The treatment of restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder: a plain language summary of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines

Plain Language SummaryWhat is this summary about?In 2012, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) released a clinical practice guideline (CPG) to help clinicians treat patients suffering with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) [1]. At the time, they believed factors like genetics and abnormal iron and dopamine levels were causing symptoms of RLS and PLMD. Therefore, the AASM recommended use of dopamine agonists to treat patients' RLS and PLMD symptoms. However, after reviewing ten years' worth of clinical and research experience from patients who took dopamine agonists since the 2012 CPG, the AASM found that while dopamine agonist medications may help in the short term, they can also cause the symptoms of RLS to worsen over time.As a result in 2019, the academy commissioned a task force of experts in sleep medicine to update its CPG (which was published in 2024) and provide guiding recommendations for clinicians in choosing specific treatments for RLS and PLMD, including alpha-2- delta ligands (gabapentinoids) such as gabapentin enacarbil and others.What does this mean?The AASM now suggests against the standard use of dopamine agonists for RLS and recommends a more cautious approach to the use of these medications. The AASM also provides recommendations for PLMD [2].This is an abstract of the Plain Language Summary of Publication article.View the full Plain Language Summary PDF of this article to read the full-text AcknowledgmentsThis plain language summary was not reviewed or done in collaboration with the AASM.Disclosure statementBB Koo is a member of the scientific and medical advisory board of the RLS Foundation and has received grant funding from the RLS Foundation. M Buchfuhrer is a consultant and principal investigator for Noctrix Inc. and is a consultant for Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.Editorial and medical writing support of this plain language summary were provided by Amy Meadows and MedLearning Inc. and were funded by Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Patient reviewers on this PLSP have received honorarium from Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics for their review work but have no other relevant financial relationships to disclose.Peer reviewers on this manuscript have received an honorarium from Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics for their review work. One reviewer discloses that they serve on the Executive Committee, and as a member-at-large for the European Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (EURLSSG). They are also on the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation's Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and serve on the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation's Research Grant Committee. They further disclose that they are the holder of two US patents on the Treatment and Management of Augmentation in Restless Legs Syndrome. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no other relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.FundingThis plain language summary was funded by Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Supplementary materialSupplemental data for this article can be accessed here