Starting Ropinirole

[texasL]

My dad started Ropinirole a few days ago. I was wondering how long anyone on this site had taken it and what are the side affects?

[stevie3]

Yes, I take ropinirole. It's a dopamine agonist. It gets a bit of a bad press because one of the sudden effects can be compulsive behaviour - so compulsive shopping, spending, gambling, sex. I have not had these side affects which aren't common but do happen. When I started taking it, I had two people keep an eye on me to make sure I was ok. One of those people is my husband who shares a bank account with me and would notice unusual activity. So, be aware. But I've been on it for more than a year without problems and it works well for me.

[texasL in reply to stevie3]

Thank you. I just worry because the list of side effects is huge.

[Hikoi in reply to texasL]

If your Dad is over 70 I would be wondering about the med, the older we are the less we tolerate this group of meds (dopamine agonists) and it is not recomm ended after a certain age.

Otherwise i would do as stevie writes And monitor carefully particularly for impulse control problems, ie addictions such as gambling. I have a friend on it 10 yrs and I have been on it 8 yrs.

[MacDoodle]

I have had quite a lot of interesting changes and behaviour since going on Ropinerole. I think was generally a risk averse person before. Sexually I became more active and became addicted to sexual imagery when on a higher dose that was so compulsive I had to seek help. Lowering the dose helped a lot as did Cognitive behaviour therapy. I have tried coming off Ropinerole but mobility wise it's a huge backward step. I just freeze all the time and can't sleep. So it has its benefits. You can channel the impulsive aspect into creative pursuits like painting. Just remember that it's not the person who is driving these compulsive behaviours but the drug ..for the person - not being in control can be very distressing as can be the guilt and shame in acknowledging you have a problem . Understanding what's going on with the help of a specialist would be best option if anything occurs.

[Hil101]

My partner started on ropinirole aged 66 and has been on it for 4 years. He takes 12mg per day in one dose and nothing else. I watched for any signs of addictive problems but there were none. On its own, the ropinirole slightly eased his movement issues but he has also been taking a number of nutritional supplements and he walks and goes to the gym. These latter things have started to yield good results. Balancing up nutrition and finding out that his body probably can't assimilate vitamin B12 sufficiently from food (he now micro-doses liquid B12, supported by a 'B minus' supplement) has started to slowly reverse his symptoms after a few months. He's getting more expression in his face, less foot drag, better handwriting etc. Anyone interested in this can look at Colin Potter's excellent website 'fight-parkinsons.org' which started us off on this journey. As regards the ropinirole, side effects have not been a serious issue apart from some initial nausea. Thankfully, we resisted neurologist's and Parkinson's nurse suggestions re taking levodopa early on instead and adding in selegiline which we feel would have complicated the picture. Hope this helps.

[Somecarer]

After a long period on this drug my wife developed hallucinations, and had to come of it eventually, she is now on a transdermal patch of Rotigotinum or Rotigitina 4mg 24 hourly.

She seems virtualy free of the hallucinations now but has to take another patch too keep them at bay! it is Rivastigmine 9.5mg, this is to be replaced soon with a tablet derivative I believe. she has had PD now for nearly twenty years and is 84 years old.

Good luck!.

[texasL]

Thank you everyone for the replies. My dad is 82. His tremor is very bad. I hope this medicine will help.

[Hikoi in reply to texasL]

Sounds like he is going to try ropinerol. Is there a reason he is not taking car/lev or Sinemet which is easier to tolerate.

[texasL in reply to Hikoi]

He tried sinemet and had horrible body pain chest rib area. Strange side effect.

[Hikoi in reply to texasL]

OK yes that is strange. Levadopa is still the gold standard treatment so it makes it difficult not tolerating it.

Can I suggest Watch out for dizzy feelings from BP dropping especially on standing and hallucinations. Both are quite common so increasing the dose slowly giving the body plenty of time to adjust is a good idea.

[texasL in reply to Hikoi]

Hallucinations is what worries me

[honeycombe3]

Hi TexasL,

I am a 69yr old female who has been diagnosed for 13 years. Ropinirole is the only constant

med I have used during that time. I take 8mg a day now & that suits me fine. Side effects have been: dry, itchy skin; swollen ankles & binge eating leading to weight gain. These have all been controlled by adjusting the dose (slowly under supervision).

[Serenity_finaly-1]

To much Dopamine made my world ultra focus and hypnotic. Especially at night I would get transfixed on police lights.

[pbacon2549]

My partner is weaning off Ropinirole. He had been on 12 and 8mg Sr every morning. He has had impulsive behavior fora year and refused tell the doctor. Finally after series of panic attacks, paranoia and tactile hallucinations he called the doctor. after2weeks he is doing so much better.

[texasL]

Thank you so much. This drug has a lot of serious side effects.