Dosing patterns of dopamine agonists for restless legs

Abstract

In order to find out the total consumption of medicines by RLS patients, members of RLS patient organizations in Europe and North America were asked to supply this information. A detailed questionnaire was sent to 11,731 members of RLS Patient organizations in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Canada and the USA. 4278 questionnaires were returned, of which 4107 (35.0%) could be analyzed. Questions were asked on a variety of topics, including the total daily of the various medicines used. 73% of pramipexole doses and 80% of ropinirole doses reported were in line with internationally approved doses, (<=0.75 mg/day for pramipexole, and <=4.0 mg/day for ropinirole. Respondents in the USA tend to take significantly (p < 0.01) higher total daily doses of the dopamine agonists than do respondents in Europe; mean pramipexole, Europe 0.53 mg, USA 1.05 mg, Ropinirole, Europe 3.06 mg, USA 3.97 mg. There is no difference in respondent satisfaction with treatment in relation to dose. In view of the most recent scientific data on the intake of the dopamine agonists and the current opinion on optimal dosages of these medicines, the study indicates that both medicines are used in abundance, leading to significant over consumption, a much higher risk of augmentation and other side effects, lesser quality of life for these patients, as well as overspending of the healthcare costs worldwide. The authors wish to acknowledge the dedication of the thousands of RLS patients worldwide who helped complete this questionnaire and provided us with detailed and accurate information not hitherto known.