Augmentation and Pramipexole

[JoeR]

I am trying to come off pramipexole and I am down to 2 a day 88mcq tablets. Is the last part the hardest to do because I feel I need this to end as soon as possible. How long do I stay on 2 a day and then 1 a day? My replacement medicine is 20mg tabs Oxycondone twice a day. At present, I feel absolutely dreadful (I can't think of a word to express how bad I feel). I am not sure if I feel so bad because I am reducing my pramipexole or because of my new drug Oxycodone. I was on 225 tablets a month of 30mg tablets of codeine phosphate and 0.52mg pramipexole a day.

[SueJohnson]

The end is always the hardest. Normally you would wait 2 weeks between reductions, but it may take longer or you may have to reduce by a lesser amount. The normal reduction would be one half of a tablet. Also wait for the the symptoms to settle before the next reduction. I know you are in a hurry, but rushing it will only make it harder than it need be.

[phantom388]

it took me about 3-4 months to drop from 2 tablets like you, same dose, as Sue says just reduce a bit and wait for it to settle then reduce again. I dropped half a tablet at a time till I got to 1 x 1/2 a tablet, I then did a week or so on a quarter of one tablet, then stopped. I have to tell you it's a bumpy ride, as you are fighting with your body which wants more, not less. It then was probably another 6-8 weeks before I felt it was out of my system. I can also tell you positively that you won't regret it, I feel so much better and my old self, even though I still have RLS it's more manageable and through diet (and a little help from my friends Iron and Magnesium) I can now live with it. Good luck with your journey, and stay firm - you will get through it.

[Niamhcaiden in reply to phantom388]

Why do you need to come off pramipexole is it because you need more and they are addicted drug? I’m taking 3-4 tablets a day but still bad!!

[phantom388 in reply to Niamhcaiden]

Initially Prami helped me for about 2 years then my Rls got worse, looking back now the Prami was making the symptoms worse for me, and I didn't want to increase my dose as they say it can be really hard to come off

[DicCarlson in reply to Niamhcaiden]

Prami is a Dopamine Agonist - initially the knight in shining armor to control RLS - then he becomes the devil! Augmentation is the process where the drug makes the condition worse - hence the reduction and withdrawal. Put "augmentation" in the search bar - lots of additional posts and advice.

[Joolsg in reply to Niamhcaiden]

Augmentation. If your RLS is 'still bad' that indicates that Pramipexole is 'feeding the disease'. Links attached. Just spend an hour reading every post headed Pramipexole, read all SueJohnson replies and you'll see what you have to do.Until you get off Pramipexole, your RLS will get worse, and worse.

rls-uk.org/augmentation-reb...

[MrVimes]

After 20+ years of taking Mirapexin, I was on five tablets per day. It took me three years to get to 1.5 tablets, and further reductions became even more challenging. If you think about it, half a tablet reduction when taking four (for example) is a smaller overall percentage than half a tablet when taking two. I have just started weighing my tablets and reducing them by 1/8th of a pill each week, and I hope to be off them by early December.

[Dgags]

Hi Joe, I am not a doctor. But my experience with oxycodone is that it didn’t have any side effects except a little itchiness for an hour or so after I take it. I only take 5mg per night. A dose of 20 mg could have different side effects. I have never taken Pramipexole. The only other med that works for me to stop my nighttime restless legs is 10 mg of Indica marijuana. Indica marijuana does not cause the “high” effect. Sativa marijuana causes the high that some people want. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. I hope you find a good solution that works for you. Dave

[Jukebox55]

I so understand what you are going through. I took 6 months to come off pramipexole, reducing by half a tablet a month. I followed so much wonderful advice on here. The difficult bit is coming to the end and dovetailing with other drugs. I was sick as a dog on pregabalin and gave that up pretty quickly. Then onto oxicodone. Ithought this was going to be the golden bullet. Started on 5mg, no help, quickly up to 10. Tried for three weeks and i just felt like death warmed up. Didn’t want to do anything. 20mg oxi?? Go carefully, it might throw you under the bus! I have now weaned myself off oxi, took the last one yday! But the restless legs have stopped… now just a plain and simple insomniac!! Not sure what is next (trying hrt too!) It is a dreadful business, hope you have lots of support. I know how lonely and super frustrating those early morning hours are paving up and down and on the fourth cup of tea!!! Good luck, courage!