Hi everyone, any comment on below?
"Discontinuation of dopamine agonists because of severe augmentation or other adverse effects and substitution of a drug of a different class (such as an alpha2-delta ligand) can be achieved in 2 ways.
The initial drug can be reduced slowly after the new agent is introduced with an overlap period when the patient is taking both medications. Alternatively, the initial drug can be reduced and discontinued with a drug holiday before the new agent is introduced. Higher doses of dopamine agonists should never be discontinued abruptly as serious withdrawal effects can occur, characterized by severe RLS, sleep disturbance, and depression. Rates of reduction should not exceed 0.25 mg (pramipexole) or 0.5 mg (ropinirole) every 3 days.
Whereas a drug holiday can allow a new symptom baseline to be established, many patients with augmentation from dopamine agonists find it difficult to tolerate a period free of any medication, with exacerbation of RLS and profound insomnia lasting sometimes a week or longer after complete discontinuation."
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