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Bupropion and restless legs syndrome: a randomized controlled trial
Max Bayard1, Beth Bailey, Deep Acharya
1Department of Family Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City Family Practice, 917 W. Walnut, Johnson City, TN 37604, USA. mbayard@nmcinc.org
Summary
Bupropion did not worsen restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms in a 6-week trial. While bupropion showed promise at 3 weeks, further research is needed for its primary treatment in RLS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) affects 10% of the population.
- Most antidepressants worsen RLS symptoms.
- Bupropion has shown potential for RLS symptom improvement in observational studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bupropion in treating Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
- To determine if bupropion exacerbates RLS symptoms in a controlled setting.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted.
- 29 participants with moderate to severe RLS received sustained-release bupropion (150 mg daily).
- 31 participants received a placebo for 6 weeks, with symptom severity assessed using the IRLSSG scale.
Main Results:
- At 3 weeks, bupropion significantly reduced IRLSSG scores compared to placebo (10.8 vs 6.0 points decrease).
- At 6 weeks, the difference in IRLSSG score reduction between bupropion and placebo was not statistically significant (10.4 vs 7.6 points decrease).
- Bupropion was not found to exacerbate RLS symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Bupropion appears safe for individuals with RLS requiring antidepressant treatment.
- Further large-scale studies with bupropion titration are recommended to assess its primary treatment potential for RLS.
- Bupropion may offer a cost-effective alternative to current first-line treatments like dopamine agonists.
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