Finally, an antidote to TV drug ads

If you watch any TV, you've seen the barrage of advertisements for prescription medications. They always start by showing someone in distress—from insomnia, allergies, erectile dysfunction or other medical condition. But after taking the drug, the person is either sleeping soundly or running through the fields, depending on the original ailment,  while the announcer reads a scary list of side effects in a voice so soothing that they almost sound fun.

The problem with such "direct-to-consumer," or DTC, advertisements is that they may generate excessive demand because people go straight to their doctors asking for this or that specific medication. In a 2006 survey by our National Survey Research Center, 78 percent of doctors said that patients asked them at least occasionally to prescribe drugs they had seen advertised on television, and 67 percent said they sometimes did so. And don't expect the ad barrage to let up.  While Congress recently gave the FDA more authority to regulate ads, it rejected a measure that would have allowed the agency to place a moratorium on ads for new drugs that raise safety concerns. The U.S. is one of only two countries in the world (the other is New Zealand) where such ads are legal. 

Well, starting this month, Consumer Reports is introducing an entertaining new online video series that will track and report on such ads. The videos are hosted by Associate Editor, Jamie Hirsh, and produced by the ConsumerReports TV News crew. This first installment concerns an interesting class of medications that are approved to treat something called "restless leg syndrome." That condition may sound fanciful, but it's a real problem. Something like 3 percent of Americans suffer from RLS, which is characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to keep moving your legs even when you are trying to go to sleep—which obviously could make sleep difficult.

Several years ago, doctors discovered that drugs that were originally developed to treat Parkinson's disease could provide meaningful help to people who suffered from moderate to severe forms of this condition.  But the drugs have serious side effects - one of the more bizarre involves a propensity for uncontrolled sexual or gambling impulses, as our video mentions. And while these medications may provide welcome relief to some RLS patients, the ads could leave anyone who ever suffered fidgetiness when trying to go to sleep to wonder whether he or she has RLS and should seek treatment.

We leave the rest to the video to explain, and we urge you to check back next month for the next installment in this fun and informative series!—Kevin McKean, Editorial Director

Learn more
Find more information on drugs commonly used to treat RLS in Consumer Reports' Medical Guide:

• Ropinirole (brand name Requip)
• Pramipexole (brand name Mirapex)

Comments

[Dr. Hirsch]

It's a shame CR that you had to resort to mocking the treatment of true medical conditions in order to boost your viewership. You should really stick to providing comparison's of products which I thought was your reason for existence. The sarcastic tone of your ad has completely undermined your credibility. CR, you're off my list of resources for product comparisons. You've proven yourselves to be just another sensationalistic media source trying shamelessly to market only your own company and those that financially benefit you!

[Paul Knutson]

There's no question that Congress should ban drug advertising. It's a huge additional cost to our country's health care bill. We shouldn't tolerate it anymore. Write your Congressional representatives tody.

At the same time we shouldn't tolerate bad journalism whether in the newspaper, on the radio and TV, or by Consumer Reports. They could have made their point in a professional manner, as we used to get from them, without the demeaning and sarcastic attitude towards RLS sufferers. Yes, it's not a deadly disease, but it can be severely affect people and families. What sounds silly to those who don't know someone with RLS, is serious to those who have a family member with it. What happened to civility in reporting?

[Blondie]

I'm not really sure how the post about organ donation applies to this discussion.

I'm also not sure how comments like the ones included below could be construed as not mocking.

“Oooh a mystery. Sounds serious. The real mystery? What the heck is restless legs syndrome anyway?” “Aaah, note the use of impressive initials. RLS sounds official doesn’t it?” "Geeez, the side effects are starting to sound worse than the symptoms."

Putting "symptoms" in quote marks as Ms. Hirsh did was also very bothersome.

Could Kevin explain how these quotes were not mocking of the disease?

[Sara]

The point isn't whether RLS syndrome exists or not (I have it, so of course *I* think it does). The point is that it exists in 3% of people and the company is shelling out tons of money to air this commercial every two minutes. They are not doing that in hopes that a percentage of the 3% of people with RLS actually see it and talk to their doctors. It would not be worth their money-- instead they would spend it advertising drugs that concern a larger portion of the population. They do this in hopes of spreading MISINFORMATION about the condition in hopes that more people think that they have it. Whereas doctors might have been misinformed in the past if you presented them with an RLS case, now if you do they'll assume that you have drug seeking tendancies or are just misguided.

Commercials like this do nothing to help us real RLS sufferers (of which I count myself). Instead it turns it misinforms the public about the condition and raises the percentage of fake RLS cases. It does not help "raise awareness."

[Susan]

Big Thanks for letting me know that the idiocy of the commercials is not all in my head. We don't need commercials like these, lots of people don't have any health care to pay for their deadly drugs.

[Jeff]

I really liked this video. I enjoyed the way that it deconstructed the ad, and I look forward to future installments like this. Hopefully the knee-jerk reaction above won't ruin it...

Also, as someone who doesn't suffer from RLS, I wanted to add this. When I first saw the Requip ad on TV, I thought RLS was fake. I thought it was a condition cooked up by a drug company to sell drugs. I also laughed at how they called it "RLS," as if it was commonly enough known to be referred to with only its initials. I think that the Requip ad has done more against RLS than this Consumer Reports video. If it wasn't for the Requip ad and the tone it takes, RLS wouldn't be mocked by SNL, Leno, etc. To me, this CR video doesn't mock RLS, it mocks the Requip ad and the way it presents information about RLS. Just my observation and opinion...

[George Bush]

Add another vote in the "most of you guys are paid shills" category for me, would you?

There is no Shelley Skelton living in Florida, that's for sure. No public records found whatsoever. Hmpph.

Is it possible that none of us are really who we say we are?

[JC]

I agree that the large number of drug ads have no place on television. People can't choose a drug like they're choosing beer or a new couch or anything else they see on TV commercials. So as far as the drug ad "overload", I'm with you on that one. What I DO object to, is your insensitivity to those who suffer from RLS. No matter how you try to explain your "intent" with regards to the video, you displayed gross insensitivity and a total disregard to RLS suffers, some of who are in EXCRUCIATING pain for hours and days at a time. For those of you who think it was really no big deal, I wish you could walk in the shoes of an RLS sufferer for one day and feel what he/she feels. You'd change your tune. Would you show a video like this related to a cancer drug with the same smugness? I don't think so.

[Margaret]

I am at a loss as to figuring out why any decent government would allow a product like this on the market; with the possibility of such severe side effects. So what happens when a man rapes a woman; but gets off a jail sentence because he was able to blame his little "oopsie" on his taking Requip?

[Ellen]

I tried coping/pasting this article but it has not shown up on the board here, so I will post the link and suggest that everyone who doubts RLS read this web site.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19831315/

Restless legs in the genes, not the imagination
2 studies show strange-sounding twitchy syndrome is a real condition

[Kevin McKean]

Hi all,

Good summary just above. To any who wish to reach me directly, the email address is kmckean at consumer dot org. (There was a typo in the version posted earlier, which should be fixed shortly.) Happy to hear from anyone by e-mail, and also here on the blog where others can follow the discussion, as we continue to read every post.

Kevin
Consumer Reports

[Ellen]

Restless legs in the genes, not the imagination
2 studies show strange-sounding twitchy syndrome is a real condition

Study: Genetic basis for restless leg syndrome
July 18: NBC's Nancy Snyderman reports on new science that is giving RLS skeptics a new reason to take this condition seriously

updated 6:28 p.m. CT, Wed., July. 18, 2007
ATLANTA - Scientists have linked certain genes to restless legs syndrome, suggesting the twitching condition described as “jimmy legs” in a “Seinfeld” episode is biologically based and not an imaginary disorder.

New studies published this week in two top medical journals are being called the first to identify specific genes responsible for restless legs syndrome symptoms.

Research in the New England Journal of Medicine, linked a common gene variation to nighttime leg-twitching. It involved people in Iceland and the United States.

A second study in Nature Genetics identified the same gene variation and two others in Germans and Canadians with restless legs syndrome.

“This discovery demonstrates the power of genetics not only for uncovering the biological causes of disease, but also for defining diseases such as RLS and establishing them as medical conditions,” said Dr. Kari Stefansson, in a prepared statement.

Stefansson is a prominent Icelandic scientist who co-authored the New England Journal study.

Restless legs syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs. Sufferers say it often hits at night, preventing them from sleeping.

Creepy crawlies
“It feels like something crawling inside your legs, biting on you,” said Betty Shaw, a 68-year-old florist in Covington, Ga., who was diagnosed with it. So was her 43-year-old daughter.

The condition gained cultural status through an oft-quoted episode of the sitcom “Seinfeld,” in which the character Kramer is disturbed that his girlfriend has “the jimmy legs” and kicks in bed.

It’s commonly treated with two government-approved drugs, including the heavily advertised Requip, made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Sales of Requip hit about $500 million last year. Shaw takes the aqua-colored pill and says it’s the only thing that’s helped her.

fact file Restless Legs Syndrome

Click on a subject below to learn more about the condition
• About the condition
• Causes
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Symptoms of RLS are more pronounced at night.
---------------------------------------------

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological condition characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, often accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the legs. It was first described in 1685 by English physician Thomas Willis, and formally named by Swedish neurologist Dr. Karl Axel Ekbom in 1945.

Sources: Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke • Print this

The first study looked at blood samples from more than 1,000 Icelanders and Americans, comparing the DNA of leg twitchers to the DNA of people without the symptom. Scientists found a certain variation in the human genome that, they say, probably accounts for 50 percent of restless legs cases.

Linked to iron levels
They also found that the variation was associated with lower iron levels, echoing — but not explaining — a relationship noted in earlier research.

The second study compared the DNA of 400 people with a family history of the syndrome with the DNA of 1,600 who did not. It found variations in three areas of the genome that each were responsible for a 50 percent increase in the risk for the syndrome.

Genetic clues
New findings place the blame for nightime kick-fests on genes.
NBC News Channel


More research is needed to develop a full explanation of the causes of restless legs syndrome. The New England Journal study indicates as many as 65 percent of adults carry the gene variation that can lead to symptoms, said Dr. David Rye, an Emory University neurologist who was another co-author.

“People making the argument that this can’t be very common — that’s just gone,” said Rye, who himself has restless legs.

[Sheila]

I'm outraged by CR's clumsy and offensive attempt at "humor". It bespeaks not only a lack of sensitivity, but a total lack of talent. As many have already told you, RLS is not funny. The sarcasm that drips from your "reporter's" lips trivializes the curse with which I've lived for 30 years. I inherited it from my mother who never knew what it was and suffered in silence. I've used many different approaches with Requip the most recent. This syndrome is different for every sufferer. I liken my symptoms to a swarm of insects let loose under my skin. I guarantee you that your "reporter" would be unable to smirk under those conditions. If this was an effort to call drug companies to account, it was a miserable failure. Instead, you have belittled those whose lives are disrupted by RLS. You've tarnished your fine reputation with this insulting video. You owe us an apology first, a retraction of your misleading trivialization, and the immediate removal of the video from your website. Only one question remains: What were you thinking?

[Marie]

I was up every hour all night long for months before finding Requip. I had tried every remedy I could find on internet discussion groups, and also medicines for 'anxiety'that my doctor had prescribed. None of the home remedies worked, and the medicines made me hyperkinetic, nauseaus, and I even fainted a couple of times. So now I'm on Requip, and it isn't perfect, but I can sleep a few hours per night without getting up and pacing for an hour. If you want to deny that people have RLS, and are just trying to sound impressive by using those initials, just try really having something like this that leaves you so tired day after day into weeks and months that you can hardly function. I wonder if the day will come that I can't work any longer and will have to go on some kind of disability. Marie

[twitches]

Et tu, CR?

[Libby]

I suffered from RLS for several years. Unless you have experienced it, there is no way to truly describe the feeling. Then out of desperation I tried placing a compression bandage around my calves as night; just mildly tight compression. I did this for just a few nights and then tried sleeping without the bandages. I have never suffered from RLS since; that was 2 years ago. If you have never tried this method, it is definitely worth a shot and no dangerous side effects. Hope this helps as least one person.

[suzanne reid]

Nov. 15-2007
THANK YOU AND CONGRTULATIONS ON FINALLY SPEAKING-UP AGAINST THE BARRGE OF ADS -- FROM BIG PHARMA TO THE INNOCENT & UNSUSPECTING PUBLIC-- FOR THAM --IT'S JUST A NUMBER'S GAME-- IF THEY HIT 100,000 VIEWERS / POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS THAT GO INTO THEIR DOCS OFFICES AND REQUEST TO BE PUT ON THE MEDS... THEN THEY HAVE INCREASED THEIR BOTTOM LIVE A GREAT DEAL... YEET-- AT THE RISK OF DAMAGING THE UN-SUSPECTING VICTIMS THAT THIS MEDICINE MAY RUIN THEIR LIFE ALL TOGETHER.. IT IS ABOUT TIME- SOME ONE HAS THE COURAGE TO SPEAK-UP AGAINST SUCH "BULLIES" AS THE BIG PHARMA BOYS AND GIRLS-=-- IT'S ABOUT TIME WE GET THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN... I FOR ONE- TUNR OFF THE VOLUME IMMDEIATELY-- SO AS TO NOT ALLOW THEM TO BRAIN WASH ME- WITH A CONDITION I MAY NOT EVEN HAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE---- THEY ARE CROOKS - LIARS AND CHEATERS -- JSUT LOOK AT THE PHEN-PHEN AND THE VIOXX SCANDALS THAT ACTUALLY KILLED MANY "UN-SUSPECTING" FOLKS OUT THERE-- NOW MANY OF THESE FOLKS ARE DEAD FOLKS-- REMEMEBER THAT THTE NEXT TIME YOU WATCH T.V. AND THESE CROOKS TRY TO SELL YOU STUFF YOU DON'T EVEN NEED--- FOR THEM...IT IS LIKE TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY..
I'D LIKE TO SEE A SIMILAR OBJECTION TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT SIGN OFF FOR ORGAN DONATIONS ON THEIR DRIVER'S LICENSES-- KIDS WANTING THEIR DRIVER'S LIC. WILL GLADLY SIGN-OFF ANYTHING... BUT ARE THEY OLD ENOUGH TO SIGN OFF ALL THEIR ORGANS?? MANY TIMES NOT!!! and are theri parents aware they are signing off all their organs?? NO- probably NOT! Why isn't there a counter ad campaing for this sort of stuff TOO-- it is like "LEGALLY" organized " CRIME " - the governement is part of it - by having big billbaords in the drivers' license bureau all across the States--- same with redcruiting kids for the military in the high-schools-- to go to war-- for oil?? GIVE ME A BREAK !!
it is grand TIME we speak up and TALK BACK!!
Good luck!
p.s.-- I guarantee you - if you or your child is poor and un-insured-- and the hospital gets you in the ambulance and your a risk to them that you may not pay your bills at the E>R>- if a rich person needs your heart or your kid's heart or kidneys--- you may soon go to the other side to service the rich person who needs such a comodity-- think about it-- and talk to your family memebers about it-- there is never a public /open forum of discussion on these topics-- it's all ONE SIDED ADVERTISEMENTS!!

[Sharon A]

Interesting... 84 posts(so far) ----

1 rebuttal from CR

1 who can't find Kevin

2 think those who are writing to disagree with video are ignorant

2 think those who have RLS should try something else (for your info, when your something else didn't work for us, we moved to the next promise of the next agent to give us relief)

2 posts (both by David) accuse those who disagree of being shills... would that we were.......

2 specify only that ads on TV bring awareness of what RLS is to those not yet diagnosed

6 have RLS but were not offended by video

27 who support the ad and/or the concept of the video, and are not offended by it

41 written by people with RLS who feel video is condescending (for starters)

Also -- ratio of supporters to offended starts out in favor of supporters, but ends with overwhelming posts by those who are offended by the video

I hope that those who do not know about/understand RLS check out ANY of the RLS foundations online.
This is a neurological condition, fortunately it is not degenerative like Parksinson's or Alzheimers, but it is in the same overall category.
The cause is unknown.
There is no cure; there are drugs that do mitigate the symptoms - some people find relief from OTC remedies, but as their RLS progressively gets worse over time, the simple remedies no longer work.
I am one of the 'fortunate' RLS patients: my symptoms rarely interfere with sleep. Others are the opposite - fine during the daytime, but can not get to sleep at night because of the symptoms.
Symptoms can become severe enough that the sufferer is legally disabled, severe enough that suicide is not only contemplated but carried out.

Overall I would guess that the majority of those who, like me, posted their opposition to the video BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT APPROACHES/DEALS WITH RLS will agree with one of the 2 following statements:
"I agree that pharmaceutical advertisements have no place in the media."
- or -
"While I don't necessarily approve of the ads, they do bring attention to the existence of RLS."
Some here have remarked that seeing an ad gave them a name for what they have/had been coping with. When these folks saw their doctor and asked about it, either the doctor knew about RLS and could treat it (or send the patient to a neurologist, who is the best source for treatment), or the doc was just as unaware of RLS as the patient HAD BEEN. At least the patient still had the ability to contact other doctors until one was found who could help.

It is very hard for those of us with RLS to explain it to family/friends/coworkers who don't have it, and the typical response is 'it is all in your head'. Well, they are actually partially correct - research has found that low levels of either of 2 vital chemicals in the brain play a part in RLS - ferritin and dopamine. So if someone says to me that my RLS is all in my head, I smile and reply "you're close!"

[Win Jahnke]

Note on Kevin McKean's reply, as he was attempting to justify this video. He stated that he changed the percentage from 11 to 15% of the population suffering from restlass legs SYNDROME to the 2.7%, based on only one source.

1. RLS is a syndrome in its name for a purpose - the symptoms may be similar,but the source of those symptoms come from dozens of medical conditions. this is one reason that it becomes so difficult to both define, treat, and also to name as a medical condition. Since some sufferers of RLS have PRIMARY RLS, which is genetically based,and some have SECONDARY RLS, which can come from so many sources, the term of SYNDROME at this time is accurate.
2.Due to the many causes/sources of RLS, which 80% of the sufferers also have PLMD, or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, the symptoms may vary, so the treatments and severity of symptoms may also vary.
3. Noting the many responses already, a person should note that this is not one easily definable, nor easily treatable disorder.
4. Any medical condition causes suffering; it is the severity of that suffering which brings people into their doctors' offices. Education of the medical profession, and education of the public are both necessary for proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
5. RLS is also a symptom of other disorders, such as ADHD. This adds to the complexity of the syndrome,and its many forms of treatment.
6. While the intent of CR may have been what they perceived as proper, it has caused a great deal of controversy. There are still too many who don't know enough about RLS or about PLMD.
7. the one agreeable part to many is that these tv ads are inaccurate and offensive to those who suffer from it. Hence, education of the CR staff, the medical profession and the public needs further attention. We still need to cry loudly: HELP!

[Donna McLellan]

This is for DAVID.
We are certainly not industry shills, and I HATE the drug comapanies and the way they advertise. But, RLS is a real thing, with real consequences.
what would you do if you couldn't sleep for a month????
I think your comment is rude, and that you do not know what you are talking about. I have 3 support groups for movement disorfers and insomnia. IT IS REAL.

[Pam Sorooshian]

RLS is a serious condition. It drastically disrupts the lives of both victims and those who love them, yet this video is sarcastic and mocking of its very real and very devastating symptoms.

While Requip isn't the answer for all of us who suffer, it provides
relief to a significant number. Even the ads FOR Requip have helped
people who don't end up using Requip, itself, by bringing awareness
of RLS to the attention of many who, until they or someone who cares
about them happened to recognize the description of RLS symptoms as a
condition that, up until then, people were often told was "all in
their head."

RLS is not only real, there is, contrary to what your video states,
no easy and simple treatment. Every person with RLS struggles to find
a way to cope with it, working with their doctor to find something
that works for them. Requip was the first drug approved by the FDA
for the treatment of RLS, and it works for a significant number of
people who have tried and tried and tried to find relief in many
other ways.

You could have done a lot of good by taking a serious look at RLS,
what the data show, what possible treatments do exist, and how
effective they, in fact, might be. Instead, you could do great harm
to many people who will become embarrassed to admit that they do
suffer from the symptoms that your reporter openly mocks. These
people may not seek treatment and never find out what they can do to
find relief. They may continue taking other drugs that are known to
aggravate RLS, they may continue to fall prey to the many quacks who
tout all kinds of useless miracle cures, they may continue to live a
life filled with the many serious repercussions of being chronically
and miserably short of sleep, including car accidents, inability to
hold down a job, anger and depression, suicide, and on and on.

This video is so far beneath what I had come to expect from Consumer
Reports that I'm genuinely shocked that you have produced it and are
showing it. I can't understand how you think it is appropriate for
Consumer Reports to be making fun of a very serious and dangerous
condition. There is a great deal of useful information that could
have been provided about RLS as well as about the use of Requip in
treating RLS. Your video provides absolutely no useful information at
all. What a wasted effort. How sad that Consumer Reports has sunk so
low.

__._,_.___

[Donna McLellan]

I agree that the ads are out of hand, but when the "reporter" says the letters RLS make it sound more impoortant, that is not fair. We have been calling it RLS for over a decade, and no drug company came up with that!

[Donna McLellan]

I am extremely appalled by the misinformation in your "fun and informative" video. It is not fun. Nothing about RLS is fun. whether you use the letters or the full words it is still the same thing.If you want to attack the drug ads, which I wholeheartedly agree with, fine. But, do not belittle a syndrome that has ruined my life! The sarcasm is unecessary. we deal with it enough with ignorant people.

[Diane]

An interesting debate. I'm a subscriber (like my mom)and count on your magazine. I inherited RLS and unfortunately passed it on to my daughter. Neither of us want to take drugs, but both of us would like to function. I've had to quit my job; she's still young enough and it's only a nuisance.At one point (during menopause, when RLS typically worsens with women) I was suicidal because I got no sleep.
Okay - I think it was mocking. Don't tell me the young lady wasn't making fun of it. Most of us feel like just having it is so embarassing (what? you can't sit still??) we don't talk about it and only recently have I been able to tell people. I'm so afraid that it's now going to again be the subject of ridicule. Right now: I can't take long car rides, fly in airplanes, sit in movies, play bridge -- or work in an office.
On the whole subject of annoying ads - I'm afraid we live in a capitalist society. I don't like ads for beer (it's cold!! Comes in a nice can!!)or cars that emphasize the macho element (go fast!! be sexy!)Every one of them gives a bad message.
I participate in the RLS discussion groups online, and everyone on there would rather have another options (calcium, folate, magnesium) and I'll bet we've tried every one of them (I have). I'm so happy when they work for people, but unfortuatenly they don't for all of us. Before these annoying ads, people with RLS had to do all the research they good, go to the doctor and grovel asking for some kind of relief and often we were looked at as druggies, out for a high. Sometimes I walk around at night for hours, not able to sit or lay down, and wonder what the heck I'm here on earth for -- I'm a skilled, educated professional unable to sit down long enough or get enough sleep to function. So I take a drug. And I'm glad the drug companies are making them.

[Beth Jones]

The ad is making fun of RLS. I won't pull out the quotes since it's been done by others. I have RLS. It's idiopathic. No other drug causes it. It runs in my family and it's sheer torture when out of control. It's a real neurological condition like MS though not as severe in that it's not degenerative; however, it can certainly lessen the quality of life for sufferers. If you had RLS, you would know that it's a very real condition, which can be helped by prescription drugs. My doctor did not prescribe me Requip because she felt it wasn't proven enough and still too new as a treatment for RLS. I can let my doctor fill me in on these things that an ad doesn't and that Consumer Reports has no authority to do. I think what concerns me most about this ad is that the presenter sounds like she's 12. She has no authority in voice, character, or otherwise. I would think the producer/caster/whatever would have had enough experience to know that this young girl is not appropriate for this ad. And, with the acceptance that RLS is still trying to gain as a real disease, it isn't appropriate to use it for this video, which ironically, is a misleading ad like the ones if condemns. I get the POINT of the ad. Nevertheless, several times she mocked the disease itself. As a professional journalist, I know the difference between real reporting and a mockery such as this.

[RLS Lifer]

I'm no shill for sure and certainly would never be one.

I agree, that the pharm companies spend huge amounts of money to research drugs, yes they have the right to make some of that money back.

But you culd have done a better service by taking on most of the weight loss ads than the RLS ads, by far. There is no real testing on those products at all and some are very dangerous.

I was hurt by the tone in which the "reporter" used, about something that was gentically past down in my family for generations. How could any pharm company have planted that in my genetic code, on both sides of my family 4-5 generations ago? Hmmmmmmmm

Try being me at 3 yrs old and crying in the middle of the night with growing pains, a known trait of my RLS genetics. Try walking the floors at 35 crying the very same way and no help to be found. Try being me with out sleep for days at a time ( months and then into years) and raising 2 little boys, with school functioms, sports teams, and just regular household duties. Do that without sleep for a week and get back to me. How did it work for you?

The feeling bad part I will handle, just won't see my money coming your way and anyone I talk to from here on out, I'll do my level best to try to get them not to buy your opinions either, they are not fair and balanced. Unbiased, this time it was harmful, hurtful, and nasty.

However, if it helps for some snippy "reporter" to degrade a TV ad, to educate a woefully and huge medical community........COOL! Most RLSers have to be better educated (AND NORMALLY ARE THAN MANY DOCS) in our disorder just to protect ourselves.

Most of us have been told it's all in our head, we're crazy, we're depressed, (ever read the side effects of those medications?)....whatever.

Many more RLSers have to teach their doctors about the condition, than is acceptable. RLS is very real, neurological condition. Mine was genetic and is hard to treat, just to maintain a somewhat good Quality of Life, by that I mean I can now function like a mostly, normal human.

I, for one, am glad someone cared enough to study this disorder or I might not be here to write this. Because of RLS I have not turned out what I dream in life I could have been, and for myself, I have grown to be who I am even with RLS.

Bless you all that do not suffer, may you never have to come and find any of us to support you in what RLS can turn a wonderful life into.

Ns one more thing, about taking calcium and magnesium together, it's not going to help much.....studies proved a couple of years ago that the calcium wipes out the magnesuium. Also, you need vitamin C to help calcium to aborbs well and get some sun as well.

[Keri]

As someone who suffers from RLS and is taking Requip all I have to say is that I am ashamed of Consumer Reports for the tone used in this report. It is hard enough to get anyone to take this condition seriously, now we have a reputable company making fun of us! I have been taking Requip for a year, I was a little tired for the first few weeks and then I was fine. I haven't had any of the drastic side effects. This medication helps me, and anyone with RLS knows the normal things you can do to help control it. But, medication in my case was needed. I could not function without it!!

This report needs to be PULLED IMMEDIATELY!!! Consumer Reports can explain their findings in a less sarcastic tone. You want to target the pharmaceutical companies? Do so without hurting the people suffering from a very real condition!!!

[Mary Ann]

Wow, I have to agree that the drug companies are going over board with the drug commercials. Personally, I do not feel drugs ads should be legal. As a RLS sufferer for over 30 years, I found your video very offensive. My RLS is severe with symptoms everyday. Without Requip I cannot sleep because I cannot keep my legs still. I describe the "creepy crawly sensation" as being very painful. I understand you are making a point about the drug commercials and I am happy about that. Drug manufacturers get away with so much these days! Drug reps buy the staff at doctors offices meals and they take the doctors and staff out to expensive restaurants. So they go after the doctors and staff to push their drugs and then they go after the consumer via the commercials. Who pays for all this???? We do, the consumer. By the way, I work at a doctors office.

[Paresh Pandya]

To David:
Yes all of us who are rallying against CR on this particular issue are actually spies working for Big Pharma. You caught us. (Hey but here's a crazy idea - the reason why this article has attracted attention is because it was posted on Digg).

I suppose on the flip-side I can assume you really work for CR (or perhaps the herbal "medicine" industry..hmm...) and you're just trying to increase sales of your magazine.

Still waiting for CR's response as to what I can do to cure my disease since clearly using prescription drugs is bad mmmm'kay.

[Susan B.]

How can anyone say that this ad doesn't mock the condition, RLS, itself? The tone of voice of the reporter is much too sarcastic to think that she has any sympathy for RLS sufferers. And some of the facts are wrong, which indicates to me that she didn't make an honest attempt at understanding what she's talking about. Studies show that 8-10 percent of the population is affected by RLS, which is a huge percentage of the population. And 3% have moderate to severe RLS. In quality of life studies, RLS patients have been shown to have worse quality of life than people with diabetes. (http://www.springerlink.com/content/t1661ru6xr104124/?p=bedd8af7229f496fa9d26e7a04192ba1&pi=6) Would you have a reporter mocking diabetes as an annoying condition that could be helped by home remedies?

Yes, drug ads are annoying and inappropriate for television as far as I'm concerned. The RLS ads are no exception. The ads themselves make the disorder seems like a minor inconvenience that a glass of iced tea and a green chair can cure. But the ads have helped many people learn the name of the condition that has afflicted them mercilessly for years - since childhood - in many cases. And as a result doctors have had to learn a bit about the condition. And believe me on this - most doctors are woefully uneducated about RLS and should not be prescribing these medications without a better understanding of both the condition and some of the more severe side effects of those drugs, the ones not mentioned in the ads like augmentation which can involve leg pain and severe worsening of the RLS symptoms.

As for the 57% response to placebo in the drug studies? Many of us who have severe RLS have looked into volunteering for those studies, but it is almost impossible to get into them. Because to begin a study, we need to stop taking the medication that is necessary to our survival! There is no way that someone with severe RLS can go weeks without medication in order to participate in a study. So those that do participate must have milder forms of RLS.

I have no love of the constant barrage of pharmaceutical ads on television. But please do not pass on misinformation about a terrible health condition that affects a large percentage of the population. And I am grateful that the drug companies are taking this condition seriously, and that progress is being made in treating it. The drugs aren’t perfect and we have a long way to go but at least people are starting to take this seriously. I expect Consumer Reports to do the same.

[Maria]

I wish that you had been sitting on my couch with me two years ago when I was actually contemplating suicide. I did not know what was wrong with me but I knew my legs were miserable and causing me to get a minimum of 2 hours sleep at night. I walked. I rode an exercise bike. I tried meditation. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. I tried calcium and I tried vitamins and just about everything people suggested. You want to make light of something that had me in tears most nights. Do you want to make light of the sensation in my legs that was so painful that when my declawed cat walked across them I had never felt so severe of pain. Worse than childbearing and worse than wisdom teeth. I went from an 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night person where I dreaded going to bed because I knew the "thing" in my legs was going to start.

Eventually I remembered that I had some hydrocodone in the house so I started taking that EVERY NIGHT. Then I saw the commercial and I knew that was it. If there is a commercial on TV that I don't want to watch, I don't watch. If we could take off all the commercials we don't like well that would be wonderful. But that commercial did more for me than what my doctor ever did cause MANY doctors are still skeptical. I started requip and my life has become quite better. I do NOT have uncontrollable sexual urges and I do not gamble!

God should smite you with this disease to make light of it the way you did. I used to tell people, after getting little sleep at night, that I wish someone would just cut my legs off. You may have not meant to make light of it, but the woman in the videos gestures tell another story.

Recently I had nerve surgery in my leg but before they "decompressed" a nerve I was referred to a neurologist for tests. He stated that neither of my legs responded to testing the way they should.

Side effects. All meds have side affects. Are you going to attack every drug that has a side affect. Maybe I should have just kept taking hydrocodone. It's cheaper, addictive, and will constipate the hell out of you. But, you wouldn't be making fun of my drug would you now?

Maybe if they had named it Ekhom's syndrome like it was originally called you wouldn't be making light of it.

Because if I wouldn't have the Requip right now I don't know what I would have done.

You want to try me on a placebo? Then I hope you are willing to lie in the bed with me for a night, week, or month. Cause if I can't sleep, I'm not going to let you.

Maria Davie

[Ron Bishop]

I recently watched the Consumer Reports segment on RLS & Requip. I am disappointed in the posture taken in the video. While these ads may not be properly controlled they do help reveal the reality of RLS.

I have suffered from RLS for about 15 years now. As the time passes and I age the symptoms seem to get worse. I have tried yoga, meditation, slo-iron [from Floradix], glucosamine, and other methods of controlling RLS. None of the treatments have properly dealt with RLS completely. I have it in my shoulders and lower back as well as my legs. The symptoms can occur at any time. Stress is a factor, as is the lack of ability to move like a long car trip or plane ride, and lack of rest. The symptoms usually increase in the evening and it can certainly be noticed by others when I am having an RLS episode.

Late night comics [Leno, Letterman], Saturday Night Live skits[RPS], and now Consumer Reports makes me feel bad about a disease I have. This is intolerable. The presenter almost seems to be laughing at our imagined pain.

While I can understand that you might object to the ads, which pay for the TV shows, you should certainly treat those that have RLS with more care. I personally object to motor vehicles ads that show motorists driving at high rates of speed through populated areas. These ads have been suspected of encouraging other motorists to flaunt the law of speed and safe driving endangering humans outside their cars. Where is the outrage for those ads?

I would rather not have RLS, but I do have it and still have to deal with it. How dare you all but deny that it is real.

[Laurence Krieg]

As a sufferer from RLS, I am offended by the derogatory manner in which Ms. Hirsch discusses RLS in the video spot (http://blogs.consumerreports .org/health/2007/11/index.html) on CU's Health Blog, November 1, 2007.

Although I deplore the pharmaceutical industry's advertising practices, it's clear from the manner in which the video is produced that CU is pandering to audiences in the the same way as do advertising agencies. The use of slick video tricks such as sliding Ms. Hrisch's image in and out of the window and fake "fast reverse" are typical.

Worse yet is the condescending manner in which Ms. Hirsch addresses her audience, dismissing Restless Leg Syndrome as if it were invented by Big Pharma solely for their profit. I can assure you from personal experience that RLS , though not fatal, is a condition that causes serious discomfort, considerable disruption, and innumerable complications.

While I applaud CU's attempt to educate the public about deceptive advertising, I deplore the use of the advertisers' own questionable techniques, and deprecatory remarks about suferers' condition.

[Linda P.]

I, like Shelley Skelton, am a sufferer of severe RLS. I'm quite sure she is not an industry shill. I know I am not. I don't work in the medical field or for a drug company. I agree that the video was condescending and insulting. Sure, you mentioned that RLS was a "real" disease, but it's hard for the general public to see that through the sarcasm. This is not what I would expect from an "unbiased" source.

Actually, I am thankful to the advertisements for bringing to the public's attention a syndrome that most people, including many medical professionals, think is "all in your head." I never knew what I suffered from until I saw a magazine article that mentioned RLS. 25 years ago RLS caused me to pace the aisle on a plane all the way home from Aruba - a 5 hour flight - because I couldn't sit in the seat for any length of time without being in agony. I thought I was going crazy! I couldn't figure out why I could never sit still during lectures, movies, long train or car rides, etc. I never knew why my legs had that irresistable and painful urge to move. Especially at night when trying to go to sleep. No one wants to sleep in the same bed as me because I kick them to bits. My husband used to make fun of me because I would ask him to kick my calves to provide me some relief! I thank God for the drug companies accidently discovering Mirapex and Requip as treatments for RLS.

My doctor told me to try quinine and tonic water (because of it's quinine content) for my RLS. The FDA issued the advice on December 12, 2006 and ordered all unapproved drugs containing quinine off the market within 60 days. The FDA told people not to use the malaria drug quinine for leg cramps, citing potentially deadly side effects. Using quinine for that purpose is too risky, says the FDA. Since 1969, the FDA had received 665 reports of serious adverse events tied to quinine, including 93 deaths. Quinine has a narrow margin between effective and toxic doses, notes the FDA. Hmm, nice going doc!

There are so many ailments out there that GP's can't be expected to know about all of them. Therefore I feel it's up to the consumer to be aware and proactive when something is wrong. I would probably still be thinking I was crazy if it weren't for advertising.

I agree, there are way too many drug advertisements on television. But, I'd rather see a focus on "fake drug" commercials touting the efficacy of their latest discovery. First and foremost in my mind are the male "enhancement" commercials. All have the disclaimer at the end that the FDA has not shown any of them to be effective in any way. These play on the emotions of people who may or may not have a problem, to buy a product that has no effect and is purely a profit-making venture.

[Debbie]

I am sorry, but I think this video did make fun of Restless Leg Syndrome , I too suffer from RLS and it runs in my family, mother has it, grandmother had it really bad. She was not as lucky as I am to have a medication that can actually calm my legs at night. And as far as the Ad for Requip, I think it has informed more people that they actaully have a condition that there is help out there for. Many suffer from RLS without knowing it actually has a name. I went for years before I knew there was actually medications that could help me. And Requip was one that did not work , but Mirapex did help and I am so grateful for finding a doctor that actually wanted to help me get restful sleep.

Anyone who has RLS will understand that the "possible" side effects way out weigh the benefits of the medications. There is not one medication that does not have "possible" side effects listed, do we make fun of asprin, which helps millions of people everyday from having a possible heart attack? There are many medications that help people live a normal life, so why attack medications for RLS and make fun of it.

Next time get your facts straight and be more professional about your Ads.

[William LeMay]

Apparently ” Ron” as well as many respondants have not suffered from and probably do not sleep with someone who has RLS. I am a Consumer Reports Online member and am a subscriber of Consumer Report Magazine. I was completely surprised to read the article and watch the video about the RLS “Hype”. This is not something CR has the expertise nor real life experience to do. If those who think the advertisement was the only point of the article think again. Maybe CR should place an advertisement in the magazine to interview some of us.
I have RLS and have tried every medication that my doctor has prescribed, these include: Requip, Sinemet, and the newest one, Mirapex. None of these medications worked for me so he prescribed 1 mg Clonazepam. Clonazepam is an anti-seizure medication that has been around for many years. The first night I took Clonazepam, I said BINGO, this will work. I now break the table into .5 mg dosage most of the time. For sure I know when I need the 1 mg tablet. I have tried to take the other medications since but they have never worked for me. I do know other people who have taken these with success.
I don’t especially agree with the advertizing on TV and do have enough sense to realize it’s a commercial as should any adult, (incidentally adults are the victims of RLS).
I do think that everyone who responded in agreement with the CR Video has NEVER suffered from RLS. The video was written to make the public think that RLS is only in the mind and is not real.
Well it probably is a brain disease but not one of the mind. My only hope is that for those who responded to put down sufferers of RLS will get a taste of it!
The advertisers do describe the symptoms very well, even though the symptoms are indescribable.
Why would CR do a report like this without calling on the victims of RLS? RLS is real and can affect you during the day times also. It is REAL and can make one miserable, sleepless, and can also make the spouse miserable and sleepless!

[Sharon A]

I have had RLS since I was 9 years old; I very clearly remember the first episode of it. I am now 56 - and have been trying to cope with this insidious disease for 47 years. Mom's mother had it; Mom and one of her 2 sisters have it; all 3 of my siblings have it. Now - ask ANY ONE OF US EXPLAIN OUR SYMPTOMS. RLS is the most difficult thing to describe - a blind man describing an elephant does a better job than anyone with RLS can convey what it feels like. My grandmother had 'the heeby jeebys', mom has 'creepy crawly' legs, and the list goes on. Mom has attended no concerts, plays or movies, because she can't sit still to watch or enjoy the presentation. My flights to and from London were sheer agony.
In this video, Jamie Hirsh remarks about the "vague" description of the symptoms. She makes comments through the ad, continuing to display a lack of understanding of RLS - she even makes light of the fact that the disease is referred to by the letters RLS. The acronym isn't used to make the disease more important; no more so than MS, ADHD, MRSA or COPD.
My husband has Parkinson's disease - I asked him to watch the video before I saw it, and he was stunned at how patronizing the piece is. He felt that the write-up that surrounds the video window was accurate and fair, but that the video itself was very poorly done.
Point of reference: Requip is the first medication that was developed to treat RLS. It was found to be effective for PD (Parkinson's Disease), and so is used by patients with either illness. Mirapex was developed for PD, and like Requip has been found to be effective for RLS. Both of these medications are dopamine agonists - their purpose is to boost the production of dopamine in the brain. When taken at dose levels approaching the maximum therapeutic level, both medications have been shown to cause inappropriate behaviors - gambling and sexuality are but 2 of those behaviors. But this isn't be mentioned in the ad, leaving people to think that this can happen at any dose level, which is incorrect. At the higher doses, dementia or hallucinations have occured. There are snickers at the warning of 'unusual sexual behavior' - the same people probably respond with snickers to the warning that Viagra can cause erections lasting 4 hours or more.
The response to these drugs varies widely from person to person: with Requip my husband couldn't cope with the sleep issues/nausea; Mom had equally dismal luck with it; it works incredibly well for me. (Oh, that's right, Jamie makes the comment that the side effects of Requip sound worse than the symptoms. Message to Jamie: NEITHER one is any fun, and your snide remarks are insensitive.) Mirapex doesn't touch Mom's or my RLS, but with it my husband's fingers work instead of being frozen in place, and when he walks his left foot barely drags.
Before these two drugs were introduced, RLS was treated with a very wide variety of meds: the sedative valium, anti-anxiety/antipsychotic clonazepam, narcotic vicodin, methadone, and the less harmful things like calcium. There are the old wives' tales as well - put a bar of soap under the sheet at the end of your bed...
I do not believe that pharmaceutical companies should be advertising on TV, in magazines, or anywhere else for that matter. I agree with the concept behind the video, but not the presentation. For those of us who suffer with RLS, the video is an insult. It is bad enough that television personalities have chosen to viciously make fun on air, but to have a respected instution like Consumer Reports belittle RLS is incomprehensible.

[Elaine]

Hey Kevin, are you legit? I tried to email you at the address you provided -- kevin@consumer.org -- and it bounced.

[Tommy]

I watched your video and was appalled at the attitude your organization had towards this condition. RLS is a real condition and if the announcer had even one weeks worth of suffering I think she might wipe the smug smirk off of her face while talking about the condition.

I understand that you all were going after the drug companies, but come on, they are advertising, which is exactly what every commercial out there is intended to do. I do not take the medication because I did not like the way it made me feel. If your ad would have stuck to discussing and educating the facts and or misinformation on the commercial without the added sarcasm I think you would have been fine. But like it or not your sarcasm about the drug did roll into the condition. I work for a marketing company and I do not envision our company placing such a irresponsible ad as this. You might want to do some PR cleanup and find a new ad company.

What your ad does not mention is that until these commercials started coming out, this very serious condition was almost unheard of by the general public. Many people that had this, but did not know what RLS was. Many doctors would not discuss it either.

[Elaine]

I appreciate that Consumers (to which I subscribe) is taking on ads like this, which definitely can be misleading. However, I did detect more than a note of scepticism in Ms. Hirsch's reporting. In fact, I found this young, twenty-something looking "reporter" to be quite condescending, not unusual in those in the 20's and 30's who think "old age" diseases will never affect them. While I wouldn't wish RLS on anyone, nonetheless I hope Ms. Hirsch realizes one day that she did a disservice to millions of RLS sufferers.

I also highly disagree with your reliance on the Public Library of Science's estimate that 2.7% of the population suffer from this often debilitating disease. Like other diseases when first identified, underreporting is not uncommon, especially when doctors themselves are unfamiliar with the disease and fail to report it. In my workplace alone, I know of at least three other sufferers of RLS that sit within spitting distance of me. I'm sure if I did a survey, I'd find a lot more who may not even know what they have. I didn't until doing my own research on the Internet. And then I realized that this is exactly what my mother suffered from for years, thinking it was merely tired legs or an "old age" disease. No doubt I inherited this from my mother, and I would estimate sufferers worldwide to be in the millions, not the thousands as your "report" suggests.

I hope the drug companies continue exploring safe drugs that will eventually lead to relief for RLS sufferers. In the meantime, if we have to put up with ads such as this one to increase awareness of this overlooked disease, so be it.

[JE]

I am the poster child for very severe RLS. I have suffered with this disease since childhood, and until relatively recently, have found most doctors to take the condition as an annoyance suffered by those who have it, as opposed to a condition that , if not treated, could cause a serious illness. Not to say that doctors are not interested in trying to help sufferers of RLS, but since it is not considered a life threating condition, in my opinion it is certainly not on the top of many researchers lists, as a must cure problem. Trust me it is real, and if you have it as bad as I do, you aren't going to be appalled by the Drug companies adds , and if the side effects are not going to kill the patient, those with "moderate to severe" RLS, which the add is geared to , are most likely going to try it. I did, it works, sometimes..... It also can cause augmentation , which actually "spreads " the symptoms so to speak to other areas of the body, like the arms where I have it now. Am I going to stop taking it. not at this point, cause when it works , which it does a fair amount of the time, it makes me "normal" and if you don't experience "normal" very often, even the short periods of time you have it are worth it. As for the adds pointing out the potential side effects, great, they should point out all side effects that can take place, then only those , like me, who are willing to chance the effects to get some relief , will want to risk it. God forbid you get an illness that is severe enough to send you in search for any reliefe you can get, but if this should happen, maybe you won't pay as much attention to the Add format as you do to the possible relief it offers, along with the chance of side effects.
I hope this keeps RLS in the public eye for a long time.

[Monica]

The disgruntled viewers must have very low intellect. Is it possible that the viewers pressed the mute button during the video? This video merely outlines the fact that 3% the population actually suffer from the condition and that the medication is most likely over prescribed.
For the viewers/writers who have a problem with the video... your comprehension of verbal and possibly written material is something that needs to be addressed.

[kate]

I grew up reading Consumer Reports and when I moved away from home, I got my own subscription because I have always trusted the information I read because the reviews were always written professionally. With that said, I have also suffered from restless leg syndrome (RLS) for 20 years - starting in high school. It wasn't until a few years ago that I was able to get some relief from my symptoms. For those who think RLS is a side effect from other drugs. I wasn't taking any other drugs when I was 17 and I'm still not on any other medications, unless you count daily vitamins as a drug. I have tried all of the "safe" methods... calcium, magnesium, folic acid, tonic water (quinine is supposed to help), herbal remedies, etc. I exercise and am in good health aside from RLS.
I am taking Requip and was given a prescription for this drug prior to the ads airing, because I talked to my doctor at my annual physical. I was given the option of medications to take for RLS. I could take a sedative and treat the sypmtom or take Requip, (which had just been approved for RLS) and treat the cause. I chose to treat the cause. Having just been approved for RLS, Requip is patented which means other companies cannot make generics until that patent expires. Believe me, if a generic were available I'd be taking it.
As far as the mockery of the side effects, I have nausea. That's it and just at night. However, it is much better than the alternative. Anyone who has ever had a charlie horse in their leg can't get the muscles to relax after that has felt one 10th of one percent of what I feel on a daily basis.

I am not in support of drug ads and realize what Consumer Reports goal was, however, I too found this to be very insulting. Jamie Hirsh was sarcastic and unprofessional. I understood the message, but the way it was delivered is what was insulting.
• “Oooh a mystery. Sounds serious. The real mystery? What the heck is restless legs syndrome anyway?”
• “Aaah, note the use of impressive initials. RLS sounds official doesn’t it?”
• Geeez, the side effects are starting to sound worse than the symptoms.
I didn't find this "entertaining" or "fun". I found the commentary to be uninformed, and unprofessional.

My recommendation to Consumer Reports is to get rid of the sarcasm, and focus on the drug ads - not the people effected by the diseases. Are drug ads annoying? Yes, but not nearly as annoying as sarcastic insults.

[Maryann]

My first impression of Ms. Hirsch's/Consumer Reports' video was that she/the company was making a joke about RLS because of her "Katy Couric" characterization. I became defensive; however, I realized that Ms. Hirsch's/Consumer Reports' point was that Pharmaceutical companies, in this case companies who sell Requip, are deceiving RLS sufferers and, in reality, are getting rich pushing a magic pill that will relieve their symptoms. For years Neurologists have prescribed Requip in the hopes that it would relieve the symptoms of RLS. Most fellow RLS sufferers have long since surpassed education about the drug. They either found relief in the use of Requip or didn't. Requip is now receiving attention because of the current commercial. Irregardless of its negative publicity, it may be the right drug for the right person suffering from this feindish syndrome. It didn't do a thing for me.... I have moved on. ---- Just some food for thought.

[Maarten Korringa]

I am not an RLS sufferer but live with someone who is. There is nothing funny or cute about it. I found Ms. Hirsh's facial expressions and body language extremely condescending and smug. The hit piece offended me.

Until recently, primary care physicians knew little or nothing about RLD. My wife's physician had never even heard of it and suggested exercise. My wife had to educate her doctor. If these ads help sufferers educate their physicians and get some help, good for them. And why do the manufacturers get the blame for doctors' overprescribing medication?

Fortunately there is a great support group for RLS sufferers. They have a wealth of information about the disease. Maybe CR should have done a bit more research before getting cute.

[Heather]

I found this article and video highly offensive. My family is genetically prone to Restless Leg Syndrome, having lived and seen what people go through from mild to severe cases watching that woman smirk and ridicule this ailment makes me sick.
I'm not going to rant about how hard it can be or throw brutal insults (even if I want to), I just want you to know that that is wrong and hurtful.

[Gene]

Those of you who failed to note the smug tone of the video must be completely insensitive. While I do believe that CR was aiming for the drug peddlers, RLS sufferers took considerable collateral damage. I was mocked during my childhood by my own family for complaining about my legs twitching during long car rides. For years, doctors looked at me as if I had a screw loose when I described my symptoms. As I've aged, the problem has become worse, and I'm kept up some nights. I do take meds for it on occasion (not the drug in the ad). Perhaps CR should be excused from mocking RLS...after all only 3% of the population suffers from it, right? If 3% of their subscribers get annoyed and only a percentage of those cancel their subscriptions as a result, then perhaps CR considers that to be an acceptable loss. Personally, as a subscriber I'm going to think twice before spending my money on a product that treats legitimate illnesses with such a sarcastic and insensitive tone.

[susanne isbill]

If this report was intended to be taken seriously, it should have been presented seriously.

The reporter's attitude and sarcasm is insulting to those who have RLS and fails to effectively make the intended point about drugs, advertising and whatever else the point was supposed to be.

No doubt this is why so many have been accused of "missing the point."

Poor delivery, insincere tone and a lack of knowledge about RLS combine to make this report a perfect 0.

Susanne Isbill

[Mary]

While the intent was to examine the ad CR failed big time. I think this video came off as smug and mocking. I suffered for many years, but it wasn't until I had a sleep study that I was diagnosed with RLS. It is real. As an RLS sufferer who has tried many "natural" remedies I have only been able to get relief from by taking Requip. It gave me back my life and probably saved it. I was so sleep deprived from RLS that I once pulled my car into the garage and promptly fell asleep. Luckily I had turned it off. While I have gotten some added relief with iron and B-12 supplements, I would not be able to live a "normal" life without this drug.

[Nate]

I suffer from RLS also but am not willing to use drugs such as Requip. I realize they are very powerful and only want them as a last resort. I agree that consumer reports only was making fun of the drug company. The drug only treats the symptoms and not the cause of RLS. Personally giving up caffeine has worked for me. I had to give it up completely and not just after a certain time of day. It took a few weeks but finally I had relief. I still have some night but it is 80% better than it was.