Generic Name: Mirapex (pramipexole)
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had RLS all my life. After trying several medications, my mother-in-law read an article in one of the senior magazines talking about RLS and using a Parkinson medication for the treatment of RLS. I talked to my doctor, and he prescribed it, and it was wonderful. Finally, I was able to get some sleep. But then it happened... Keep in mind, I never set foot in a casino. I was careful with my money, but a few years into my treatment, once my dosage had increased to about 1mg, I went to a casino and tried a slot machine. From that point on, I was hooked. I have lost so much money going to casinos, it has made my life so sad and depressing. No one actually believes you, the medication has this hideous addiction side effect. You struggle day after day with this addiction and other addictions as well, overeating and increased sexual urge. I tried several times to get off Mirapex, but it is impossible. I couldn't sleep for over 5 days, and the symptoms of RLS were 10 times worse."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I was diagnosed with Restless Legs Syndrome back in the '90s. I was first prescribed levodopa/carbidopa, and it was wonderful at first. However, it started losing effectiveness and making me sick during the day at times. Then a new medicine came out - Mirapex - and I was put on it at 0.25mg before bedtime. It worked well for several years but had to be upped to 0.5mg. I found that Mirapex controlled my RLS fairly well, and I was on it for 12 years! The last year I forced myself to cut back to 0.25mg again and put up with some symptoms. Then, I recently stopped taking it altogether. I have been taking strong vitamin supplements, but they didn't stop the RLS. However, when I started taking Magnesium, Potassium, and Calcium, and bathing in bath salts, the RLS has disappeared."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have been taking Mirapex for over 8 years now at 0.125 mg up to 4 times a day; however, I usually take two at 6 in the evening and another one an hour before bedtime, and it does a wonderful job. I began on Requip and was on it for almost a year and a half, but it just stopped having any effect, and that is when I began Mirapex. I have severe RLS, and before Mirapex, I was close to losing my mind from sleep deprivation and the consequent stress and anxiety. This medicine has literally kept me from suicide. I have had absolutely no negative side effects."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I am 77 years old. My father suffered (I am sure) with RLS undiagnosed and was prescribed sedatives. Mine began in my late forties, and for years, I just didn't sleep more than two or three hours a night until I happened to tell a friend who also suffered from RLS. She was taking Mirapex and gave me three of hers. I took one the first night, and it was a miracle. I began taking 0.25 dosage. Eventually, I was upped to 0.50, then 0.75, the dosage I'm on now. It works, for sure, and I can't imagine life without it, but my eating is out of control. It's a compulsion for me. If I fast, I'm okay, but as soon as I eat, I can't stop. During the day, I find myself snacking when I know I'm not really hungry, and at night I eat a full plate of food and could easily eat another. Later I can't believe what I ate, how much I ate, or the fact that I never felt full or at least embarrassed that I ate more than anyone else. Does anyone else have this problem?"
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have been on Mirapex for 4 years. It is very effective but I am sleepy during the day. Started at 0.125 mg and I’m currently taking 0.25 to 0.5 mg per day. There is a tendency for me to build up a tolerance so every so often I have to go off the medication just so my body will reset to a lower dose. I have tried to go off this drug and it was horrible. I couldn’t do it. My recommendation is do not try this drug unless your RLS is severe."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "My wife has suffered from RLS for 8 years. Mirapex is the only drug she has been prescribed that allows her a full night's sleep. We've worked and are working on alternative treatments using supplements/exercise, but so far all we've been able to do is drop her dose from 3 to 1 tablet every evening. Side effects nearly destroyed our 25-year marriage. Compulsive behavior in shopping/gambling/cheating over the last 3 years. Be very careful with this drug, be honest with your family/friends, and you can deal with it. I wonder how many of the users on here actually have compulsive behavior caused by this drug but don't realize it?"
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I was diagnosed with Restless Legs Syndrome about 4 years ago and was prescribed Mirapex. My symptoms were so bad that I wouldn't sleep for days and was non-functioning due to being sleep-deprived. The doctor put me on 0.25mg every evening, but my RLS was creeping into daylight hours, so I was prescribed 0.25mg twice a day. That did the trick, and it has saved my sanity. I no longer have any symptoms of RLS -- and as a side note - I have no side effects either from the medicine."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "Absolutely AVOID this medication. I lost my job as a correctional officer, committed a 1st degree felony, used drugs, lied to my spouse, all for gambling. This medication was prescribed to treat my horrible case of restless legs, and it altered all my rational decision-making, made me feel like doing things I KNOW BETTER NOT TO (changed impulse control/compulsive behaviors). I have a severe gambling problem. Do NOT take this."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had restless leg syndrome for over twenty years. I have taken a lot of different medications to try to stop the horrible feeling that having RLS gives you. My father had it and so does my brother. I not only have it in my legs but it can also affect my arms. It's a real good time when it hits me in all my limbs at the same time. One day my brother told me about Mirapex. I got the medication from my doctor after having RLS every night for a week. I don't know what I would do without it. It worked from the first time I took it. All I can say is... whoever invented Mirapex, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "At first was a godsend. 20 years later, whole-body dystonia, haven't slept in 5 nights. I thought this was the best, and now I believe it will kill me. Not being dramatic. I am getting old, and my body is giving out trying to handle getting off this drug. I worked in the addiction industry and never saw this much suffering and pain."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "Mirapex is the only medication that completely controls my RLS. It's like it doesn't exist. Unfortunately, I can't take it. My side effect is to suddenly fall asleep and fall. I have been black and blue from the falls. I've fallen off chairs, while standing and any place else."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I've suffered from RLS for 30 years and have tried almost everything to relieve it. My new doctor prescribed Mirapex, and it has been amazing. The only side effect has been a bit of daytime drowsiness, but I reduced the dosage a bit, and it's gotten better. And I'll take a short period of daytime drowsiness over the horrible RLS I was experiencing every night!"
For Restless Legs Syndrome "Mirapex is a great medication for RLS. I started taking it when it first came out. I was a little stuffy if, for some reason, I didn't fall asleep right away, but I didn't notice any other side effects, which is why I'm commenting now. I am one of the lucky (sarcasm) ones who had severe side effects, uncontrollable compulsive behavior. Gambling consumed my mind and almost ruined my life. I went to my doctor for help, he sent me to a psychiatrist and tested me for drugs but apparently had no knowledge of the side effects. Even the psychiatrist, who specialized in gambling addiction, had no knowledge of the Mirapex side effects. The people at Gamblers Anonymous didn't know about it, really, no one does, and I'd like to change that."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had RLS since childhood. I was on Requip and Gabapentin, and the RLS was relieved for a short time and then returned with a vengeance. My mother, brothers, sister, and grandmother also have it. I was finally put on Mirapex ER starting at 0.25 about 6 years ago and am presently on 3.75 mg once a day. This medication is the only one that pretty much controls the RLS. I have had no side effects. It's interesting that they say only use immediate release for RLS. I have been on extended release for 6 years. I don't know what I will do if this medication stops working as I now have symptoms in my arms and hands. I am now 67 years old."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I only suffer from RLS at night. I took carbidopa-levodopa for about 1 year, and then it was no longer enough. My doctor told me to try Requip. I took one pill and had the worst headache ever, even the next morning, and my jaw and teeth hurt horribly. I read reviews on Mirapex and asked my doctor if I could try it. I've been on it for 3 months with no side effects and can rest all night with zero movement. Before, my husband said I would run all night in bed. Mirapex is a wonderful drug for RLS. I'm so thankful I discovered it!"
For Restless Legs Syndrome "It does work, but the side effects can be damaging. After a year of being on the medication, I became a compulsive gambler (one of the side effects). I became suicidal at one point. I spent some time in a hospital, where we discovered the root of my problem was Mirapex."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "Restless legs syndrome is a hard problem to deal with. Mirapex seems like a Godsend. But like most things, it comes with a cost. First was the dollar cost which over the last 6 years has gone up considerably. The next price you pay is from side effects. Falling asleep while talking to someone is embarrassing and dangerous. But I've found a wonderful fix. While at the doctor's, I had to use a doctor's assistant (who was playing on her cell phone while talking to me). She gave me a prescription for Mirapex that is time-released and you only take it at night just before bedtime. My energy level has increased 10x, and I don't fall asleep while dining out with my wife. Blessed by doctor's assistant and her playing on the cell phone actually was searching on the intranet for something to help with the problem."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I've had RLS for years. It was destroying my life. I was put on Sinemet, which worked for 3 years, then I couldn't even stay in bed as I was having to do exercises in the middle of the night to stop the RLS, so the sleep deprivation was really hard on me and was taking its toll on my family. My mother swore that Mirapex was a miracle for her, so I got it and took 2 at bedtime. It was worse than ever! I was so lethargic and weak, I could hardly stand to attempt to stop my legs. I seriously would never take this medication again."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I was prescribed Mirapex for my Restless Leg Syndrome in 2004 and took it until April of 2006. My dosage was increased to 1.5 mg in August 2005. In October 2005, my brother and mother took me to the Niagara Casino. Until then, I had never stepped into a casino before, I knew nothing about those places. I won a jackpot. Started buying scratch and win cards at one store, then getting more with the winnings or free ticket at another store. Our plant closed at the end of February 2006. I started gambling and even thought of selling my downtown condo and moving closer to the casino. When I mentioned to the doctor that I was gambling, he said, 'you're on Mirapex, stop taking it immediately.' Turns out compulsive behavior is a side effect. All okay now."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "It takes care of the Restless Legs Syndrome symptoms but also seems to give me insomnia, which kind of defeats the purpose. I can initially go to sleep and get 3-4 hours but then I'm suddenly wide awake. Requip worked for a while but you have to increase dosage fairly quickly and that causes some bad side effects. I may have to try a 3rd option."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have been suffering with RLS for at least 10 years. I tried Requip, Neurontin, and quinine, nothing worked. I started Mirapex 3 weeks ago. No more RLS! I can't believe it. My life was hell. It even helps during the day. I started on 0.5 mg at 6 PM daily. This has been a miracle for me, with no side effects."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "Doctor recommended this after trying gabapentin (in which gabapentin was very helpful, just made me extremely tired throughout the day). First day I took it, hit me like a train. I could tell my body was getting uneasy, so I quickly got myself ready for bed because I wasn’t sure what I was in for. The second I laid in bed, extreme nausea and dizziness. I was waiting for my food to come right back up that I had just eaten. My body was just taking a toll, I had to call into work the next day because I still felt sick when I woke up. Then, after reading other reviews, I decided that was the last time I would ever take that pill again."
For Parkinson's Disease "I was started on Mirapex for Parkinson's Disease. I have horrible pain, stiffness, tremors, headaches, dizziness, and the list goes on. I had been confined to bed for nearly a year due to my complications. The very day I began taking the Mirapex, we began to see improvement. As my dosage was increased, I continued to show more and more improvement. Mirapex is giving me my life back...slowly but surely! The only complications I have are when my dosage is increased. I have slight nausea and tiredness but other than that I have had no other side effects."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "Having taken Mirapex for 15 years, about 6 months ago it stopped working. I couldn't figure it all out, but decided to try adjusting my other meds. Then, I realized that I started taking anti-acids about 6 months ago. Sure enough, the antacid med was causing my problem. I started taking it at another time of the day, and the problem went away. Go on the internet and ask the question 'Do antacids interfere with Mirapex.' You will get your answer."
For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had RLS for nearly 10 years. I have taken Requip, which didn't do anything. Now I take Mirapex. I started out on 0.125, which did nothing. I moved up to 0.5 mg and have taken that dose for about 9 years. Now, my legs and sometimes my arms go crazy on me during the day. I can't ride very long in a car because it drives me insane how my legs feel. I get very frustrated fast and become agitated. I often tell my husband I would rather cut my legs off than feel this way. I went to the doctor today, he moved my dose to 1 mg. I pray this will help me. I am also suffering from compulsive gambling and weight gain of 25 plus pounds. We need a cure for this horrible disease!!!"
