Hi Can RSL medication(4mg modified release ropinirole) cause increased Blood pressure - typically 137/110 Pr 90?

[Doversoul]

Further - I get (about) every 6 weeks - inner thigh muscle cramp when the Pain is so severe -like a tightening of the nerve - is this RLS related or from a drug side effect?

Can I do any thing to prevent it ?

[E-bunny]

Hi Doversoul.

I am on the standard ropinirole 2mg per night, and i too have developed a high blood pressure 130/100.

I have no idea if it directly linked to the medication ! But I now have to go to her for regular bp checks. This may be something i will mention to her on the next visit.

[ldq1997]

This is what Web MD says about side effects from Repinrole. Apparently a drop in blood pressure is one of the more usual side effects. Nothing is said about high blood pressure.

" Nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, unusual sweating, headache, and dry mouth may occur. If these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor promptly.

Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: difficulty moving or walking, mental/mood changes (e.g., confusion, depression, hallucinations, memory problems, trouble sleeping), muscle cramps/spasms, decreased sexual ability, unusual urges (e.g., increased gambling or sexual urges).

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur: anxiety/restlessness, swelling of the ankles/feet, chest pain, unusually fast/slow/irregular heartbeat, vision changes.

Some people taking ropinirole have reported falling asleep suddenly during their usual daily activities (e.g., talking on the phone, driving). In some cases, sleep occurred without any feelings of drowsiness beforehand. This sleep effect may occur any time during treatment with ropinirole, including up to 1 year after starting the medication. Therefore, you should not drive or take part in other possibly dangerous activities until you are certain that this medication will not cause drowsiness or sudden sleep. If you experience increased sleepiness or fall asleep during the day, do not drive or take part in other possibly dangerous activities until you have discussed this effect with your doctor. Your risk is increased with use of alcohol or other medications that can make you drowsy.

You may also develop a sudden drop in blood pressure, which can cause dizziness, nausea, and fainting. This is more likely when you are first starting the medication or when your dose is increased, or when you get up suddenly. To lower your risk, get up slowly from a sitting or lying position.

If you are taking this medication for RLS, tell your doctor if your symptoms get worse in the early morning or if you start getting symptoms earlier in the evening or late afternoon (rebound RLS)."

If people would look up the side effects of prescription drugs, they would be less enthusiastic about taking them.

[Doversoul]

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply and finding the info above. There will always be side effect issues with RLS medications - that is my experience since 2008. I have been prescribed all the main known ones. If I hadn't persisted with them I would have taken my own life sometime ago. Not only was my life a misery, I was also making my wife's one. She doesn't deserve that.

I think that your closing comment is unfair - if you suffer RLS you should be aware of side effects, however, known side effects are not always fully shown in the leaflet with the medication. The muscle cramp side effect mentioned in your reply, isn't listed in my modified release info. Had it been I wouldn't have asked the question and discussed that side effect with my GP, which I will now do.

When you suffer 24/7 RLS, you try anything to get relief and do your best to cope with the side effects. Back in 2008 I started on 0.5mg of Ropinerole daily, I am now on 4mg, but I hope to reduce that back to 3mg when I switch back to medium release (Ardartel). The max prescribed RLS dose is 4mg a day. For me that is too much. If the 3mg isn't giving me any quality of life, I shall restart taking clonazepam along side it. If that doesn't work out I will stop the clonazepam and try alternative. I may be clutching at straws, but I will try anything to get relief from RLs, and if I ever run out of options, that will be when I switch the lets of for good.

[ldq1997 in reply to Doversoul]

Have you ever thought of trying something simple like mucuna bean (velvet bean) extract.? I get awful muscle cramps from Parkinson's and i find that mucuna bean extract works like a miracle. Mucuna bean is an ancient herbal remedy which contains natural L-dopa and has been used for thousands of years in India without the horrendous side effects you get from chemical remedies.

Texas A&M university is doing research on the mucuna (velvet) bean in hopes that if it can be accepted as the medicine of choice for Parkinson's, it would provide a great boon for American agriculture. Thus, in a small way, it would be patriotic for us to try out mucuna bean to see if there is any benefit to it.

[Doversoul]

Thanks for the suggestion, I have an open mind but I have read mixed reviews of this supplement on Amazon.com. I cannot find any thing tells you how to use it.

As I am in the UK not much info available.

[nightdancer]

Sleep deprivation of all kinds can cause blood pressure spikes all by themselves, but look up the side effects on a reputable medical web site. Amazon is not really one of those sites. Plus the leaflet that comes with your prescription. Plus you can ask your doctor and/or pharmacist. rxlist.com and drugs.com are two of the best. The 1st one is way more detailed. Plus you can go to the drug's web site, because they have to disclose all side effects, the sites based in the US that are monitored by the FDA have to. LIke someone said, low blood pressure is more common for a side effect, but sleep deprivation can cause high blood pressure for sure in a lot of us. IT is more likely the lack of sleep doing it, but as we say all of us can react differently.

[ChrisK53]

I use mucuna for my RLS and it works fine for me. Dr. Ray Shelalin (sp.) is where I bought it from initially, then I switched over to the NOW brand and I buy it on Amazon. I did not taper off the Mirapex like I should have, and my RLS was unbearable during the switch. My doctor said I should have tapered off and started taking the mucuna in between, BUT, I didn't. I am very happy with it now. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones it works for, but I'll take it!