Ropinirole Dose

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paul9298
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:14 pm

Ropinirole Dose

Post by paul9298 »

Been on 1mg nightly dose of Ropinirolo for about 6 months and it hasnt had any effect on my RLS and RLD .

Im wondering if the dose is too low?

Has anyone else found it has had no effect . Any advice would be kindly appreciated as my RLS is driving me made and is severely affecting my sleep.

QyX

Re: Ropinirole Dose

Post by QyX »

Why do you take a medication for 6 months without it being have any positive effect on you?

What did your doctor tell you to do?

Sure, maybe a higher dose might work, maybe it doesn't. There is no way to predict what is going to happen. But here are a number of possible outcomes:

a) nothing happens, as before

b) you might get some relief

c) you might get good relief

d) you will make your RLS worse / experience side effects

Drugs like ropinirole are often not effective for RLS. So your experiencing is not uncommon or unusual and you can even make very good arguments as to why drugs like ropinirole shouldn't be used at all to treat RLS.

In any case, I think you need to see an expert and talk with him about your options.

ViewsAskew
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Posts: 16571
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: Ropinirole Dose

Post by ViewsAskew »

Long ago, some of the experts suggested that dopamine agonists - ropinerole in one of them - be used to "test" to see if people indeed did have RLS. That it does work for virtually everyone and if it doesn't work, then the problem with the limbs is not RLS.

I am not a doctor and have no idea if that is still considered a true statement - that these do stop RLS for everyone. Whether they do or not, there are clearly reasons not to use them. Which is why this is no longer considered by many to be the first prescription anyone should use.

But, since they once did think that, I would start with whether you do have RLS. Have you seen a list of the criteria? Here is one list:

1. An urge to move the legs usually but not always accompanied by or felt to be caused by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the legs.1, 2

2. The urge to move the legs and any accompanying unpleasant sensations begin or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity such as lying down or sitting.

3. The urge to move the legs and any accompanying unpleasant sensations are partially or totally relieved by movement, such as walking or stretching, at least as long as the activity continues. 3

4. The urge to move the legs and any accompanying unpleasant sensations during rest or inactivity only occur or are worse in the evening or night than during the day.4

5. The occurrence of the above features are not solely accounted for as symptoms primary to another medical or a behavioral condition (e.g., myalgia, venous stasis, leg edema, arthritis, leg cramps, positional discomfort, habitual foot tapping). 5


Over the years, we have had several people who were treated for RLS, but who discovered that is not what they had.

Once we are sure it is RLS, then we can get into what you and the doctor should do next - such as the right blood work to do/test.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

QyX

Re: Ropinirole Dose

Post by QyX »

ViewsAskew wrote:Long ago, some of the experts suggested that dopamine agonists - ropinerole in one of them - be used to "test" to see if people indeed did have RLS. That it does work for virtually everyone and if it doesn't work, then the problem with the limbs is not RLS.
They still do ... however - at least as far as I know - it is not about dopamine agonists but about L-Dopa only.

Dopamine-Agonists are different than L-Dopa even though the effects can be very similar.

paul9298
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:14 pm

Re: Ropinirole Dose

Post by paul9298 »

Thank you for your replies . Increased my dosage to 2 mg and hey the limb movement stopped for the first time I can remember.

Stainless
Posts: 274
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:30 pm

Re: Ropinirole Dose

Post by Stainless »

I'm surprised you didn't get beneficial effect from ropinirole initially. I thought it had cured me of RLS. That lasted a few days. Then higher and extended release doses for a year until I gave up on it. I often wonder if I took it occasionally if it might help but hate to add another drug to the mess I'm in.

Rustsmith
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Posts: 6476
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: Ropinirole Dose

Post by Rustsmith »

paul9298, it is great that the increased dose has helped with our limb movements. But as Qyx mentioned above
d) you will make your RLS worse / experience side effects
dopamine agonist meds such as ropinerole often will eventually result in a side effect called augmentation. The time before this happens varies between individuals. For some it can take years and at the opposite extreme, there are those for whom it only took days.

Augmentation occurs when the drug stops working and actually makes the RLS symptoms worse. A doctor who isn't familiar with RLS may decide that you have developed tolerance and then increase the dose. This can start a cycle that continues over time until you hit the max allowable dose, when the doctor cannot increase it any further. At that point, getting off of ropinerole can be exceedingly difficult and dangerous if not done correctly.

So, please read through the information in our Augmentation forum. Don't let it scare you, but you definitely need to be well informed about this (just in case your doctor is not).
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

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