Targinact - here we go !
Last ditch attempt to free myself of augmenting via Ropinirole, but read the leaflet & it says no alcohol. Anyone have any experience of this as I have had some with Gabapentin & if you have more than a couple of glasses of wine it causes the symptoms to get worse for a while. Red wine especially. So as it is Xmas I am thinking of delaying starting until January. Does it really mean NO ALCOHOL for the rest of my days?
Hello Joepublic.
Targinact is a combination of opioid analgesics oxycodone and naloxone.
Alcohol is a depressant and when combined with other drugs, especially opioids, you can have severe side effects.
What I understand is that you should refrain from drinking alcohol while taking this medication.
These are some of the side effects I found online:
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dehydration
• Changes in blood pressure
• Irregular heart rate and rhythm
• Cardiovascular instability
• Dizziness or loss of coordination
• Abnormal behavior
• Loss of consciousness
• Respiratory arrest
• Coma
Yes I have seen that but I was wondering if anyone had any experience of an occasional glass of wine or if it was a blanket ban and not a single drop?
I wouldn't drink any alcohol while taking that medication.
Let me tell you something that happened to me years ago.
My family and I were celebrating Christmas.
At that time I was taking a very strong medication and I was aware that I should not drink alcohol.
Someone offered me a little bit of rum and Coke and I thought that such a small amount wouldn't hurt me.
A couple of hours later I had a very bad tachycardia that lasted a long time and I really thought I was going to die.
I learned my lesson. I've never drunk alcohol again when I am taking medications. Now I don't drink at all.
I take OxyContin 25 mg per day and I drink alcohol.
Alcohol for many is a trigger for RLS but in my case, moderate alcohol actually improves my RLS.
Obviously all medications for RLS usually state that you shouldn’t drink any alcohol but I think it’s up to you.
Chin chin🍸
Merry Christmas 🎄
Wow Jools that is in direct contradiction to my first reply where he was Tachycardic - now I'm confused as to try one or two.
"Someone offered me a little bit of rum and Coke and I thought that such a small amount wouldn't hurt me.
A couple of hours later I had a very bad tachycardia that lasted a long time and I really thought I was going to die. I learned my lesson. I've never drunk alcohol again when I am taking medications. Now I don't drink at all."
I absolutely understand but I think you need to put things in perspective- obviously drinking more than one or two glasses a day might be problematic and everyone reacts differently to meds & therefore everyone will react differently to alcohol & opioids.
I never have more than 2 units of alcohol and I have been lucky- but you may have a reaction.
WAAD - we are all different.
In the spirit of being open I should point out that most experts advise against alcohol, even in moderate amounts, with opioids.
Hi Joepublic. I am on Ropinirole, I have been for more years than I can remember. 8mg per night. Alcohol, as I've got older, makes my RLS so much worse, especially dark alcohol red wine for one. It's a case, for me anyway, of don't drink, don't make it worse, have a drink & suffer more. I started to drop my dosage last week by 1 tab a week. On docs advice. Not as easy as she thinks. I'm tempted to take that 1 some nights. Goodness know what I'll be like at 2 tabs? Maybe I'll need alcohol then?? The whole situation, RLS, medication to ease it, being on medication for years, coming off it slowly. Back to square one! Sorry, I've been no help but I do hope you can enjoy the rest of your Christmas 🎄
Please, please, please don’t drop one tablet a week.
8mg of Ropinirole is 8 times the maximum dose and you’ve been on it for years. You will have horrendous withdrawal if you reduce that quickly.
Dr. Winkleman & Dr. Buchfuhrer recommend a minimum period of 3 months & in heavy doses- a year.
In your case I suggest you reduce by 0.25mg every 10-14 days. I reduced by 0.5mg every 10-14 days and it was too fast- I had a really difficult withdrawal.
Reducing too quickly can also cause serious problems. DAWS is very serious.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/236...
If I were you, I would read all the articles on DAWS and Ropinirole and Augmentation and discuss a replacement med regime with your doctor after showing him/her copies of the information.
Thank you. Doc said I'd be of it in 4 weeks! I thought she was being optimistic. I'm able to split the tablets so I think I'll do that. I'm so glad I joined this group. So much good advice & no longer feel alone xx
Oh my goodness! I've just read through the link you sent me & I couldn't believe it. I thought my doctor was being understanding but, I think, maybe she could do with reading up. I'll definitely do it a lot more slowly
Sadly, the overwhelming majority of doctors in the UK know nothing about RLS, the drugs that treat it or the serious side effects. Many of us have been through withdrawal from Ropinirole and I can honestly say it was the hardest thing I have ever done. Please make sure you have someone with you for the last 10-14 days after the last dose as you will get little sleep & the intensity of the RLS is overwhelming.
Looking forward to that then - cheers Jools. You said drop by 0.25mg a time with 2 week intervals wasn't it?
Yes- safest way is 0.25mg every 2 weeks. You may still get withdrawal symptoms but you have to try to get through and onto alternative meds.
If you’re on Ropinirole now, I should mention that all the leaflets and text books advise against any alcohol with dopamine agonists as well. However- I used to drink alcohol when I was on Ropinirole for 16 years.
Let us know how Withdrawal from Ropinirole goes- OxyContin should help relieve any withdrawal symptoms.
I just remembered - if this slow withdrawal from Ropinirole is true, it might explain why last December I had such a reaction to dropping it on day one altogether & replacing it with the Neupro patch of Rotigotine? I had a 48hr spell of augmentaton that was so bad I switched back.
It depends on what dose of Ropinirole you were on and whether the Neupro patch was equivalent. If not- you would suffer withdrawal.
Hello, if you are on 8mg a day I think you need to plan for at least a year to get off Ropinirole without too much withdrawal symptoms, they can be horrendous I have been there. You need to educate your doctor with some of the info from this forum and get something like Pregabalin prescribed to control the RLS while you are getting off the Ropinirole. I am using this method while getting off Neupro, it is working well but I may need to increase the dose from 150mg per day as I reduce the Neupro below 1mg per day. Both Ropinirole and Neupro are DA drugs and at least NICE is not suggesting them as first choice drugs anymore. However I repeat do your reductions very slowly with something else to control the RLS
Wow that sounds depressing - I have had it badly now for about 2 years & that is bad enough. Not looking forward to the changes I must say but I have to try.
Good luck, I'm sure you can do it. This group helps so much
I am on Gabapentin and Tramadol but to remain sane I have three vices. I have a small coffee each morning with a chocolate coated biscuit. With my evening meal I have a glass of lager. I really look forward to each ‘vice’ and they make my RLS life bearable. I have tested each one and tried eliminating all 3 but found no effect or side effects. But that’s just me!
Good luck.
John
I guess it's different for each of us.
Thanks for the tip - makes sense but I'm probably going to abstain for quite a while if it works as I'm desperate for this last chance saloon - pardon the pun.
Oh You poor man! I totally sympathize. However, I am on a very large dose of Pramipexole and I drink two or three glasses of red wine every night and sometimes start with Gand T! I find this helps reduce my symptoms. I used to have a very serious alcohol problem but am one of the luck few who can still drink. I also drank the same amount when taking Tramadol and I was fine. However drinking more than this would be a problem I think so no benders for you and I. ! However a advise caution and easy does it is the rule and we are all different. I am a very fit 72 year old, I sail, I swim, I back pack sometimes at high altitude. But as the jumper yelled as he fell past the third floor window "so far so good" ............... Cheers mate!
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