According to Medline Plus, medical researchers have found no cause for restless legs syndrome in most people. However, diseases such as anemia--a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood--as well as pregnancy can cause RLS for some people. RLS makes the person feel a strong need to move the legs, which can temporarily help the sensation ease. Medline Plus also says that medications as well as drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking tobacco products and ingesting caffeine can cause RLS.
Parkinson’s Disease Drugs
Because Parkinson’s disease can create symptoms similar to RLS, such as shaking and trembling, medications designed to treat such symptoms may help the person with RLS. Medicines such as pramipexole and ropinirole work to alter the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the person’s brain, which can help decrease the unwanted leg motions associated with RLS. According to the Mayo Clinic, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved both pramipexole and ropinirole for use in the treatment of RLS as well as for Parkinson’s disease. The physician also may prescribe other Parkinson’s medications for RLS, such as levodopa and carbidopa in a combination drug, Mayo Clinic states.
Sedatives
RLS sufferers may find relief from the intense restlessness of the legs with the use of sedatives known as benzodiazepines. These potentially addictive drugs, the Mayo Clinic states, do not actually stop the restless sensations in the legs. They simply make it possible to sleep, which often becomes difficult during an attack of RLS. The benzodiazepines commonly prescribed for RLS include zolpidem, zalepion, clonazepam, temazepam, eszopiclone, triazolam and ramelteon.
Narcotics
Narcotic analgesics can help reduce RLS symptoms across the whole range, from mild to severe, according to the Mayo Clinic. Narcotics, however, can cause emotional and physical dependence upon them if the RLS sufferer uses them too often and in larger-than-normal doses. Straight narcotics such as oxycodone and codeine may find uses in the treatment of RLS symptoms, as well as combinations of narcotics with acetaminophen, a non-narcotic analgesic.
Anti-convulsants
While gabapentin primarily helps people who suffer from epileptic seizures, the medication can help treat RLS, the Mayo Clinic states. This medication helps relieve neurological symptoms, including peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes, as well as those associated with RLS. Anti-convulsants such as gabapentin, however, can have significant side effects, such as uncontrollable motions of the eyes, anxiety, unsteadiness, depression and distrust, according to the Mayo Clinic.
