SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2017
Benzodiazepines for restless legs syndrome.
Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Development of a Stepped-Care Pathway for Managing Willis-Ekbom Disease/Restless Legs Syndrome During Pregnancy: A Best Evidence Synthesis.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Article
- Restless legs syndrome: abbreviated guidelines by the German sleep society and the German neurological society.Neurological research and practice · 2024Article
- A Biobehavioral Perspective on Caring for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Survivors with Graft-Versus-Host Disease.Transplantation and cellular therapy · 2024Article
- A Historical Overview of the Role of Benzodiazepines including Clonazepam in the Treatment of Adult Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep.Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.) · 2024Review
- Restless Legs Syndrome Prevalence and Clinical Correlates Among Psychiatric Inpatients: A Multicenter Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Pharmacologic Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome.Current neuropharmacology · 2021Review
- Why Are Women Prone to Restless Legs Syndrome?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Review
- Therapies for Restless Legs in Parkinson's Disease.Current treatment options in neurology · 2019Review
- Treating restless legs syndrome in the context of sleep disordered breathing comorbidity.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2019Review
- Update on Restless Legs Syndrome: from Mechanisms to Treatment.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2019Review
- Management Recommendations on Sleep Disturbance of Patients with Parkinson's Disease.Chinese medical journal · 2018Article
- Mindfulness-based intervention for benzodiazepine deprescription in hemodialysis patients with anxiety and depressive symptoms.Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPNArticle
- Prevalence of Restless Leg Syndrome, Associated Variables and Impact on Sleep Quality in a Cohort of Patients with Neuropsychiatric Disorders.Nigerian medical journal : journal of the Nigeria Medical AssociationArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRestless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common disease affecting about 5% to 15% of the population. Symptoms of RLS can be severe in a minority of and can have a major impact on sleep, mostly sleep initiation, and quality of life. Benzodiazepines are drugs that can induce and maintain sleep and, hence, intuitively are thought to be beneficial to people with RLS. Altough benzodiazepines, particularly clonazepam, are used to treat RLS symptoms, a systematic review done by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine stated that benzodiazepines should not be used as a first-line treatment, although could be used as a coadjuvant therapy.
objectivesTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of benzodiazepine compared to placebo or other treatment for idiopathic RLS, including unconfounded trials comparing benzodiazepines versus open control. SEARCH
methodsIn March 2016 we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and LILACS We checked the references of each study and contacted study authors to identify any additional studies. We considered studies published in any language. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised clinical trials of benzodiazepine treatment in idiopathic RLS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We did not perform data collection and analysis, since we did not include any studies, MAIN
resultsWe did not identify any studies that met the inclusion criteria of the review. Two cross-over studies are awaiting classification because the cross-over trials did not give data at the end of the first cross-over period. AUTHORS'
conclusionsThe effectiveness of benzodiazepines for RLS treatment is currently unknown.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.