Journal of the neurological sciences
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Long-term open-label study of pramipexole in patients with primary restless legs syndrome.
A phase III, open-label, long-term clinical study was performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pramipexole in a cohort of 141 Japanese patients with primary restless legs syndrome (RLS). The patients were started on pramipexole 0.25 mg/day and were subsequently maintained on that dose or switched to 0.125, 0.5, or 0.75 mg/day to achieve optimal efficacy and tolerability. The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale for restless legs syndrome (IRLS) score improved from 22.3+/-4.7 at baseline to 11.1+/-7.7 at week 8 and 4.9+/-5.9 at week 52. ⋯ RLS augmentation was not observed. Pramipexole 0.25-0.75 mg/day is efficacious, safe, and well tolerated in patients with RLS. Pramipexole showed good efficacy, particularly in patients with an IRLS total score <20.