Rotigotine is commonly used as a transdermal patch which continuously provides stable plasma drug concentrations, resulting in its particular therapeutic effect on patients with symptoms throughout the day. One 2008 review found pramipexole to be better than ropinirole.There are, however, issues with the use of dopamine agonists including augmentation. This is a medical condition where the drug itself causes symptoms to increase in severity and/or occur earlier in the day. Dopamine agonists may also cause rebound when symptoms increase as the drug wears off. In many cases, the longer dopamine agonists have been used the higher the risk of augmentation and rebound as well as the severity of the symptoms. Also, a recent study indicated that dopamine agonists used in restless legs syndrome can lead to an increase in compulsive gambling. Gabapentin or pregabalin, a non-dopaminergic treatment for moderate to severe primary RLS
Opioids are only indicated in severe cases that do not respond to other measures due to their very high abuse liability and high rate of side effects, which may include constipation, fatigue and headache.One possible treatment for RLS is dopamine agonists, unfortunately patients can develop dopamine dysregulation syndrome, meaning that they can experience an addictive pattern of dopamine replacement therapy. Additionally, they can exhibit some behavioral disturbances such as impulse control disorders like pathologic gambling, compulsive purchasing and compulsive eating.
Diagnosis
Differential diagnosis
This condition is sometimes mistaken for Reye syndrome, a severe disorder that develops in children while they appear to be recovering from viral infections such as chicken pox or flu. Most cases of Reye syndrome are associated with the use of aspirin during these viral infections. Epidemiology
Less than 20 patients with MGA type I have been reported in the literature (Mol Genet Metab. 2011 Nov;104(3):410-3. Epub 2011 Jul 26.) See also
3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase

References

This article incorporates public domain text from The U.S. National Library of Medicine


== External links ==