Hey Freak!

So, we're watching TV, and this ad for Requip comes up... something about "Restless Leg Syndrome."

The guy on the commercial says... "For me, it's creepy crawling. I feel like I have to get up and move just to get some relief."

Well..

If you feel like you have to get up and move, it's just because... you have to get up and move.

Like, duh.

OK, so let's think about this.

Getting up. Moving. Man, that's just too tough. Is there some sort of pill I could take? Thank God, there is! There's Requip!

Now, I can make peace with my legs.

side effects include: drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness. but please note - most patients were not bothered enough to stop taking Requip.

Is this for real? Seriously. Are there people out there who would rather vomit than, oh, say.... get up?

Wow.

OK, I know that Restless Leg Syndrome is a real neurological disorder, and that it does affect some people. Actually, very few people. According to Wikipedia, it only affects approximately 2.7% of the population (Sure, I know that Wikipedia could be/is probably wrong. But really, could they be that far off?). In my opinion, what we have with Requip is a drug made by some pharmaceutical company who's deliberately trying to have those all the hypochondriacs out there misdiagnose themselves as having this fairly rare disorder. Nice.

And damn, we were just trying to watch "America's Funniest Home Videos." We had it on DVR.

Update: I feel like I should clarify. I mean no disrespect to "real" sufferers of RLS, and I don't mean to trivialize the disorder. My anger is directed at these companies who deliberately try to mislead people into thinking they need their products.

"Antsy legs? Well, you must have RLS!"

"Have a cough? You could have Bird Flu!"

"Bad headache? It must be a migraine. Here, take our new migraine pills."

"Feeling dizzy? Uh oh. It's probably West Nile Virus!"

"Forgetting things? Well, then you need our new treatment for Alzheimer's Disease!"

Again, I know these are all real disorders, and I wouldn't wish them on anyone. But let's also be real - most of the people who think they have these things, don't. And I think that it's wrong for companies to try to exploit people's health fears just to make a buck.

The craziest thing on that wikipedia link is that it says the condition improves with movement. IE: regular exercise! Get off the couch, you restless potatoes and go for a walk every now and then!

I know I'm being insensitive to people that have a real problem with this. But for reals - like you said - the percentage is so low, that it doesn't make sense to market a drug for this. Especially when you have to deal with puking as a side effect!

"I can't stop puking, but I sure am happy that I can lay here in my lazyboy and watch 'The Wheel' without the creepy crawlers on my legs! ... Hey, Ma, bring me another bucket, will ya?"

sigh...

It's funny you mention this, because just the other day we were watching tv and that commercial came on. I had been really lazy that day, so the creepy crawler thing was settling in like nobody's business. I said to John, "I wonder if I get up off my ass and move a little, you suppose this feeling will go away?". We laughed about it, but yeah, that cured it. I know it's a real thing too, but I see what you're saying here.

But it says on the wiki that moving is a temporary relief... and that the sensations can be painful... so, I mean, really, if your legs HURT just sitting at your desk, driving in the car, sitting on a plane, wouldn't you WANT to take meds for that? I mean, sure, you can get up and move all you want when you're at home plopped in front of the tube, but what about when you're driving? flying? in a meeting? blogging??

My mom suffers from something similar and I've seen her pacing around the house in the middle of the night, exhausted and sobbing, because she HURTS too much to just lie down and sleep. It's very sad and not as easy as just "getting up" like you said. :(

Betty... you kinda missed my point. I'm not ragging on the people who truly suffer from this disorder... I'm bitching about the drug companies that purposefully try to mislead people into thinking they've got [whatever disease]. All they have to do is throw out a list of really vague symptoms, and there'll bound to be a ton of people who mistakenly think "Hey, I've got that! I must need that drug!"

Like I said, RLS only affects less than 3% of the U.S. population... I'm sorry if your mother truly has it. But I can say with a fair degree of certainty that many of the people who think they need this drug really don't have RLS, and really, all they need is to get up and move around.

It's kinda like... OK, do you know anyone who complains that they're always getting migraines? But really, you think they're just bad headaches, and not those "real," migraines, the ones that totally incapacitate people? Same thing here.

So, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. I meant no disrespect to your mother, or to anyone who truly suffers from RLS. The disrespect was intended solely for those companies who willfully and purposefully mislead people into taking totally unnecessary drugs, all for a buck.

My mom actually has RLS. I know it sounds like a ridiculous disease, but for the people that actually have it, it's really awful. She's tried taking meds for it but the side effects were worse than the actual problem.

But I also agree that most people who think they have it, don't.

I knew you would touch some nerves with this post, but I have to tell you that you cracked me up! Tee hee! This paragraph literally hade me LOL:

Getting up. Moving. Man, that's just too tough. Is there some sort of pill I could take? Thank God, there is! There's Requip!

The problem is that there are very few people out there who have this, but many people who might be convinced that they do because they see it on TV. In addition, there are plenty of people who have it that don't realize that this isn't just them and that there are other people out there with the same problem and that there is possible treatment. Like most "Direct To Consumer" pharmaceutical ads, it would be just fine if the ad informed everyone so that those who have it could realize their options and those that don't have it could realize that it is not just for people who move around a bunch. Unfortunately, as is the case with most, if not all, of these ads, it doesn't really give enough info in a short period of time. The end is that people who don't need it may go to a doctor and insist on it. The drug company certainly isn't going to complain if more people buy their drugs. Increased sales are automatically good. (and for the record, Requip is not made by "my" company)

Responding to a couple of things in the comments:

Saying that movement helps doesn't mean get exercise. That's where the name "Restless Leg" comes from. It means that people who actually have this simply cannot rest/sleep/sit still because of the problem. Movement helps right that second when you are moving, not later on when you try to sleep.

Why bother marketing something for a disorder that only effects about 3% of the population? Two reasons, one philosophical, one economic. (1) People deserve treatment no matter how many people suffer from it. (2) It's a small percentage, but that small percentage is equivalent to 9 million people in the US alone.

But Mikey, despite the fact that I've rambled so much here, yes, I do get and agree with your point.

Actually, I wasn't offended at all. I was agreeing with Mikey that many people who think that they have RLS probably don't.

I have a basic problem with advertising products that the end user needs a prescription to obtain. I am always glad to have informed patients, but I don't think medication decisions should be made the same way that you pick which fast food you eat that day.

I'm not a fan of advertising prescription medicines. I understand, as Craig says, that folks need to know that what they're feeling might actually be a condition that can be treated, but the marketing is done incorrectly because:

1.) people don't always have a choice which medicines they take. Most prescriptions are "dispensed as written" and the doctor makes the decision as to what to write.

2.) prescription medicines are "prescription" because the choice in medicines should be up to a doctor and not the discretion of the consumer.

3.) the advertising, if any, should be done via free pens and supplies given to doc's offices by the drug reps. The true customers (or market) here are the prescribers, not the sick.

4.) ethically, if these companies want to advertise to the public, they should list the symptoms, then tell the person that these symptoms are a condition worth talking to a doctor about. Any more than that is almost asking for a self-diagnosis.

ALl the pharmaceutical ads seems to want to convince people they need drugs.

From what I hear? RLS is a horrible thing to have.

Are you human? Do you feel as though you mind sometimes be human? Many people are suffers of being human. If you are one of those 6.5 billion sufferers, then look at Curehuman and talk to your doctor if Curehuman is right for you.

Side affects may include being human, related to humans or at the very least, a resident of planet Earth. Sufferers of these side affects didn't realize the there is no drug that can cure the human condition and therefore spent way too much money on this pointless drug. Should any of the side affects occur, you will likely be dead. Never take or come into contact with Curehuman if you are pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant, incapable of becoming pregnant, or simply alive.

Can you smoke RLS pills?

My wife has RLS and its actually a sleep disorder. I have been told that it can ge like a charlie horse that doesn't go away.

Sometimes after a full day of walking the RLS is the worst.

I'm not suggesting that pills are the answer, but usually you are very sensative to these issues. Not everything can be just walked off.

i am a sufferer of RLS. i have been for at least the last ten years (and I'm only 37 now). this disease is not something that comes up during the day, for me. it sneaks up on me at night, when i am exhausted. and it HURTS like you can't begin to imagine.

i take requip, and i tell everyone i know that this drug is saving my life. there have been nights where i hurt so badly, i wanted to die. i would curl up in a ball and cry. i have not experienced any side effects whatsoever.

please folks, don't just dismiss RLS as some psychosomatic problem. it is REAL.

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