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More evidence of cannabis efficacy in restless legs syndrome

  • Neurology • Short Communication
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Abstract

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is one of the most disabling and sometimes painful sensorimotor ailment of the nervous system that has only in recent years become more widely accepted as a clinical disorder with its own distinct features. Usually, symptoms respond well to dopamine agonists, anticonvulsants, or opiates, but still a subset of patients remains refractory to medical therapy and/or reports serious side effects. Recently, patients’ statement of a remarkable and total remission of RLS symptoms following cannabis use has been reported. Here, we confirm and extend these findings to more patients with RLS. The antinociceptive effect of marijuana has been documented in many painful neurological conditions, and the potential benefit of cannabis use in patients with refractory RLS should therefore be questioned by robust clinical trials.

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Correspondence to Imad Ghorayeb.

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Ghorayeb, I. More evidence of cannabis efficacy in restless legs syndrome. Sleep Breath 24, 277–279 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-019-01978-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-019-01978-1

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