The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation of Rochester, MN believes GlaxoSmithKline’s ads last year for its new drug Requip have raised public awareness of an under-diagnosed condition; but some others say the ads may have misled people into believing they needed medication for a disease they did not have. Glaxo’s advertisement, featuring the words “It’s frustrating” in the shape of restlessly moving legs, was at the heart of a $27 million advertising spend which pushed Requip’s U.S. sales to $146 million in 2005. Critics of pharmaceutical advertising say Glaxo causes people who may just have a hard time sitting still to think they have a dangerous condition. That may lead these persons to take a drug that may be more risky than they think.

Restless legs syndrome causes sufferers to jerk involuntarily while sleeping. The symptoms are sometimes so intense they severely limit victims’ lives and sleep deprivation symptoms leave them disabled. Victims experience an overwhelming urge to move their legs, sometimes described as a vague tugging, itching or “creepy-crawly” sensation in the legs. The neurological condition appears to be hereditary, and its cause is unknown.

Requip is a dopamine booster that is also prescribed for Parkinson’s disease. The drug is increasingly being linked to side effects such as sudden narcolepsy, where victims will fall asleep without warning, and compulsive or addictive behavior, such as gambling, and compulsive shopping. Requip and Mirapex, a similar dopamine drug, are part of a class of drugs being closely studied by drug researchers for their link to these compulsive behaviors. Researchers say that dopamine serves as a chemical “pleasure stimulator” that when continually turned on reinforces addictive habits like drug-taking, gambling and obsessively playing video games without stopping.

Sources: Rob Stein, “Ad has some asking: Are we all turning into patients?,” Washington Post, June 25, 2006, accessed June 27, 2006; Denise Gellene, “Tremor drug linked to odd compulsions,” Baltimore Sun, June 4, 2006, accessed June 27, 2006.