Ropinirole in the Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and an irresistible urge to move them to relieve discomfort. Evidence-based guidelines consider dopaminergic therapy to be the mainstay of treatment for RLS. Ropinirole is a modern, non-ergoline dopamine agonist which has been widely studied for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary RLS. Data from placebo-controlled studies show that ropinirole significantly improves the symptoms of RLS. These improvements are supported by data from individual studies and pooled analyses. In addition, ropinirole significantly enhances the objective measures of RLS motor symptoms, such as periodic leg movements, and subjective measures of sleep. Ropinirole is generally well-tolerated, but a newly developed extended-release formulation may benefit patients who warrant an extended duration of therapy.