Requip

[russcat]

For years my PCP has not been able to figure out what is wrong with me. I have a pituitary tumor and when the doctors can't figure out what's wrong, they tend to refer back to "maybe it's the tumor causing your symptoms"

I have an extremely high tolerance to pain but the pains I feel in my legs almost drive me to tears. As long as I am up & about or sitting with my legs crossed, my legs barely hurt. The minute I sit with my legs straight out or the when I lay down, the pain begins.

My vitamin D levels were extremely low, so my PCP gave me a prescription of 50,000IU and I take this once a week. She was certain that the low vitamin D levels was the cause of my pain. I've been on the vitamin D for 4 months now and there is no change in the pain.

My dear sweet husband has rubbed my legs & feet constantly for the last 3 weeks. He has done this every night. I assume I finally fall asleep from pure exhaustion. The lack of sleep is truly affecting my job performance during the day. I am so tired all the time.

Anyway, long story short....the PCP me a 2-week sample kit of Requip. I'm curious how it will affect me and I'd love to hear from anyone that has taken the drug.

I've visited the Requip site and of course it sounds like it is a miracle drug but I'd rather get the opinions and comments of those with true experience.

[D4]

Welcome to this board. If you're lucky, Requip will work for you.

I have severe PLMD and RLS. When I started on Requip, I got to the .5mg dosage and felt like 'blah' for several weeks (no energy, no motivation). After 3 weeks, I couldn't take it anymore. We lowered my dose, and for 3 months it worked perfectly! I slept well and could get up in the morning! Then I started having RLS problems early in the evening and my doctors answer was to take another dose of Requip. Within days, I started having horrible RLS problems right after lunch. My doctor's answer was to take it in the morning, too. I broke down crying on the phone with his nurse because I said it made me feel sick and dizzy, so there's no way I could go to work on it.

I got online and found this forum. The great people here suggested that I was augmenting which means the medicine stopped working effectively and was now causing me more problems. (There's a lot on this if you search for it.) I also realized that I should probably be seeing a neurlogist for this. The doctor that ordered the sleep test and was treating it was a pulmonologist. I called my doctor and insisted that I be given something else. I had 2-3 weeks of pure h*ll, that I shouldn't have had to go through. My doctor should have known the signs of augmentation and that the answer was to get off it and not take more of it!!!

I switched to a neurologist soon after that. I've been through many meds and he is stumped. He referred me to Mayo Clinic and I go there in May to hopefully find some answers.

I hope Requip is the answer for you. You and your doctor might have to experiment to find the right dosage for you. It seems like Requip works well for people with milder cases.

I'm sorry for rambling on. I just wish I knew the signs of augmentation before I started on Requip.

[russcat]

Thank you. This is exactly the type of information I am looking for. Good luck in May.

[ViewsAskew]

russcat, info about Requip abounds in the older posts - while they may scare you, you'll at least know what happens to some people.

Please keep in mind that most people who post here are NOT having any luck. . . or they wouldn't have come here. The doctors who prescribe the dopamine agonists (DAs) tend to find that about 70-80 percent of people do fine on them for at least 8 months, but usually longer, up to 2 years. Some people only do well for 3 months, some for 8 to 10 years. It's extraordinarily variable.

Chances are, though, if you have RLS and it is primary (not caused by something else), that Requip will work, for at least awhile. If your RLS is caused by something else, called secondary, the Requip may not help as much, or it may.

I'd suggest reading as many of the older posts as you can, but start with the sticky posts in each section, with New to RLS section being first. Lots of info, lots of links.

Welcome.

[russcat]

Thank You. Great Advice.

[ctravel12]

Hi Russcat and welcome to this group. I am glad that you found us; however I am sorry that you have rls.

When I first started taking Requip, my dr put me on a starter pack and then gave me a prescription for 2mg of requip. In the beginning it made me very nauseated and have rls 24/7. With the dosage, one of the members suggested that I split the dosage. I was then on 1mg of requip so I split the dosage. I took .5mg at 6 pm my time and then .5mg about 1-2 hrs before retiring. That helped in the nasuea; however I still had rls 24/7.

I was finally weaned off of it by my neurologist and take clonazapem and mirapex and am doing fine.

However one thing to remember is what works for one may not work for another. Requip may work for you and if it does that is wonderful.

Being sleep deprived is one of the most miserable thing someone can go through. We have all been down that road and certainly understand what you are going through.

Please keep us posted on how you are doing. You have found a wonderful support group. If you want to just talk, vent or whatever, we are here for you.

[blryan]

Russcat,
I am on 1mg Requip and it works well for me. I've been on it for a year and started with the starter pack and worked up to 3mg at night trying to see if it would get rid of my leg spasms. It never did get rid of the spasms so I cut the dose gradually back down to 1mg and that works well for the creepy crawly sensations. It used to make me very nauseated but I'm over that now and all is well as long as I take it before the RLS kicks in. If it's already started, it takes a good hour or better to get it under control.

I have had some nights with no RLS and I forget to take it until late. Finally decided maybe I didn't need it. Well I tried to go without it one night and could not get to sleep at all! My legs weren't bothering me but I was wide awake so finally took an Ambien. Well in 30 minutes the RLS kicked in all over my body! Normally Ambien works for me but not this time. I finally had to get up and take the Requip and I was asleep in 20 minutes. Looks like I can never get off this stuff but what can I say - its working for now. It's just that I don't like to be on ANY medicine, let alone one that messes with your brain.

Barb

[Eruckus]

Thank you. This is exactly the type of information I am looking for. Good luck in May.

Eruckus I am new to the website but not the pain,discomfort,and sleeplessness that goes with rls. I can trace it back as far as 1994, and the first few weeks, I thought I was loosing my mind. It's 2007 and I'm in the middle of another bad stretch[8days& counting] I'm on requip now and when I first took it , I thought Iwould never have the "jumpies" again. But the last 8days have been horrible, they seem to come stronger and last longer than ever before. I'm really at my wits end, I so tired of taking meds that don't work at all or for only a little while. Maybe I had my hopes too high with this requip, it did work for a while, but not now. I'm taking the blues. Anything stronger?

[ctravel12]

Hi Eruckus and welcome to this board. I am so sorry that you have rls and on top of it having a rough time with it.

You said that you are taking requip. What is the mg that you are taking and how long have you been on it? Reason for these questions, is that you may be augmenting (having rls anytime of the day or nightl). Please see your dr to see you if you can take something else. I know they have mirapex out now and have been fda approved. I am not a dr nor have any medical background but ask your dr and do some research on it. I know what works for one may not always work for another.

I am on clonazapem and mirapex and is working. Sometimes you have to take a cocktail of meds before you find the right one or ones that will work for you.

On the forum new to rls "managing rls" read the article Mayo Clinic Algorithm and print it out so you can bring it to your dr. Another good site to read is www.rlshelp.org

I hope that I have been of some help to you. I hope that your dr is familiar with rls as that is a plus for you.

Please keep us posted on how you are doing and hope that you find the right meds that you so much deserve. You need to get back your quality of life.