Ropinirole and RSL

[m1946]

I was prescribed Ropinirole beginning of November 2013 with a low dosage 0.25mg increasing every two weeks to 0.5mg in the morning and 0.50 mg in the evening?

At present my RLS has disappeared after years of experiencing RLS symptoms culminating in very severe symptoms September & October 2013 when I was continually awake from about 1am to 7am!! Played havoc with my daily life's routine!

The only side effects seems to be some itchy skin problems but easy to live with and not every day!!

So Ropinirole is the treatment I would recommend BUT not sure how long I should be taking this Dopamine Agonist - any experience out there?

Happy New Year to all and NO RESTLESS LEGS!!!!

[JenniferG]

Great to hear you are getting some relief.

[RLS247]

Yes, be careful about augmentation. At some point (80% of us) you may find out that it will make your RLS worse and it will go from every night to all day/night. Usually about 5 years

[jubilee]

Happy New Year Everyone. Can anyone recommend an anti-anxiety medication that wont aggrevate my RLS ? I was on Citalopram until I learned it wasn't good.

[geebo4]

I was on Ropinirole for a few years and it was really successful. This year I had to come off due to some side effects. I was given the Rotigotine Patch which I like, but the max dose is 3mg and it wasn't enough to control symptoms. Along side the patch, I was given Gabapentin - side effects from that really were nasty for me, so went on to Pregabolin. It was effective for my legs and even though I initially checked the side effects leaflet, because the drug was working, I never thought about a condition in my throat that was causing concern. Three specialists later, several camera procedures and in fear I was about to die, the last specialist raised the alarm that this drug was the cause of my now very serious condition. I've been off the drug 3 weeks and just starting to recover.

My doctor has now put me back on a very low dose of Ropinirole to work along side the patch and I'm confident that I'll now get my life back with manageable side effects. Gabapentin and Pregabolin are in a family of drugs that I obviously can't tolerate.

Had a rotten Christmas, but at least I'm still around for 2014

Happy New Year!

[magggzzz in reply to geebo4]

I take gabapentin along with clonazepam for my RLS and it's a cocktail that seems to work for me. The trouble is that I take a small dose of each when I come home from work and that relaxes me but when my legs get going in the evening I have to take the rest of the dose and it's like an anaesthetic. I just go out like a light. I'm the opposite of all of you who don't get enough sleep. I get so much that I have no life. I'm curious to know what these side effects you suffered with actually were. I've been taking the gabapentin for a couple of years now and I seem to be less able to tolerate it now that when I started taking it ie it just knocks me out. Did you find this or was it something else altogether.

I have tried one of the dopamine agonists a few years ago and it had no effect so I'm a bit scared to come off the two drugs I take now.

[geebo4 in reply to magggzzz]

Gabapentin side effects for me were:- Headaches, swelling of face, legs & feet, joint pain, weight gain, weakness, anxious, double vision and appetite changes. Tiredness was also a part, but I had that problem when on 4mg Ropinirole.

Now that I'm on the Neupro Patch and half mg Ropinirole, the tiredness has gone away.

[m1946 in reply to geebo4]

So i am fortunate to just be on 1.00mg and having good nights sleep!! Lets hope augmentation does not occur too soon. I am nearly 68 !

[jefro in reply to geebo4]

I was on Ropinirole for a few years until recently when augmentation started and I went to my GP and asked for Rotigotine. He asked a neurologist what dose I should have and he suggested 2mg per day. For the first day it was brilliant but I had Ropinirole still in my system but the next day my RLS was really bad so I decided to use two patches making 4mg. WOW, my legs had totally stopped fidgeting and my life was back to normal. I asked my GP for 4mg and he asked the neurologist as 3mg is the maximum for RLS, who agreed and life is great with eight hours sleep a night and no restless arms or legs.

Seasons greetings to you all.

[cumoneileen]

I take 2, 25mg afternoon and 3, 25mg at night. works fine for me after years of suffering. doctor said still within guidelines. I get itching but not much to pay for being able to sit and sleep at night.

[m1946 in reply to cumoneileen]

Thanks for that! My total currently is 1.0mg so i consider myself fortunate. Fingers crossed for the future. I am approaching 68!