Does anyone with only RLS (not PD as ... - Restless Legs Syn...

Restless Legs Syndrome

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Does anyone with only RLS (not PD as well) and who takes Mirapex / Mirapexin / Sifrol / Pramipexoole also have blurred and or double vision?

Pete-1 profile image
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Hi Pete-1 i take Pramipexole a low dose, i cant say i have notice blurred or double vision... Maybe you need to see your doctor about it. Is it all the time, or just sometimes.

No Pete I haven't had that problem with mirapex

rita2u profile image
rita2u

Hi Pete, I am new to Health Unlocked and take only Pramipaxol for RLS, I have never had the condition/s you mention. A visit to a GP or maybe the optician could be the answer?

Pete-1 profile image
Pete-1

Thank you for replies so far.

I have spoken to various medical people regarding these symptoms.

Blurred and or Double vision (also known as Diplopia.) are normal Parkinson's Disease symptoms but there is room for the possibility of these symptoms being due to some medication. Not a lot but a bit.

So if I were to find someone with RLS but not PD, taking Mirapex and living with blurred and or double vision. then that might indicate Mirapex is partly to blame.

jimeka profile image
jimeka in reply to Pete-1

Hi Pete, I have been on Pramipexole for nearly 2 years , started at .088 once aday, now on 3 x .088 aday, and so far have not experienced any blurred or double vision, and I take it purely for RLS. I do have my eyes checked every 6 mths due to MS and so far so good. Have a good day Jimeka

It says, in the folder in the box, ( sorry, do not know the english name) that you should controll you eyes regulary when you are on Sifrol, Mirapex and Sifrol contains the same stuff. So, absolutely Mirapex has a part in you problem.

Pete-1 profile image
Pete-1 in reply to

Swedish,

Thank you for your reply.

I think you are referring to the "Patient Information Leaflet". One of these is included in each box of tablets.

carla6556 profile image
carla6556

Yes. I have double vision. Had surgery for it but they were unable to explain why the surgery was unsuccessful. I have done everything except stop taking Mirapex. I take 2mg every day for 16 years now.

Pete-1 profile image
Pete-1 in reply to carla6556

Have you thought about weaning yourself off the Mirapex? With appropriate help from your GP you may find this becomes possible?

Pete-1 profile image
Pete-1

Carla,

That is very interesting, I have not encountered anyone who has taken Mirapex or such a long time, I have taken it for about 6 years.

I did slowly wean myself off Mirapex. Eventually got down to a zero dose. I took none for a few days and found the withdrawal was very unpleasant. Very restless and felt strange in a way that I find impossible to express.

Stopping Mirapex also revealed a problem with RLS. So couldn't sleep, no progress on the double vision problem and felt awful. I was glad to start taking the Mirapex again. Probably I should wean myself off even more slowly than I did.

I do take a bigger dose than you but then I take Mirapex as a treatment for Parkinson's disease rather than RLS.

Many people people complain about side effects from this drug. Two things I have noticed that could be due to PD rather than drug side effects are lower attention span (reading a book is very difficult) and I seem to have disturbed sleeping patterns.

It would be interesting to see if your Diplopia was resolved by stopping the Mirapex.

carla6556 profile image
carla6556 in reply to Pete-1

I am extremely tired and fall asleep in the day time. But night. I sleep only 3 hours or so

carla6556 profile image
carla6556

Yes. I've been on 2 mg of Mirapex for 16 years. I've had unsuccessful gobble vision surgery 9 years ago.

Both Pete.. blurred that cannot be blinked away or changed with an eye exam. Does improve greatly when not taking pramipexole. Had to be off of it for at least a week. More recently I have double vision when laying on my side but not always, same with blurry vision as not always. Was told that the double vision is part of my disease not anything to do with the medication. I am baffled to see that you asked this. I'm searching through old posts for stuff Pete.. I'm glad you held onto these. I will look further into these matters. Thank you.

Pete-1 profile image
Pete-1 in reply to

Hello yikes2, That is interesting, Your's is the only case I have heard of so far. When I tried to wean my self off Pramipexole I managed to go for about 4 days without any Pramipexole. It seems likely that I didn't maintain a long enough time without Pramipexole. Either way no discernible improvement was noticed in my Diplopia. I shall have to consider another attempt without Pramipexole in my life. At least knowing what Dopamine agonist withdrawal is like I can seek some help from my GP or my specialist PD nurse.

In the mean time I have been persuing surgical interventions. Using what is sometimes called squint surgery. These restrict "wayward" movements of the eye so that the eye does not continue constantly to tire, in the process of keeping both eyes convergent upon any object of focus.

So far I have tried spectacles fitted with prismatic lenses. I have tried using an eye patch so that I only get one image so double vision is possible except that is not true. Strangely it is still possible to get double vision with one eye. An eye patch is very unsatisfactory.

Botox injections which were unpleasant and the benefit short lived and squint surgery with some success. Also more surgical procedures are available and may be considered at my next consultant appointment.

It's practically the one thing that lm searching for is why my eyes seem to, hang on Pete, l have to put this in simplistic terms so everyone is on board, my eye are wiggly when l am trying to focus hard on reading a small print book. Now way back in 2000, l had Lasik eye surgery. I know the tiny movements that the eyes make there...compared to that, these eye movements would cause a neurologist to get you in a Mri in minutes.

How do l know that? I'd rather not answer that. Lol. It's goofy...

It will cease completely for me one week after complete withdraw

From pramipexole. Is it a true reading? It wasn't because l was taking other drugs. I had my time that promixole was my one and only drug last week and

Guess what Pete? I had double vision! Just on my side laying...words were jumping in tiny print...l didn't have the guts to take myself back off promixole. I added one drug at a time back as needed. It had been a complete Mayo Clinic ordered Medicine dump for a couple of tests.

Pete-1 profile image
Pete-1 in reply to

I'm not sure if that means you will be facing Dopamine agonist (Pramipexole) withdrawl to complete this mini experiment or not ?

Don't forget that it is possible to get other drugs (Morphine in tablet form) that will enable sleep while you are gradually less until a zero dose.

I look forward to hearing your Mayo Clinic and any other results or conclusions.

in reply to Pete-1

It wasn't a mini experiment. I did have multiple tests at Mayo Clinic. I was to be off of all drugs. They ordered a complete drug dump on me. When all drugs were out of my system RLS was the worst thing that had to be dealt with. I was living in the bathtub, going nuts and doing a lot of crying with the legs. I also was pulled off of oxycodone after being on it for a very long time. That happened a bit before this little drug dump and was hard on me. RLS was really bad.

Pramipexole was not the first drug that they wanted to give to me as deemed necessary. I needed it though so i did get it.

They added one drug at a time because I may have a cross drug reaction going on in my system. The next drug that was necessary was something for diabetes.. Why? I am on very high dose steroids. It's causing a bit of high blood sugars. I am barely eating or drinking more than plain water. I do not want to get overweight. My dad lost his leg from diabetes.

Then a pill called fursomide - steroids picked up where Lyrica

left off on making my ankles swell.. but maybe it's not that

at all.. maybe it's actually ankle injuries they are finding out. Ive been mentioning that to them - ding, ding, ding..

And potassium to cover the water pill.. and then I was questioned if the pramipexole was causing the ankle swelling. and its really not that bad.. not if I put my feet up 30 mins at the end of the day and maybe 20 mins at lunch..

So I don't know but I sure want to know. so I was trying to find others who said that their vision changed.. or they have double vision when they lay on their sides. (not always though Pete) so little wiggly eyes that miss the tiny print in books or on labels. I can magnify the words and then see them...

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