Repinerol

[Hamish58]

Does any one know the best dose to take and at what time of the day ? As I'm having real problems sorting out the timings of this drug and the quantities. I'm restless from 6pm to 11.30pm. Thanks

[Hidden]

What dosage has your doctor told you to take. Hopefully you started at the lowest dose. We cant tell you what dose to take. I think most people take Ropinerole at 3 hrs before bedtime.

[Hamish58 in reply to Hidden]

I started on .25mg for 2 days, then .5mg for 5 days as prescribed. Am up to 2mg per day but am experimenting with the times to take my doses. I find if I take a 1mg tablet my rls kicks off for an hour or so am trying smaller tablets more often to make a total of 2mg a day.

[Hidden in reply to Hamish58]

Right, so, when you took the .25mgs for 2 days, did it help your RLS, did you get relief. ? Let me explain if i can. When your start on a med, the lowest dose is the best starting dose, just as you did. If that dose works than you stay on that dose and only increase if you need to, no point in increasing a med if the dose you are taking is working. You are now up to the highest dose recommended by the RLS experts, in fact 1mg is better than going up to 2mg. Now because you are on the highest dose recommended you have no room to increase it if it stops working. The old recommended dose is 4mgs but like i said new lower doses are now better.

[Hamish58 in reply to Hidden]

It did help a touch in the beginning but has needed more mg to achieve a good result. Out of interest do you know why have the rls they changed it to 2mg not 4mg ? I'm trying to reduce it where possible but the timing and dose I can't get right yet.

[Hidden in reply to Hamish58]

The reason for the change in the dosage for dopamine meds is because of Augmentation. Augmentation is where the dopamine med you are taking starts to make your RLS worse, rather than give relief. Just like you have said, you have had to take more to get a good result.

When you are trying to reduce your dose, i take it that you are getting bad symptoms...? So that is confusing you on what dose and timing you are trying to get right. When taking a dopamine med and then try to reduce it or come off it, the dopamine receptors have got used to the extra dopamine and taking any dopamine away as in reduction, the receptors will complain and that results in RLS feeling worse, withdrawals. Unfortunately doctors do not know of the dosage change and will say you can go up the 4mgs. Just to add augmentation can happen even when taking a low dose. But its slightly easier to detox from a dopamine med when taking a lower dose. Does any of that makes sense for you... ?

[Hamish58 in reply to Hidden]

Always thought this may be the case. I haven't done high doses for very long so hopefully the rls won't complain too much. To be honest I'd prefer to be on 1.75mg or 1.5mg. I take it people swap the medication around periodically when your body gets used to a drug too much ?

[Hidden in reply to Hamish58]

IF you are augmenting and this only applies to dopamine meds. Then its usual to have to come right off that med and try a different class of meds. Going back on the same dopamine med results in augmenting quicker. You will get relief to start with, but not as long as when you first started on the med to begin with.

[khills]

I take 1 mg of ropinerole at about 5:30 pm... before RLS comes on. That seems to work.

[LoisTonya]

Hi Hamish,

I'm restless from late morning and I deal with it by keep taking short walks or walking around doing household chores. What I really want is to be free of it at night. I take my Ropinerole at 8.30 pm. After about 15 mins the legs get worse for about an hour, then they settle down and I go to bed. The jerking legs resume from 3am or 4am so I get up.

[Hamish58 in reply to LoisTonya]

Hi, What does do you take at 8.30pm ? I'm still experimenting with a 1.30pm .25mg tablets, a 6.30pm .25mg and 9.30pm 1mg dose. But I'm finding the same as you after taking the 1mg at 9.30 my legs go mad for an hour or so...... I wonder if the 1mg is too high for my dopamine level. I also take .5mg just as I get into bed at 11pm making a total of 2mg. Any thoughts ?

[LoisTonya in reply to Hamish58]

Hi Hamish -I take 1mg. Sometimes , if it's still bad when I'm in bed, I take an extra .25mg but I'm trying not to increase my dose as I turn into a zombie the next day

[Hamish58 in reply to LoisTonya]

I'm up to 2mg but am only groggy if I have wake in the early hours. Can make my rls go in my arm if I wake up in the night but am trying to not take high doses if I can help it. My doctor has told me that I can go up to 4mg a day but she said 2mg is the average.