Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine buskirktodd

All of us who treat restless legs realize that current therapies are far from perfect. In this podcast, Dr. Michael Silber discusses possible future approaches, some already starting to be available.

Many physicians are reluctant to prescribe even low-dose opioids for chronic problems such as refractory restless legs. But opioid therapy can be life transforming for the correct patient. In this podcast, Dr. Michael Silber discusses the appropriate use of opioids for patients with restless legs refractory to other medications.

Patients are still presenting to sleep specialists on high doses of dopamine agonists with intense augmentation and profound insomnia. In this podcast, Dr. Michael Silber discusses how to manage patients with this distressing problem.

How do we define low iron stores in restless legs? In this podcast, Dr. Michael Silber discusses diagnosis of iron deficiency and how oral and intravenous iron should be administered in restless legs syndrome.

The last few years have shown a major change in first-line management of restless legs. In this podcast, Dr. Michael Silber discusses why gabapentinoids are now first-line therapy rather than dopamine agonists, how they are used, and whether there is any role still for the dopaminergic drugs.