problems with ropinirole supply

[christw]

I have relied on this for many years, current dosage 2.75 mg daily, but there are chronic shortages of anything but 2mg tablets in my area. Is it a general problem? Are there alternatives which I should ask my GP to prescribe? I’m worried about augmentation if I go up to 3mg (can split 2mg tabs in half) since I only went from 2.5 to 2.75 about a year ago.

[ChrisColumbus]

Another recent poster reported recent difficulties - in Lancashire - but did eventually find some. There are many drug shortages at present, regionally and nationally. I'll leave others with experience of taking meds for RLS to advise on augmentation and what steps you should take now.

Good luck!

[christw]

Thanks for this - I am in Surrey

[SueJohnson]

2 ideas. You can buy an inexpensive jewelry scale on Amazon ($11 in the US) that measures down to .01 gram and measure the 2 mg tablet and then measure out 3/8 of it to get .75 mg.

Or you could switch to pramipexole but there too you would need a jewelry scale because the equivalent dose would be .68 of a .088 tablet.

So I would recommend continuing with the ropinirole.

[Boldgirl45]

I think this is another big reason to try to wean off these highly addictive drugs if possible. Medication supply chain shortages is a scary prospect if one is super reliant on drugs like these.

[Strike26]

This began with Brexit and I suspect that is still the cause with goods crossing the Channel. There have also been problems further back along the chain at source in the Indian sub continent. Why this is still an issue several years on, beggars belief- medication is one of those issues you might expect to have priority. The basic advice (I had a week with no Ropinirole at all- it was difficult!!!) is re-order early and hope!!!

[Rameau in reply to Strike26]

Analysis by the British Generic Manufacturers Association shows over 100 supply issues in February, with 86 in generic markets. Of those generic supply issues, nearly a quarter have persisted for over 12 months.

[Munroist Administrator]

I have an emergency supply of 2mg XL slow release and I was told it was very hard to get the 1mg. The pharmacist said the slow release actually meant I avoided the peak from taking a smaller normal tablet.