Pegasys and Restless leg syndrome - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Restless leg syndrome is reported as a side effect among people who take Pegasys (peginterferon alfa 2a), especially for people who are female, 50-59 old, have been taking the drug for 1 - 6 months also take Ribavirin, and have Depression.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Restless leg syndrome when taking Pegasys. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 57,338 people who have side effects when taking Pegasys from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Pegasys?

Pegasys has active ingredients of peginterferon alfa 2a. It is often used in hepatitis c. eHealthMe is studying from 57,446 Pegasys users. Check the latest studies of Pegasys.

What is Restless leg syndrome?

Restless leg syndrome (a powerful urge to move your legs) is found to be associated with 1,246 drugs and 1,935 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Restless leg syndrome.

On Jul, 17, 2026

57,338 people reported to have side effects when taking Pegasys.
Among them, 62 people (0.11%) have Restless leg syndrome.

Could Pegasys cause Restless leg syndrome?

Among these 62 people:

How long have people been on Pegasys when they have Restless leg syndrome? *

What is the gender of people who have Restless leg syndrome when taking Pegasys? *

female: 66.13 %
male: 33.87 %

What is the age of people who have Restless leg syndrome when taking Pegasys? *

What are other drugs people take besides Pegasys? *

What are other side effects people have besides Restless leg syndrome? *

Insomnia (sleeplessness): 26 people, 41.94%
Fatigue (feeling of tiredness): 20 people, 32.26%
Headache (pain in head): 14 people, 22.58%
Dyspnea (difficult or laboured breathing): 14 people, 22.58%
White Blood Cell Count Decreased: 13 people, 20.97%
Nausea (feeling of having an urge to vomit): 11 people, 17.74%
Agitation (state of anxiety or nervous excitement): 11 people, 17.74%
Pain: 11 people, 17.74%
Stress And Anxiety: 10 people, 16.13%
Confusional State: 9 people, 14.52%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Depression: 5 people, 8.06%
High Blood Pressure: 3 people, 4.84%
Muscle Spasms (muscle contraction): 2 people, 3.23%
Pain: 2 people, 3.23%
Ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity): 2 people, 3.23%
Schizoaffective Disorder (a mental disorder characterized by disordered thought): 1 person, 1.61%
Rash Pruritic (redness with itching): 1 person, 1.61%
Asthma: 1 person, 1.61%
Stress And Anxiety: 1 person, 1.61%
Drug Dependence: 1 person, 1.61%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Pegasys and have Restless leg syndrome?

- Check whether Restless leg syndrome is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Pegasys:

Pegasys (57,446 reports)

Browse all side effects of Pegasys:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Restless leg syndrome:

Restless leg syndrome (1,246 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Restless leg syndrome:

Restless leg syndrome (1,935 conditions)

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on peginterferon alfa 2a (the active ingredients of Pegasys) and Pegasys (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.