Restless Legs Syndrome is a more frequently occurring leg movement disorder, especially in teenagers and adults. The person experiences uncomfortable searing or tingling leg sensations causing irresistible urges to move the legs. These uncomfortable sensations begin or become worse when the child or adolescent sits or lies down at night. These restless leg sensations are sometimes relieved by leg movements, which can disrupt sleep. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) frequently occurs together with Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (about 70-80% of the time).

The childhood incidence rates for Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and Restless Legs Syndrome are unknown at this time because they are newly discovered sleep disorder that are usually diagnosed as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) because the child displays the characteristics of ADHD. However, the prevalence rate for Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder could be much higher than initially estimated. There is a lack of awareness about these newly discovered sleep disorders, so many professionals are diagnosing these children as ADHD and prescribing ADHD medications. The ADHD medications may help control the child’s daytime behaviors somewhat, but they do not correct the child’s nighttime sleep problems and reduce the child’s irritability and daytime behavior problems to the degree that the treatment for Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder helps.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and Restless Legs Syndrome increase with age and are very common in older adults. Some incidence rate surveys have reported that 9-to-15% of the adult population has either Periodic Limb Movement Disorder or Restless Legs Syndrome, or both together. In adults over 60 years of age, the rate may increase to as high as 34%.

Restless Legs Syndrome is correctable or can usually be improved significantly with medication taken before bedtime that diminishes or stops the restless leg sensations. Some sleep specialists are prescribing Neurontin, and some Clonadine or L-Dopa before bedtime. Neurontin and L-Dopa reduce or stop the uncomfortable restless leg sensations so that the student gets a restful night’s sleep. The Clonadine helps the student fall asleep quicker so that s/he gets a longer night’s sleep. However, Clonadine does not stop Restless Legs Syndrome sensations or periodic limb movements during sleep, but tends to sedate and knock the child out so s/he does not notice the uncomfortable leg sensations or periodic limb movements. Both Neurotin and Clonadine have been used successfully with children for many years, whereas L-Dopa use with children is newer with little information available about long-term side effects in children.

Many sleep specialists have reported that Neurotin appears to be the safest of these medications for children, although it has been known to cause some moodiness, crying, and depressive tendencies in a few children. These side effect subsides with discontinuation of the Neurotin.

A brand new and more benign form of treatment may be a 12-week iron supplement therapy in cases where the child may have a Serum Ferritin deficiency causing Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. A pediatrician can order a simple and inexpensive blood sample taken to check the child or adolescent’s serum ferritin level and determine if a deficiency exists. This is the simplest and quickest form of treatment for Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Based on new research in the field of pediatric sleep medicine, iron supplements for a low serum ferritin level seem to be effective in treating approximately 25% of children who have Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and ADHD.

With either treatment, the child falls asleep easier and gets a deep, restful night’s sleep, resulting in improvements in daytime concentration, behaviors, and work production. Furthermore, in children where ADHD-like characteristics exist, they often decrease, or in some cases, disappear completely with treatment of the Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. However, if the student has severe ADHD characteristics, sleep specialists are reporting that although the symptoms decrease significantly with these treatments for Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movements Disorder, the ADHD behaviors may not disappear completely, but they usually decrease in frequency and intensity. Recent research by sleep specialists indicates that at least 25% of the children who have a diagnosis of ADHD may truly have Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder or a combination of Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

One sleep specialist reported that approximately 64% of children in a study with ADHD had Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and/or Restless Legs Syndrome (Picchietti et al, 1999). Although this estimate seems extremely high, it would be prudent to consult a sleep specialist with training in this area if a child / teen has a diagnosis of ADHD and you suspicion s/he has Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Especially if you screen your child / adolescent and s/he scores high on the Periodic Limb Movement Disorder scale of the Sleep Disorder Inventory for Students–Children’s Form or the Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)/Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) scale of the Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students–Adolescent Form. If you would NOW like to screen your child / teen for Restless Legs Syndrome or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder with the Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students, please click onto “Screen Child” below: