RLS that didnt show up on Sleep Study

Is it possible to have RLS if it didnt show up on a sleep study?  I have been fighting this problem for about a year now (29 yrs old) and went in to the doc and he prescribed me Neurontin and it work initially and then I went in for my Sleep Study and I only slept for about two hours of it.  The sleep study showed no signs of RLS, however I fight this problem every night.  In the past week it has gotten worse and the neurontin that I had left from the Rx isnt even working.  I spoke to my doctor (military) and he is not going to give me anything else for it because of the sleep study results.  Can anyone answer, can you have RLS without it showing up on a sleep study?

Thanks

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

While most cases of RLS test positive on a sleep study, a few might not. A positive sleep study is not a required to diagnose RLS, though it can fortify the diagnosis. In the absence of a positive sleep study, alternative diagnosis may need to be considered and if RLS is established as a diagnosis one would want to look at secondary causes such as iron deficiency, varicose vein or venous insuffiiency, folate deficiency, magnesium deficiency, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, uremia, diabetes, thyroid disease, peripheral neuropathy, parkinson's disease and a few auto-immune disorders such as sjogren's syndrome, celiac disease, and rheumatoid arthritis etc; that could possibly be related and could help in deciding on a management plan. You may like to discuss these in detail with your treating doctor.
Hope this helps.

Take care!