Restless Legs Syndrome among Patients Receiving Antipsychotic and Anti-Depressant drugs

Abstract

Background: Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is an annoying problem, has a noticeable impact on all perspective of the life. RLS attract spots to its discussion as it became a challenge in all societies. Also, antipsychotic (AP) and antidepressant drugs (AD) is well known as a cause of RLS, But RLS occurrence and its prevalence among psychiatric patients who receive the antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs is un known in Egypt. Aim of the Study: To estimate rate of Restless legs Syndrome among psychiatric patients who receive Antidepressant & Antipsychotic drugs. And to assess severity of RLS if detected in those patients Subjects and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional, case control comparative observational study, included two hundred Patients who received AP and AD for more than one month and one hundreds of volunteers as a control group from Psychiatry department, Ain Shams University Hospitals and Al- Abbassyia Mental Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, in the period between October 2018 and April 2019, Using validated Arabic version of Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), four items questionnaire that was recommended by International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) Arabic version for RLS diagnosis and validated Arabic version of Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale (IRLS). Results: Eighty-three (41.5%) of patient group who received AP & AD and fifteen (15%) individual of control group met the diagnostic criteria of RLS. There was high statistically significance between the two groups regarding RLS occurrence (P=0.000). Severity fluctuated in patients’ group between moderate and sever (69.9 % & 30.1%) respectively, while in control group it fluctuated between mild and moderate (40 % & 60%) respectively with high statistically significance between the two groups regarding RLS severity (P=0.000). Family history and smoking are a risk factors for developing RLS as (OR=2.705) & (OR=6.390) respectively. While Trazadone and Haloperidol had a protective role against RLS (OR= 0.393 & 0.415) respectively. Conclusion: RLS occurrence was higher in patients who received AP and AD drugs and its severity was more fluctuant among those patients, antipsychotic and antidepressant can induce RLS or worse it in patients who had past history of RLS before receiving the medications. Smoking and family history were risk factors for developing or worsening of RLS in our study. Both Haloperidol and Trazadone drugs in our study had protective role against RLS.