Augmentation - possible future help??

[Madlegs1]

This is a link to news of a possible treatment for augmentation.

From the RLS organisation.

rlsfoundation.blogspot.com/...

[LotteM]

Thanks Madlegs. We'll wait and see. I would be a good candidate to test it, as I developed augmentation within a few months and on a low dose. But I don't think they will call me...

However promising it is, I don't lime the patent aspects, which reeks of money being more important than helping patients. Or am I being too sceptical? Also, I hate the promise of a long-term effective treatment without having elucidated what exactly is going on during augmentation and causing it. I won't hold my breath, but of course hope to be proven wrong.

[Graham3196 in reply to LotteM]

We have built a society that trys to measure everything by money. In many cases its necessary because the purse strings (even for research) are held by the bean counters. Patents are one result of this but I think the real worry is that the drug companies are not trying for cures with a once only reward but are searching for long term control over both the ailment and the patient.

It is the inevitable reward for living in a capitalist society.

In fact you will probably find that your country's law requires this!!!! The legal role of the directors is to obtain the maximum benefit for the owners - the shareholders.

To obtain this you and I and all the shareholder trot along to the pharmacist once a month and hand over half a week's salary for a pile of pills. Even worse I suspect that half the pills are probably to relieve the side effects of the other half.

Sounds like the holy grail is a medicine that has lots of side effects for which we can sell you a lot of other pills.

It would be nice if there was an alternative.

I love to hear of drugs that are out of patent but have been found to be effective against some common problem. It must be hard to fund that research!

Cheers

[Joolsg]

Looks interesting but as Lotte says, it’s early days. If it’s proven to be effective in stopping augmentation that would be the holy grail of RLS treatment. Thanks for posting Madlegs.

[Hidden]

Although it doesn't state it explicitly,, this appears to be another drug.

I'm not completely clear whether it's meant to both act as a D3 receptor agonist AND suppress D1 receptors OR it will have to be used alongside an agonist.

Forever a s sceptic. firstly, it's action will be only relevant to the dopaminergic aspects of RLS. There are other aspects and research into such things a adenosine might be more fundamentally relevant.

Secondly, augmentation is not the only side effect/complication of DAs, there are others. The new treatment may not be without its own side effects, what will they be?

Obviously money is being invested in this, patents are being sought abnd like Lotte I am sceptical that the motives behind this development aren't altruistic.

It is very early days.

[Hidden]

Good to see work being done in this area, however I would like to see researchers focusing on other drugs also - as Manerva says its only relevant to one aspect on the problem.

I've not had the greatest experience with dopaminergic drugs, I've had much better success and less problems with opiates - I'd like to see more research in this area too!

[LotteM in reply to Hidden]

Hi raffs, Ferre and his lab - the guy from the adenosine involvement - is now working on the role of opioids in the dopamine-glutamate-adenosine interaction in relation to RLS. He is one of the few researchers looking i to the basics of RLS and trying to elucidate what is causing it. Last year he received a grant from the US rls.org to do the opioid work. Maybe we'll see some first results soon.

[Hidden in reply to LotteM]

Thanks LotteM - I'll look into that.

[Walras]

Thank you for keeping us well-informed!

[Ranjits]

I wish if we can get this treatment in uk