Question:medium
A woman develops pain and a crawling sensation in her legs at night, with a clinical history of restless leg syndrome. What is the drug of choice?
A woman develops pain and a crawling sensation in her legs at night, with a clinical history of restless leg syndrome. What is the drug of choice?
Show Hint
Which FDA-approved dopamine agonist tops the RLS list?
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Pramipexole
- Gabapentin
- Vitamin B12
- Iron tablets
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Pattern-recognition: A nocturnal creepy-crawly urge to move the legs that eases with movement screams restless leg syndrome. For drug of choice, link RLS to dopamine agonists.
Why pramipexole: Pramipexole and ropinirole are the FDA-approved dopamine agonists that form first-line therapy, since RLS is tied to dopaminergic dysfunction in the brain. Pramipexole is the only dopamine agonist in this list, which makes it the answer.
Filtering the rest: Gabapentin is a useful alternative, especially with painful or neuropathy-linked RLS, but it is not the prime choice. Iron tablets matter only if ferritin is low (correct the iron, then symptoms improve). Vitamin B12 has no defined role in routine RLS. So pramipexole is the best single answer.
Why pramipexole: Pramipexole and ropinirole are the FDA-approved dopamine agonists that form first-line therapy, since RLS is tied to dopaminergic dysfunction in the brain. Pramipexole is the only dopamine agonist in this list, which makes it the answer.
Filtering the rest: Gabapentin is a useful alternative, especially with painful or neuropathy-linked RLS, but it is not the prime choice. Iron tablets matter only if ferritin is low (correct the iron, then symptoms improve). Vitamin B12 has no defined role in routine RLS. So pramipexole is the best single answer.
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