Restless Legs Syndrome and Related Disorders - Treatment

Interactions With Other Drugs. Certain medications, including antacids, can reduce iron absorption. Iron tablets may also reduce the effectiveness of other drugs, including the antibiotics tetracycline, penicillamine, and ciprofloxacin and the anti-Parkinson's Disease drugs methyldopa, levodopa, and carbidopa. At least two hours should elapse between doses of these drugs and iron supplements.

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Supplementary Agents. The following agents may improve iron absorption:

Adding either ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or succinic acid to ferrous sulfate therapy will improve absorption of iron stores. Ascorbic acid added to iron therapy, however, may exacerbate some of the side effects. Succinic acid added to ferrous sulfate does not appear to increase side effects.
Some studies have found that the addition of zinc to iron supplements increases hemoglobin levels more than iron alone. (Some evidence for this suggests that zinc affects a hormone called insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), which plays a role in the regulation of red blood cell production.)

Exercise

Exercise earlier in the day may be one of the best ways to achieve healthy sleep. It should be noted that vigorous exercise and stimulation (including sexual activity) within one to two hours of bed time may worsen RLS. A study found that people who engaged in brisk walking for 30 minutes, four times a week, improved minor sleep disturbances after four months. Another study reported that sleep improved in a group of elderly people who exercised regularly. Regular, moderate exercise, healthful in any case, may help prevent RLS. Patients report that either bursts of excessive energy or long sedentary periods worsen symptoms.

Behavioral Approaches for Preventing Insomnia

Prevention of sleeplessness is very much dependent upon the patient's ability to relax and learn the art of sleeping well. A number of behavioral methods are aimed at achieving these goals. Behavioral techniques can actually cure chronic insomnia and studies report their effectiveness in nearly all patients with primary chronic insomnia. Although medications are equally effective for helping people with insomnia to sleep, behavioral methods act faster. Behavioral methods are effective in all age groups, including elderly patients. In addition, medications cannot cure this condition and prolonged use frequently results in dependency.

Studies have reported that between 70% and 80% of those who are treated with non-drug methods experience improved sleep with an average treatment duration of only five hours over a four-week period. Furthermore, studies report that 75% of those who have been taking drugs are able to stop or reduce their use.