does pramipexole give weight gain and swollen legs and feet ,even if i watch what i eat i put on weight , also feet and legs swollen even wearing prescription pressure socks and foot sleeves and adjustable bed so feet are raised up makes no difference, has any one else found this or is it my old brain going wonky.
Auld Reekie
Weight gain is a commonly reported side effect of many of these medications.
It is mainly due to fluid retention.
It is not fat.
I wonder would diuretics help. This is a purely personal reflection, and has no medical basis . I have not researched this angle. Maybe someone might like to do so?
Hi mad legs i also take water tablet ,yes it is fluid retention ,but what about belly fat was always slim before taking it not eating anymore than i did ,82 and not good with all the weight for walking .
I'm sorry for your situation, but I know no more.Do the water tablets act as a diuretic? (Make you pee more often?)
yes have to be careful to take it ,no good if i am out doing things always looking for a toilet ,going on a strict diet see if that helps ,thanks for the input ,keep smiling ,god bless all sufferers of this curse
👍😎
Yes, weight gain is one of the side effects of pramipexole.
I'm presuming that whoever prescribed you this didn't tell you about the side effects.
I'm guessing more importantly, that they didn't tell you about the MAJOR COMPLICATIONS pramipexole can cause.
If you experience either of these then you'll have stop taking it.
The first is Impulse Control Disorder. Luckily this isn't common but can be life changing if it does. It usually takes the form of gambling addiction, shopping addiction, hypersexuality or compulsive overeating.
Obviously if you have the last of these you will gain weight, but you will know that you have the compulsion, you will recognise you're overeating.
The other major complication is augmentation. This is a significant worsening of RLS symptoms. Think of the worst symptoms you have ever experienced, then triple it!
This is very common. How likely somebody is to get this depends on how big a dose you take and how long you take it. It is a long term consequence of the drug.
You can try and avoid augmentation by never increasing the dose above 0.25mg. However, you may find that the drug begins to fail and your Dr may advise increasing the dose.
Increasing the dose only makes augmentation more likely. The right action would be to stop taking it.
I therefore suggest you read up about the signs of augmentation. Be warned it slowly creeps up on you. Look out for the signs and if they should start to appear, consider stopping the drug.
Pramipexole and the other dopamine agonists are no longer recommended as the first treatment for RLS because of the high risk of augmentation.
The first treatment to be considered for RLS is iron therapy as iron deficiency is its main cause. Your doctor should have carried out blood tests for iron deficiency. I suggest you read up about RLS and iron.
I hope you also know that some things can make RLS worse, particularly other drugs, but also diet.
Identifying what aggravates your RLS and if possible eliminating it can help.
Dr knows nothing you guys are the best to find out things you are doing a great job ,appreciate all the good advice you all give thank you .
Hi Manerva, I think Aulreekie is suggesting weight gain by NOT (sorry) overeating. Something I may be falling into. I'm certainly not overindulging, more "cutting down".
Dear Auldreekie.
I did a sleep study in 2012 for snoring and RLS. My wife had to grab my legs to keep from getting kicked in bed. I was 66 years old 5ft 8in tall, and weighed 184 US pounds. I was put on pramipexole and gabapentin. Two years later I weighed 204 pounds. I did another sleep study in 2014 and increased sleep apnea events from less than 5/hr to over 20/hr during "sleep". An event is a stoppage of breathing for 10 seconds. In 2020 I weighed 234 pounds. The 50 pound weight gain is from compulsive eating after 8 pm and an aging metabolism.
I have been decreasing pramipexole by 0.125mg every 2 weeks. I started at 2mg/day (the UK limit is 0.750/day). After 22 weeks, I am down to 0.625 mg/day; 10 weeks to go!
Hi after all the good advice i am starting to decrease slowly going to cut back from .53 mg of pramipexole by halving or quartering . I have started 2 nights ago ,I know it will be a long haul reading all the comments from you guys I will get there. God bless.
Just checking. 0.53mg is an unsual dose.
Are you taking an extended release version?
Typical doses for the immediate release version are 0.125, 0.25, 0.5mg etc (or 0.088, 0.18, 0.36 or 0.54mg)
I only ask becasue although it's safe to cut immediate release versions, this might not be safe with extended release versions.
Hi auldreekieHave you experienced any withdrawal symptoms ?
HI, HAVE STOPPED TAKING .18MG LAST NIGHT AFTER 3 WEEKS SLOWLY REDUCING AND NO WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS ,NOW GOING TO DO THE SAME WITH ,35MG TABLET AND SEE HOW IT GOES .CHEERS
I cannot take it because I also get really swollen ankles and legs.
Hi, yes I have swollen legs feet and ankles as well with pramipexole I wear prescription pressure socks and foot sleeve have an adjustable bed just have to put up with it or come off pram and see if they go down .
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