Stopping Requip- ropinirole
Hi everyone,
I am so thankful for this forum. I am seeing that others understand what I have been going through lately. Two weeks ago, I noticed that my legs were becoming more restless at night when taking 2mg requip. My friend mentioned augmentation that her mother had with the medication. So, I stopped taking it. Little did I know what I was in for. I began having severe restless legs at night, no sleep, feeling bad day/night. I was calling the nurse line at my primary care each day. My primary care doctor prescribed me 1-2 Ativan .5 mg as needed at night. This was like taking candy. I would have tried 3, but was scared of overdose.
Finally, I went in to his office after calling 4 days in a row. He prescribed Sinemet CR to be taken each night and Gabapentin 300mg if needed. So, I went home and only took the Sinemet that night...after a few days of no sleep. This was another sleepless night because I could not go to sleep. My legs weren't restless until about 3am; but I couldn't go to sleep before then due to insomnia. The next day I was having panic, anxiety, crying, etc. That night, I took the Sinemet CR and Gabapentin together and finally slept through the night.
Now, my concern is that I have been reading that sinemet cr should not be taken daily, long term. One night, I took the gabapentin 300mg by itself and still had restless legs. So, I had to get up and take the sinemet at about 12am. Also, I am experiencing drowsiness during the day. Will this stop? I am hoping so.
Although I know that this group is not doctors, I am wondering which has worked better for others: Gabapentin, Horizant (gabapentin encarbil) or Lyrica (pregabalin). I am a teacher and need to be alert during the day. I can't have drowsiness.
Tricia 😀
Hi,
My name is Laurie, and I just now joined this community. I am so thankful that I have stumbled upon an email for this SDrls. I went to my neurologist 3 weeks ago who wanted me to stop taking 4 mg nightly of equip. I am in the process of withdrawal (week 3)? I am finding this so difficult. Week 1 started with 300 mg of Gabapentin and 1 mg ripinirole at 6:30, then 1 mg ropinirole at 9:00. Week 2: 300 mg Gabapentin and at 9:00, and 1 mg ropinirole at 9:00 P.M. This is where I am finding it so hard, because I have never really gotten past week 2. I am stuck in week 2 and cannot bear how difficult this withdrawal is. I had no idea that I was taking the maximum dose at 4 mg. If I can ever get past this I will be so thankful. I am seeing the neurologist on 8-8-23 and I would like to report progress, not being stuck. Positive thoughts for me please.
Laurie
Hi
. Welcome to the community! I am hoping someone in the community who has experience with withdrawal from Ropinirole will jump in with some advice. Is it possible to reduce your dosage more slowly? It seem like a huge leap to go from 4 mg to 1 mg in a week. I have had to wean my kids off medications and we learned the hard way that sometimes doctors take things way too quickly. Please keep us posted if you don't mind and feel free to lean on this community as you wait for that appointment. We're here for you. Sending lots and lots of positive energy your way. - Lori (Team Member)
Hi Lori, The thing is that I don’t have Parkinson’s. I was prescribed the Sinemet CR because of RLS. I’m having dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome which Sinemet cr along with Gabapentin 300mg taken together seem to help. At least I’m getting to sleep now. I’m just so tired the next day. It has been a week on this regimen now. The nurse called back today and said I could go up to 600mg on the gabapentin. So, I’m going to try that without the Sinemet tonight. I’m praying that this works!!🙏 Tricia
Hi Tricia (
). I should have noted that the reason I linked the Parkinson's article is because many of the treatments overlap with the treatments for RLS. I hope the increase in Gabapentin helps and that you finally get a good night's sleep. Keep us posted if you don't mind. I will be thinking of you. - Lori (Team Member)
Hi Tricia (
)! You answered my question from another post here about using Gabapentin alone, so feel free to ignore that. 😀 Gabapentin often causes fatigue for the first few weeks of use, but that should ease up as your body gets used to it. Are you on summer break now? If so, this is a good time to start it. If the fatigue doesn't improve in a few weeks though, definitely reach out your doctor. I can understand your concerns about long-term used of Sinemet. I found this article from the Cleveland Clinic about alternatives to Sinemet for people with Parkinson's Disease: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9198-medications-for-parkinsons-disease. You have already tried dopamine antagonists, but maybe you can use this article to get a conversation going with your doctor about other options. I hope you get some responses here and that you eventually find a balance of medications that truly helps. Warmly, Lori (Team Member)
