Suddenly falling asleep with Neupro Question

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Goodnightangel01
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:45 am

Suddenly falling asleep with Neupro Question

Post by Goodnightangel01 »

My doctor just gave me some samples of the Neupro patch which I am excited to try, but he warned against trying it until I know how I respond to it. I currently take Xyrem for narcolepsy and he said that there is an interaction between the two meds which may increase the risk of falling asleep suddenly without warning once starting the Neupro patch.

I really want to crawl out of my skin and would like to try it tonight but now that he's said that, he has me really worried that I should just wait until the weekend when I do not have to drive to work so there is very little safety risk if I should fall asleep suddenly.

I believe that Mirapex has the same warning and I did not have any issue with that side effect when I was taking Mirapex. I also took Gabapentin and I did not have any issues with that either and Gabapentin is known for its sedating effects. Also, due to the short half life of Xyrem, and the fact that I time the second dose so that there is 6 hours between the second dose and driving. By the time I'm awake and getting ready for work, all effects of Xyrem have left my system. Again, it has a short half life. So short that you must take two doses during the night. The second is taken 2.5-4 hours after the first. I take mine after 2.5 hours.

Should I wait? Or should I give it a try and see how I do? I also take a stimulant every morning since I have narcolepsy and the Xyrem alone isn't enough to help me through the day at my fullest potential. And even then it's not always my best level of alertness since nothing is a guarantee especially with stimulants...but it is the most functional I've been in years.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!!! Has anyone had experience falling asleep without warning??

Thank you!

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

Re: Suddenly falling asleep with Neupro Question

Post by Rustsmith »

I used Neupro for 15 months and changed back to pramipexole (Mirapex) three months ago. I am also taking gabapentin at the same time throughout the time with both meds.

My primary problem with Neupro during the time up until I augmented on it was the fact that it caused me to wake up after only a few hours of sleep. I changed the patch first thing in the AM and took 1200mg of gabapentin at bedtime, but most nights I would only get 2 to 4 hrs and never more than 5.

I had problems with falling asleep during the day, especially in the AM and just after lunch. Usually I had some warning and was able to find a place to pull over and get about a 5 minute nap to resolve the problem, but sometimes pulling over was not possible and I am pretty sure that I was falling asleep for a second or two at a time when that happened. Fortunately I only hit a curb one time and nevery anything else. Whether this was a direct effect of the Neupro or a secondary effect of the sleep deprivation caused by the short nights brought on by Neupro we will never know for sure. All that I can say at this point is that the problem when away when I temporarily switched back to a higher than recommended dose of pramipexole.
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.

Goodnightangel01
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:45 am

Re: Suddenly falling asleep with Neupro Question

Post by Goodnightangel01 »

Thank you for your response!! If I took 1200mg of Gabapentin then I would definitely feel tired during the day. There's no way I could take that much and NOT feel sleepy. Plus, sleep deprivation alone could cause that. It seems like it may have more to do with one of those two than direct relation to the Neupro patch, but that's only based on my own experiences with the sedating effects of the Gabapentin, as well as the sleep deprivation caused by many years of undiagnosed narcolepsy, and zero experience with the Neupro patch. I decided to give the Neupro patch a try tonight and if I'm feeling super doped up tomorrow when I get up for work, I will take it off. So far I haven't experienced any ill effects, and as far as I know the adhesive hasn't caused any itching or irritation. The skin around the patch looks normal as well so I'm hoping all of those things are good signs. I've only had it on for a few hours, so who knows. I'm really hoping this works because if this doesn't work, I'm literally out of options.

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

Re: Suddenly falling asleep with Neupro Question

Post by Rustsmith »

I was up to the 4mg patch before I switched back to pramipexole. I now take 0.75mg of pramipexole spread throughout the day as well as 1200 mg of gabapentin at night. As a result of the switch between the DAs, I now get about 2 hrs more sleep each night without experiencing the daytime sleepiness. I am also experimenting with high CBD edible marijuana (legal where I live) and the combination of all three gets me a "normal" 7-8 hrs.

As for the skin irritation, I would see redness under the patch when I removed it, but this would go away after a day. I also learned that I only had itchiness when I applied the patch to the softer, more 3 dimensionally flexible skin on my stomach and lower back, so I modified their suggested 14 day rotation to avoid these four locations.

One "benefit" of the patch was that during the summer when it was sometimes visible on my shoulders, it was a great conversation starter that allowed me to educate my friends about RLS without dwelling too much on my medical condition.
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.

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

Re: Suddenly falling asleep with Neupro Question

Post by ViewsAskew »

I had that issue with pramipexole initially, but it went away. I never had it with rotigotine. Then again, I didn't take it that long.
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.

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