Pergolide-associated 'sleep attacks' in a patient with restless legs syndrome

The occurrence of irresistible sleep episodes ('sleep attacks') has been noted in patients with Parkinson's syndrome treated with dopa-agonists. This is the first report of 'sleep attacks' in a patient with restless legs syndrome in whom treatment with pergolide was reduced from 2 to less than 1 mg/day. 'Sleep attacks' were accompanied by a reduced mean sleep latency of 5 min and 20 s (without sleep onset REM periods) on a multiple sleep latency test. 'Sleep attacks' disappeared when pergolide was tapered off and substituted with pramipexol. The appearance of 'sleep attacks' as a 'withdrawal' effect of pergolide is consistent with a wakefulness-promoting action of postsynaptic dopaminergic receptors at higher doses of dopamine agonists.