← Back to Bird's Eye Reviews← Back to clinical trial results

Restless Legs Syndrome — Meta-Analysis

Standardized (SMD) meta-analyses, grouped by outcome: each plot compares every drug's pooled effect on one outcome, so treatments sit side by side on a single Cohen's-d scale. Each diamond is a random-effects pooled estimate (DerSimonian–Laird) over that drug's ≥3 trials (continuous and binary outcomes folded onto SMD via Hedges' g and Chinn's OR→SMD). Positive = favors treatment.

Solid diamond = statistically significant (95% CI excludes 0) Shaded diamond = not significant (95% CI crosses 0)

Symptom severity (IRLS)

Standardized (SMD)9 drugs · pooled random-effects (DerSimonian–Laird)
Drug (trials)SMD (95% CI) · I²Cabergoline (4)0.46 (-0.68–1.60) · 79.8%Pregabalin (6)0.42 (-0.10–0.94) · 83.4%Gabapentin Enacarbil (9)0.42 (0.03–0.80) · 90.2%Tonic Motor Activation (Tom… (3)0.39 (-0.41–1.18) · 43.1%Pramipexole (19)0.37 (0.12–0.62) · 78%Ferric Carboxymaltose (4)0.36 (-0.13–0.85) · 34.8%Rotigotine (11)0.33 (0.01–0.64) · 82.4%Ropinirole (13)0.14 (-0.26–0.53) · 85.5%Gabapentin (3)0.09 (-0.76–0.93) · 0%-0.94-0.260.421.111.79← favors control · SMD 0 = no effect · favors treatment →

Sleep quality

Standardized (SMD)9 drugs · pooled random-effects (DerSimonian–Laird)
Drug (trials)SMD (95% CI) · I²Tonic Motor Activation (Tom… (3)0.65 (0.12–1.17) · 0%Levodopa/Benserazide (4)0.48 (-0.81–1.76) · 83.2%Pregabalin (4)0.37 (-0.12–0.86) · 63.9%Pergolide (5)0.28 (-0.35–0.90) · 51.5%Gabapentin Enacarbil (6)0.18 (-0.18–0.54) · 79.6%Ropinirole (9)0.11 (-0.30–0.51) · 63.6%Ferric Carboxymaltose (4)0.07 (-0.31–0.45) · 0%Pramipexole (16)0.06 (-0.23–0.36) · 70.7%Rotigotine (9)0.03 (-0.11–0.17) · 0%-1.01-0.270.481.221.97← favors control · SMD 0 = no effect · favors treatment →

Periodic limb movements

Standardized (SMD)5 drugs · pooled random-effects (DerSimonian–Laird)
Drug (trials)SMD (95% CI) · I²Pramipexole (14)1.00 (-0.50–2.50) · 90.6%Pergolide (6)0.54 (-0.68–1.75) · 91.2%Rotigotine (5)0.52 (-0.00–1.05) · 61.9%Ropinirole (5)0.49 (-0.35–1.34) · 74.7%Levodopa/Benserazide (4)0.37 (-1.13–1.86) · 87.7%-1.42-0.370.681.732.79← favors control · SMD 0 = no effect · favors treatment →