Trying to stop Mirapex

[veldon7]

Hello again: I am going to try to stop the Mirapex again tomorrow. I am off work for a week, so I thought I would try it again. I have been taking Ultram some during the day, but it doesn't do anything but make me sleepy and Oxycodone 10 mg. in the evening. I also take Gabapentin 100 mg in the evening and 100mg at bedtime. None of these are working without taking atleast .25 of the Mirapex. I tried not to take the Mirapex today, but I have to sleep tonight, I am so tired I am falling asleep at the computer. How long should it take for the Oxy. to kick in? I have only been taking 10mg with the .25 Mirapex, but if I take more Oxy. I itch so much. Last night I was itching so bad I had to take an allery pill at night, and I usually only take Claritin in the am. I dread this so much! Thanks for your help.

[Polar Bear]

You have my every good wish as you tackle this.
Very brave to consider doing this over the holiday period, and yet it is the time when you have a week to make a start.
Interesting that you find Ultram makes you sleepy - it does the opposite for me though it would likely take a sledgehammer to get me to sleep.

I don't know about the viable dosages of Oxycodone and there will be others who can better advise you on this but I am thinking that to come off the mirapex you may need back up for 24/7 and not just in the evening.

[ViewsAskew]

it may be that you're senstive to Oxy. I had to take allergy meds when I first started methadone. I couldn't have gotten through pramipexole withdrawal without either the methadone OR the allergy meds. I used Zyrtec - whatever works for you is probably fine.

Do you have regular Oxy or the sustained release? If regular, the dosing range is 2.5 to 10 mg every 4-8 hours, max of 25 mg, if I remember correctly (from when I took it). This is MUCH lower than the max per day for other types of issues.

It should work in an hour or less, If I remember correctly. You simply may not have enough, Desperate D.

It's very possible you will not sleep much during this time. Don't drive, doze when you can, take the allergy meds to reduce the itching, and try to accept you will likely be miserable. It's honestly the ONLY way out of the craziness, though. You will feel SO much better in a week or so if you can hang in there.

[badnights]

Good luck, veldon7!

[veldon7]

It's regular Oxy, but it's just not working for me. Mon. night I tried 20Mg of Oxy, plus Gabapentin without the Mirapex and my legs just wouldn't stop jerking. I had to eventually take .25 of Mirapex I was so tired, I couldn't walk all night. I don't want to take more than 20mg of Oxy, because I feel so drugged I can't walk, but my legs still jerk. Last night I tried to go without the Mirapex, the Oxy and Gabapentine (300mg) held the jerks off for awhile, but I still had to take .25mg of Mirapex to be still.
I read that you should take 600mg of Gabapentin for RLS, I usually don't take but 200 to 300mg because it makes me sleepy especially with the Mirapex, but I am trying to increase it. Thanks

[badnights]

You might have to accept a few days of no sleep and constant torture.

[ViewsAskew]

You might have to accept a few days of no sleep and constant torture.

Agreed - that's why a week off is a good time to do it. It's miserable, no question, but the only way out of the madness.

[doety]

This is a little off-topic.
I'm rotating various drugs, taking two pills each night, one of which is a mild opiate (codeine, for instance). I was wondering if it's okay to use Mirapex from time to time. I do remember the hell I went through to get off it (and clonazepam and, and, and)....am trying to avoid getting addicted to (or dependent on) one thing. I would only take the lowest dose. Any thoughts?

[ViewsAskew]

This is a little off-topic.
I'm rotating various drugs, taking two pills each night, one of which is a mild opiate (codeine, for instance). I was wondering if it's okay to use Mirapex from time to time. I do remember the hell I went through to get off it (and clonazepam and, and, and)....am trying to avoid getting addicted to (or dependent on) one thing. I would only take the lowest dose. Any thoughts?

I do it without issue. I've learned that I do augment quickly, so I can't do more than 2 consecutive days, and try to use it once, then switch.

My normal schedule is:
M - Opioid and Mirapex mix
T - Opioid only
W - Opioid and Mirapex mix
Th Opioid only
Fr Mirapex only
Sat Opioid only
Sun - Opioid only

Mirapex makes me depressed; even mixing it makes for a less-than-stellar next day, but not too bad. I only take it once a week by itself - so my Saturday is usually shot in terms of mood. Once a week - it's tolerable for now, knowing that I'm going to try the infusions in the next few months and will hopefully get some relief then. Using opioids for two consecutive days after helps me rebound, too, so by Monday when I have to work, I feel better.

I was doing this prior (and just dealing with the depression)

2 days - Opioid only
1 day Mirapex only
2 days Opioid only
1 day Mirapex only

And so on. Prior to that, I tried this

2 days opioid
2 days Mirapex
2 days opioid
2 days Mirapex

The difference in side effects was too intense for me doing it that way. I only listed them all to show that there are many ways to attack it - just find the one that works for you.

[badnights]

I use mainly hydromorph contin. But I slip a 0.25 mg pill of pramipexole (Mirapex) in on the odd night when I know my regular dose won't be enough. I don't like it because I get so tired the next day that I can't think, but I never augmented on it, only on ropinirole (and mildly on levo-carb). I imagine even if you have augmented on it, you might still be able to use it as often as every third day. Really, even every second day. But personally I would have to be quite desperate to risk that of a med I had augmented on.

I also sometimes take a single 25/100 pill of levo-carbidopa for breakthrough symptoms at bedtime. It usually kills a breakthrough dead in its tracks, and it's the only thing I have that works fast. I only take it at bedtime, and never more than 2 days in a row, preferably only one, and not more than 3 times in a week. It is tempting to use it at other times - to allow daytime naps or daytime concentration - but it's too scary. My symptoms have pretty consistently worsened when I used it more than 2 or 3 days in a row.

[ViewsAskew]

But personally I would have to be quite desperate to risk that of a med I had augmented on.

To your point, badnights, I waited four years to try this! I was very, very concerned. I've augmented on all 4 DAs I've tried - so I know that I'm always going to augment in approximately 4 to 7 days -no matter which it is.

The good news is that once doesn't do it - for me.

When I started doing this, I watched my symptoms oh-so-carefully. I highly suggest that anyone who does this also is very careful. If at any point you feel your symptoms are earlier, stronger, last longer - STOP!

[doety]

Thanks for all the good information. Ann, I didn't know you were getting infusions --- wishing you the best luck with that.
After that study came out last summer, I feel like we have even less direction than before. (and of course I'm glad all that is going on...)To me, that means we experiment on ourselves (like they've been doing).