Residual insomnia in patients with restless legs syndrome after treatment

Patients with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) after the treatment still present residual insomnia than can emerge in follow up visits: about 5% of patients treated manifests symptoms of insomnia that can persist after one year. A differential diagnosis with an inadequate treatment Abstracts 51 of RLS or augmentation should be done. Moreover, comorbidity with other sleep disturbance like Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) or with general medical conditions such as chronic renal insufficiency has to be considered and properly treated. As far as the treatment of residual insomnia is concerned, it has to be underlined that SSRI can foster the worsening of RLS symptoms, while the use of trazodone and benzodiazepines can be more appropriate and helpfull in such clinical conditions. Furthermore, the use of psychotherapy for the treatment of insomnia can be extremely important, in particular if we consider the limits of pharmacological intervention described above