Mirapex self-medication

[Anonymous]

My 96-year-old mother's neurologist prescribed Mirapex for her serious restless leg. When one pill (I don't know the strength) wasn't effective, he told her to take two..no testing, etc. She recently told me that he said to take it "if she needs it", so she is going on and off the medication...I think she will take it for a few days, then stop because she 'doesn't want to get dependent on it" or becomes afraid it will interact with some other medication. I will be talking to her doctor, but would like to get some background info first.....
1. Does anyone know if it is harmful to play yo-yo with Mirapex like this?
2. Does Mirapex have to build up in the system to be effective? Is it going to work if she keeps going on and off?

(I will not take the information as solid medical advice, just a basis for a discussion)

[TxSongBird]

I would think that going off and on of the medication wouldn't be good for her. I would consult her Dr. and see if they can put her on something that will continually work for her or up her doseage and not be taking and then stopping suddendly.

Donna

[doety]

The doc I am going to just tells me to take it when I need it -- not that i would go a day without it, that wouldnt occur to me. I sometimes take 2 a day, maybe 3 some days. But you have to know that the doctors don't really have a clue about this and basically we're all guinea pigs. People who do a little research on sites like this know as much as the doctors do. (Gosh I sound cynical, but it's my experience.) Even with Mirapex, I'm still have trouble sleeping -- and my neurologist told me to take Valium! Yikes. The phamacist told me I shouldn't be taking both of them. SO -- just saying that you should research as much as you can about the side effects, and maybe talk to a pharmacist. Good luck.

[ViewsAskew]

The Mayo algorithm does say that Mirapex and Requip can be taken on an as-needed basis. The problem I have with that is that it take 90-120 minutes to work if you take it AFTER you already have symptoms. If you do not need to take something daily, I would think Sinemet, if it worked, would be much better. Or Neurontin. They work much more quickly. That said, I wouldn't take Sinemet on a daily basis without watching carefully what happened. It causes augmentation in over 70% of the people who take it.

Taking Valium and Mirapex is OK, if you need it. Lots of us take more than one drug together. Low doses of two or three drugs often works much better than a high dose of one drug. The rlshelp.org site has a lot of info on the various drugs that are used. Valium is in the same class as temazepam and clonazepam - both drugs that many people on this board take alone or with Mirapex or Requip.

It really comes down to Quality of Life. Do you have it? If not, how can you get it? If you are taking something and it helps one thing, but makes five things worse, it it worth it? If it means taking three drugs together, then go for it. If it means taking no drugs but monitoring bed-time, caffeine, and vitamins intake, then go for it. If it means finding a new doctor and a new regimen, go for that, too!

Ann

[Kris]

I wouldn't want to do that. When I've skipped doses of Mirapex, then I take it the next day, I notice that daytime sleepiness is much worse and sometimes feel a wee bit sick at my stomach. As long as I take it everyday, I don't have those side effects. Plus, my RLS stays under control so much better. I just don't miss a dose and if I am out at night, I take it with me so I can take it at the right time.