Pramipexole

[Gedge01]

My neuro recommends I take Pramipexole along with semenet to help with walking but I am not keen to take the Pramipexole because of all side effects.Does anyone have experience of taking this drug ?Any thoughts would be helpful.

[WinnieThePoo]

I've been on it for 5 weeks now. Takes a bit of adjusting to. Seems to take time for benefits to reach full, and time for the side effects to fade away. Only real bad effects this week are a cough and fatigue. And the fatigue is manageable with a half hour nap once a day. Get the extended release

[pvw2 in reply to WinnieThePoo]

The side effects seem to diminish over time as you keep taking it, so that the neurologist can gradually increase dosage. Coffee helps with drowsiness, but you need to make sure the dosage doesn't increase until you can't control falling asleep. The med will decrease the amount of L/C you need , thus avoid the side effect of too much L/C.

[mccshe in reply to pvw2]

Hello pvw2,

My name is Sheila. I was diagnosed 11 years ago at age 48. To be honest with you I cant remember exactly when Pramipexole was added to my meds but I definitely remember it was a welcome addition for me. I was experiencing some extremely uncomfortable "restless" symptoms throughout my body. You might think of it as an inability to calm my limbs so as to comfortably sleep or even sit and relax during the day. It was an awful feeling and the medication fixed my physical symptoms. This drug is known however to have some very serious side effects, particularly impulsive or compulsive behaviors such as the urge to gamble, binge eating and or unusual sexual behaviors. Now it is not everyone of course who will indulge in these behaviors but some do and I was one of them. Already being someone who likes shopping I started spending more and more time and money doing so. Upon my regular visits to my neurologist she willfully asked me at each visit if I had noticed any changes to spending habits etc. Of course I was in denial . Once I was able to finally admit to myself that I was engaging in some compulsivity I was able to control this with the help of my very understanding husband. I will also admit that it was after I had already spent quite a lot of money. Fortunately , it didn't "break" us. I do know first hand of broken marriages, financial ruin , and social humiliation to some who took this drug. Their stories are devastatingly sad.

So while it can be a very useful medication it must be used with extreme caution .

My very best regards to you!

[Jimnlori4 in reply to mccshe]

Prayers

My husband began cheating after starting this drug. I left him for a year and half but we have since worked it out.

[park_bear in reply to Jimnlori4]

Yours is not the only report of an unwelcome personality change as result of taking a dopamine agonist medication.

[Hidden]

I take it without side effects.

[pvw2 in reply to Hidden]

You've probably have been taking it for a while.

[Hidden in reply to pvw2]

Only a few weeks

[mccshe]

To Gedge01, and pvw2

Oh my goodness!! I had a reply to your post but addressed it to pvw2. Please look for my comments following pvw2 comments I apologize to you both ! Yikes! please know best regards to all!!

[swva]

I have been on it for several months. No side effects that I have noticed.

[pmmargo]

I am on pram ER . It was a miracle drug for me initially. even 0.375 mg has a miraculous improvement in balance. Over time I have had a few of side effects at 1.5 mg. I tried to reduce dosage and am now still suffering from dopamine withdrawl. I am hoping to go back to the full therapeutic dose 1.5 mg. (if you go on this one you may never get off of it...if you are like me) Proceed but with extreme caution.

[mgregor6]

My neuro started me out on this. My next neuro introduced me to C/L to take along with it. So then I had something to compare it to. I quit this drug (gradually) when I noticed it was making me cognitively impaired and paranoid. I was convinced my significant other was cheating on me - which she wasn't. Otherwise it did handle symptoms well and I liked how it helped me sleep. But it was addictive, and when I started decreasing the dosage, I saw how powerful it had become, digging in its hooks to me mentally and physically without me noticing. I also had heard that some folks had become so addicted, it was easier to keep taking it...forever....rather than switching completely to other meds. But the icing on the cake was reading that some people have died trying to shake the pramipexole habit.

[Hikoi in reply to mgregor6]

Some people ha e died, this is new news. Where can I read more?

[134A]

Janice Walton-HadlockBook

Once Upon a Pill

Details experiences of patients who attempted to quit Dopamine Agonists.

Scary stuff!!