Merapex

[Rosabellazita]

March 28 started it for tremor. Today April 5th there is no improvement in the tremor. My question is..should i stop taking it since it has not made an improvement. Or give it more time. I already ask the neuros nurse...she coild not tell me...said she had to ask the dr. Which wont be in until 4 days. I cant see taking something for nothing. Seems like a nurse should know. This is why i have refused prescription drugs in the past. Not use to them...donot like them. Going back to something natural.

[Greenday]

What other medicines do you take?

Especially in the early stages of the disease, Some doctors prescribe, a dopamine agonist such as Mirapex (Pramipexole) with a MAO inhibitor such as Azilect (Rasagiline). As the disease progresses, those drugs lose their effectiveness and levodopa drugs are introduced such as Madopar or Sinemet for the treatment of symptoms.

[Rosabellazita in reply to Greenday]

No other drugs

[Greenday in reply to Rosabellazita]

The Dopamine Agonist (Mirapex) is usually prescribed with a MAO-B inhibitor such as Rasagiline (Azilect) which possible neuroprotective, I strongly suggest to communicate this with your doctor. MAO-B inhibitor slows the break-down of dopamine in the brain, providing a dopamine agonist might not be enough, you need to keep dopamine as long as possible in the brain by delaying breaking down prematurely.

When have such serious disease, it doesn't hurt to seek for a second opinion. It is typical for PD patients to be prescribed with the lowest dosage possible, this allows body to adapt to the new medication and doctors to observe for possible side effects before increasing to a therapeutical dosage.

[Hikoi]

Doubt you are on the right strength yet. Takes a while to get to right level

[Hidden]

Mirapex has many disagreeable side effects .....major weight gain was the worst one for me. Others are highly addictive behaviours, some causing financial breakdowns including gambling, shopping, on line ordering, etc. So be very careful.

IMPORTANT You cannot just stop taking these meds cold turkey.

[Rosabellazita in reply to Hidden]

I took it for two wks and was told by neruo i could stop it completely. No weaning.

[falcon946]

I actually lost a little weight with it. But helped with speech and levadopa off times. You have to build up to the right strength with this. Talk to your doctor but don't stop cold turkey.

[Marg52]

Unfortunately my husband took merapax too, it did nothing for him either but he has PSP, talk to your doctor first before stopping never do it on your own. Marge

[Rosabellazita in reply to Marg52]

Psp?

[Sweetvikes]

Mirapex can be dangerous. I had a horrible gambling addiction while on it.

[Rosabellazita in reply to Sweetvikes]

How do i stop it. Been on lowest dose exactly 33 days.

[Bailey_Texas]

If your husband has had no response to his medicine he should ask his doctor to increase his dose or change to another.

[MWLE]

My father's nero is trying to get him off of it. He has been on it for about 10+ years. He has developed hallucinations, dementia and wants to buy everything. Thank god his doesn't know how to go online to by things. He can't seem to be completely off because his tremors returned and is mostly disfunctional. The is having a horrific time adjusting.

I would recommend putting it as much as possible. Something u have to work out with your doctor.

[Rosabellazita in reply to MWLE]

U recomend quitting it? How? I take lowest dose three x a day. How do i stop. 1/2 three times ..then...what?

[MWLE in reply to Rosabellazita]

Hello Resabellazita. It is something you need to discuss with your doctor. If you are on low dosage (.25mg) x 3 times a day, you may be OK for several years. My father started showing issues about 8 years or so after he starting. He was on .75 mg x 3 per day when we had to take him off. Even a small amount at .25 mg x 2 times a day with his Rytary is causing him dementia, anger, hallucinations and other issues. Without the Merapex, he can barely move now. So, we have to find the right balance of Rytary with Merapex so he is functional, but minimize the other issues.

My recommendation is stay off of it for as long as you can. If cannot, stay with low dosages. Also, supplement with B vitamins (Niacin, B12, etc) and other minerals to stay healthy.

All the best to you and your family!!

[Rosabellazita in reply to MWLE]

How do i stop it? I dont want to take it. I only have r.hand tremor and it does not phase it and i donot want to increase it.

[Rosabellazita in reply to Rosabellazita]

Im asking you because i cant reach the neuro until nx wk sometime

[MWLE]

Rosabellazita. You don't need to be scare. Just continue what your doctor is recommending. Talk to him/her when you can and tell them that you want to hold off on taking it till you condition is worst. He/She will slowly take you off over the coarse of about 3 weeks or so. I am NOT a doctor and cannot give you expert advise. I can only give you information on what I know so you can be more inform when you talk to your nero.

Regards.

[Hidden]

First remember none of us on this site are doctors or medical practitioners....so we can only share our own experiences or those of others we know well.

My personal recommendation is to avoid Mirapex. Too many people have developed really awful side effects.....but it does work for some, in the short term mostly from what I have learned personally, from other PWP (people with Parkinson’s) and from my neurologist too. To come off it, your doctor will recommend slow reduction of dosage probably over st least the same length of time you’ve been taking it, since it has been such a short time.

I have done well on Sinemet CR (controlled release) as have many others. (I live in Canada). Diagnosed over 5 years ago at 68 and I’ve been using Sinemet CR now for over four years, after my depressing experience with Mirapex, which was prescribed by a neurologist, but NOT a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders, like Parkinson’s. Once I was connected with my neurologist that does specialize in movement disorders, I was slowly weaned of Mirapex after being on it for 9 months and putting on over 40 lbs in that same period. I am 5ft 3” and went from 124 lbs to 168! And felt awful! I did not, by the way, lose the weight and was told that the Mirapex had changed my metabolism and being on Sinemet (or any drug for PD) meant I was not likely going to lose the extra 40+ pounds. I tried unsuccessfully for 3 years!

I have most recently lost 30 of those pounds via a homeopathic practitioner but that’s another story altogether.

Point is, Mirapex can be harmful to some people. You need to consult your neurologist for any change and do NOT stop taking it cold turkey. I tried that and really regretted it!

Good luck. Don’t panic. Stress is not a good thing for PWP, so try to manage your situation rationally, if you can.

Remember too .....we are all on our own journey with PD...... there are so many different ways that it presents and changes. That's why we need to be our own best monitor, and hopefully have a good relationship with our neurologist.

💌

[Rosabellazita in reply to Hidden]

Movement dis.spec. said i could stop it since i was only on the lowest dose for 14 days. So i did. Not taking any meds right now.

[Hidden]

When will you see your neurologist? How are you feeling?

Be careful and monitor and record your symptoms daily. 🤞👍🙏