Rotigotine and weight gain

[Pammy2]

I've been taking rotigotine 1mg for about 8 months initially it really helped. More recently I was having more bad nights than good. I've just increased the patches to 2mg and my legs have settled again 😊 but with a constant mild but annoying headache as a side effect 😕. I'm 45 and I've never had a problem with my weight but in the last 8 months I've gradually put on a stone. I know rotigotine can cause weight gain, probably worse now that I'm taking 2 patches! Has anyone else noticed weight gain on the patches? Also can they stop working meaning you need to keep increasing the dosage?

[Annieapple]

The maximum dose for RLS is 3mg but hopefully you don’t need to go that high & you can avoid augmentation. If you have breakthrough RLS add in something else like codeine. Obviously discuss with your Dr if you on other medication etc.

I initially put on a bit of weight but am now on a very strict Mediterranean diet plus I am doing the Couch to 5K running app. I drink lots of water too.

All this helps to keep my weight in check.

[Parminter]

Rotigotine is a dopamine agonist, and they can all cause augmentation. The patch is slower to cause it, but if you have to increase your dose after so short a time, then augmentation is very likely.

All dopamine agonists can cause compulsive behaviours - are you finding that you are eating more than you did, or at odd times, raiding the fridge at night?

The need to increase the dose, and the possibility of compulsive eating are both red flags.

[Reader5]

In my experience every RLS medication I took over 5 years, at some point, just quit working!!

[Merster]

Merster here.

I tried Neupro 10mg patch for about a month and thought I had the answer then it quit working. I upped my dose to 2mg and it worked for a couple of weeks and then started making me very dizzy and uncomfortable. At the same time I noticed my legs held a lot of water and a lot of weight around my middle. As soon as I stopped I lost the water and the extra weight and now I have two boxes of unused neupro patches. I also could not achieve an orgasm as it seemed to deaden everything ? I mean everything except the rls.