Anyone here try Requip for rls?

[Sleeplessmom]

My doc wanted to start me on requip today. I am sooo Leary of new meds since my stroke. But man I want some sleep. The list of side effects scared the crap out of me and I never ended up filling the medicine.

Would love any insight

Thank you.

[Madlegs1]

If you type 'requip' in the search bar above ( tap on the magnifying glass icon) you will come ona whole pileof information from previous posts.

Happy reading. !

[khills]

Yes- I am taking requip. I take 3 small pills (.25 mg each) around 6:00 PM along with magnesium pills and I have NO RLS. it is wonderful!!! Give it a try. I've experienced no side effects.

[Sleeplessmom in reply to khills]

Thank you!!!

[Mrappleton]

Been on Requip since my G P first diagnosed me with RLS, started on 1 to 2 mg daily, I am now on maximum dosage of 4 mg daily as symptoms have gradually worsened. Could not say I have noticed any side effects but my only concern is what next if symptoms keep worsening. All I can suggest is give it a try and hope for the best, I am on quite a few meds and as I said I couldn't say I've noticed any side effects. Good luck

[Pippins2 in reply to Mrappleton]

Mrappletin as your symptoms are gradually getting worse you will be suffering augmentation from the Requip. Please see my comment to desperate 41 for an explanation of augmentation. It is 2 posts below this one. .This is why the experts now recommended a maximum daily dose of only 1mg , 2mg the absolute tops. .Pipps x

[cherhaws]

I tried it last year due to my pramipexole not working as well and GP didn't want to up the dose. I have to say I hated Requip. It gave me high anxiety and as soon as I'd take it I'd have to go to bed because it made me so sleepy. But I'd lay there in bed with awful anxiety. I gave it a good 6 weeks and even though it did help my RLS I didn't like having to go straight to bed early and not be able to hang out with the family watching telly and I didn't like the horrible panic I felt. I ended up back on pramipexole and got my GP to put me on a higher dose which is working just fine. I am also taking Magnesium at bedtime which I think is helping too

[OldHollow]

Been on Requip for four years in varying doses. The side effects do need managing, but are better than the RLS. You'll need to find your own groove, but pay attention to what and when you eat (to manage any nausea symptoms) and the timing (I find an hour before sleep is optimum, more and I get wiped out, less and I risk an attack. I guess the timing will depend on your metabolism). You'll also need to take into account what sort of day you've had. A "bad" day (for me sitting on a train, tired, alcohol, caffeine) will give worse side effects than a good day as the drug has to fight harder to contain the RLS. I found taking 250mg Magnesium at the same time made a massive improvement (got rid of that need to go to bed while everyone else is still up) and means that 95% of the time I can not worry about the side effects. One other thing I do is very between 0.5mg and 1mg depending on what's needed. It works quite well for me to have one tablet and then if I feel like it's not going to work after about half and hour or so, have a second one. That has the benefit of keeping the dose as low as possible (to reduce augmentation) but also staging the hit on a higher dose so that you don't get it all at once, and the side effects are reduced.

I hope this doesn't sound too negative: just to be clear, I think Requip is good and when combined with Magnesium, I think it's brilliant.

[Sleeplessmom in reply to OldHollow]

Thank you.... Looks like maybe I should try on lowest dose and see. 😊

[magggzzz]

I tried that one a number of years ago. I didn't have any side effects from it but on the other hand it didn't work for me either. I have RLS quite badly and I've had it as long as I can remember although when I was young it only came on when I was tired. As I got older it got worse and I've been on clonazepam with a side of gabapentin almost since I first sought medical help. I had a brief spell when I tried a few other meds and Requip was one of these. None of them worked. I ended up back on the clonazepam and I've stuck to that ever since.

[Sleeplessmom in reply to magggzzz]

Another I will look into. Thank you!!!

[Insomniak]

Yes I am on Requip about 2 years now and it has been a life changer for me from the 1st day. My sleeping immediately improved. I did feel nauseous for the 1st couple of days but that passed quickly. I know take a slow release version called Requip Modutab which I only have to take once per day as opposed to the 3 x per day previously. I have been on this for a year now without having to increase the dose.

[sleepLessinAZ]

I take Requip after Gabapentin didn't work. 2mg every evening around 7pm. Works well (sometimes nothing works). This is the best for me so far.

[dena1]

I am currently on 1 mg 3 times daily for Parkinson's (Requip). It works great for RLS so far.

I have no side effects so far. Been on it for 5 yrs . I've heard withdrawals are bad with this drug. Started on .5 mg 3 times daily.

[Sleeplessmom in reply to dena1]

Yes. So have I. I recently got off of one of my anxiety/depression meds that I was on for 6 years. It took over 4 months of hell. And that was me weaning. Medicine scares me. But quality of life is pretty important.

[Pippins2]

I am afraid I did not get on with Requip. It worked ok for my RLS but gave me headaches and I felt nauseous and generally unwell. I stuck it out for 6 weeks but in the end I had a stop taking it. I just felt awful and it is the only med that I have ever had to give up. due to side effects. That said many do very well with it so like most things in the RLS world you can only try it and see. Make sure to start out on the lowest possible dose which is either. 25 mg or, 5 mg and keep it low around 1mg. Yes I know that you can go high but the RLS experts are now recommending that 1mg is a maximum daily dose due to the risk of augmentation. 2mg is absolute tops. You will get people telling me they take much higher doses than that but the more the experts learn about augmentation they now know that the leading cause of augmentation is a higher doses. Most doctors are not up to speed on the latest recommendations unfortunately. You are in a good position as you are just starting on a dopamine agonists so you have found this out before you have climbed up to the high doses. Good luck. .Pipps x

[Retren]

Aug3bear in mind we all have different reactions to medications I mentioned a while back had tried requipy which was being prescribed at the time.I had a disastrous experience with it.my muscles were totally flaccid and my legs gave way I crashed onto a table and somehow was precipitated into a closet with sliding doors which promptly closed and I was trapped upside down and backwards way on buried amongst my coats!No-one could hear me.To this day I don,t know how I extricated my-my-self.You may have a more beneficial experience you can only try it out and see it might help you.take care.

[jacklang]

I have suffered RLS my Whole life, arms and legs, I have tried everything from muscle relaxers to opioids, requip did relieve symptoms but caused my joinst servere pain. I found that a combination of Magnesium magnet and Neurontin (gabapentin) has relieved my symptoms day and night