sleepiness and may be addictive. Patients may also develop tolerance to levo-dopa/carbidopa treatment. Because of the short half-life, symptoms may be suppressed for only the first part of the sleep period and then recur later during the night. Rebound has been reported. Worse yet, augmentation, the occurrence of RLS symptoms, often more severe than before treatment began, earlier in the day, may occur in up to 80% of RLS patients treated with levod-dopa/carbidopa. Dopamine agonists, including pergolide, pramipexole, and ropinirole, are effective for some patients but not for others. Common side effects of these drugs include coryza, hypotension, and rash. Of the anticonvulsants, preliminary reports suggest that gabapentin, carbamazepine, and divalproex can suppress RLS symptoms in some patients, especially those with mild RLS. Side effects include sleepiness, ataxia, and weight gain. Opioid treatment for RLS has been described as effective but, aside from the stigma of taking controlled substances regularly, side effects may include nausea, sedation, constipation, and dysequilibrium. Iron supplementation is therapeutic in some patients with iron deficiency and RLS.

Preliminary anecdotal data suggest that topiramate reduces RLS symptoms. Topiramate has several potential mechanisms of action including enhancement of GABA-mediated inhibition, which may account for the observed benefit in patients with RLS.

Topiramate may be a better alternative than the currently available treatments to suppress RLS symptoms. Like gabapentin, it offers the possibility of decreasing RLS symptoms while also diminishing pain, especially in those patients who have limb pain from neuropathy, radiculopathy, or other causes. Unlike gabapentin, topiramate may help overweight patients with RLS lose weight, if anedotal reports on weight reduction with the medication are correct.

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 70 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

The symptoms of each subject must meet the diagnostic criteria of the International RLS Study Group
More than five periodic leg movements per hour recorded during baseline polysomnography (PSG)
Each subject must discontinue all treatments for RLS and agreed not to take other RLS treatments during the study

Exclusion criteria