Saudi journal of kidney diseases and transplantation : an official publication of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, Saudi Arabia
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Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl · Mar 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyGabapentin versus levodopa-c for the treatment of restless legs syndrome in hemodialysis patients: a randomized clinical trial.
To compare the efficacy of gabapentin and levodopa-c (Levodopa/Carbidopa) in reducing restless leg syndrome (RLS) symptoms and sleep problems in hemodialysis patients with RLS in a four-week randomized clinical trial. The diagnosis of RLS was made using the criteria of the International Restless Legs Study Group. Each subject completed three questionnaires: IRLS questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth sleepiness scale. ⋯ Gabapentin was also effective with respect to sleep parameters (P <0.0001). Our study shows that gabapentin is a safe effective therapy for RLS among hemodialysis patients. This medication may be considered as an alternative or additive treatment to current therapeutic remedies for hemodialysis patients with RLS.