Generic Name: Ropinirole for Restless Legs Syndrome (ropinirole)
Requip (ropinirole) "I have had RLS for over 40 years. I have taken every single drug available. I took Requip when it was first being used for RLS. It worked a charm. With some crazy side effects. I had to stop it after 6 months because it started to give me rebound RLS. Now if I take Requip I will have horrible RLS. I started taking opiates for it. From my neuro who told me I had the worst case he had seen. I have it all over. I have been suicidal. I have been miserable almost all my life. It isn’t fair to force someone with a terrible medical condition to live. Well now I take Methadone. 140 mg every day. I no longer have ANY RLS symptoms. Yes it made me gain weight but I don’t care. I live without any RLS symptoms and that is all I care about. I would never give up this medication. If I am ever forced off that will be the end of the road for me. I can’t go back to not sleeping for weeks at a time. I used to be lucky if I fell asleep for an hour a day."
"I have been on ropinirole for years for RLS. I started out with one tablet 1 mg at bedtime, but over the years it wasn't enough. So my doctor had me take one around 6:00 PM and again at bedtime. Helped some, but eventually I now take 1 at noon, 1 at 6:00 PM, and 2 at bedtime. Only way to control it now. I really don't like taking that much but have no choice. Doctor tried me on pramipexole 0.125 mg. One a day at bedtime this last year, but it did nothing. So I am back to ropinirole. Couldn't survive if I didn't have it. Anyone that has RLS understands what I mean. My mom had it for years and I couldn't understand what she was feeling, but believe me, I do now."
Requip (ropinirole) "I had been on generic ropinirole for months, and because it was so effective, I tolerated severe nausea, nasal congestion, hiccups, and flushing because I was desperate to sleep. When I talked to my neurologist, he had me switch to the name brand based on side effects, and it was so bizarre. The drug works great and with zero side effects. He said the dosing range that generics are allowed to meet is much too large for some of the neurology drugs, and because pharmacy plans frequently switch which generic manufacturer they use, it is impossible to avoid dosage problems as well. The issue for me was also one of side effects from additives that were not in brand Requip but were in the generic. Hope this helps someone."
Requip (ropinirole) "Don't take this for RLS. It causes augmentation. Symptoms get better in the beginning, then eventually you need more Requip to make RLS go away. Eventually, the meds stop working altogether and RLS is out of control, worse than before you started meds. You try to come off the meds and RLS gets even worse. This is very common and occurs in 70-80% of everyone on Requip. Your doctor will likely not understand and/or think you're crazy. Find another doctor. The solution is to get off the dopamine drugs like Requip. Get on a different class of meds, like Gabapentin, Horizant, or Lyrica. Check out RLS.org for help."
Requip (ropinirole) "I'm 34 and have had restless legs since I was a child. It's the most irritating thing. I do not get a good night's sleep because of it and I practically always wake up in a bad mood. My doctor prescribed Requip (generic) and was specific to tell me to gradually up the dose. I started with 0.25 mg last night and will again tonight, then 0.50 for the next week and another slight increase. I'm hoping that's what will help me avoid the sickness. Because once I read some of the reviews, I was pretty scared to take it. So...I took it last night and I slept better than I have in a long time. I could literally feel my body relax and I barely moved all night, which never happens! I woke up in a good mood, well-rested, and not groggy! I'm so thrilled!"
"I thought this was a godsend. Till I started developing delusions that my wife hated me. I started spending money on useless stuff and got 100k in debt. Huge memory holes were normal. Then there were the sexual side effects. I got seriously into firearms. None of this was present before the meds! Now I'm waiting for a trial and am not able to see my wife or daughter with no job or home. These drugs can ruin your life, and the FDA refuses to black box label it. I will dedicate my life to warning people once I am done with the legal repercussions, and hope to God I can see my daughter again. My doctor had no idea of the side effects, and he will have to answer a malpractice suit as a result. Even the warnings only mention gambling and sometimes spending. Now I deal with severe panic attacks and depression while the justice system decides if I go to prison for what my doctor did to me. Be careful."
"After 18 with RLS, I visited a doctor and got a formal diagnosis and medication. 0.25 mg Ropinirole (worked like a miracle cure initially) and building up to 2 mg after 2 months. Started 2 mg and twice within 5 days I had collapsed/passed out/fainted. Therefore, I am now on 0.5 mg twice a day - dinner and bedtime. It is hit and miss - two reasonable sleeps per week - 5 awful evenings and nights. Can't sleep during the afternoon any longer as RLS dominates my legs almost immediately when lying down. Progressive syndrome (RLS) and for life possibly and building a tolerance to Ropinirole - you wonder where this will go next / end up! All my sympathies for those out there with RLS - it is so unknown/misunderstood."
"I started taking ropinirole about 15 years ago. I never received any warnings about side effects from my doctor. Within a year, I resigned from a business I worked 24/7 for 30 years to build. I never played cards or gambled while in Las Vegas. As my dose increased from two 1mg to four 1 mg, I began trading stocks like I knew what I was doing. I traded over 100,000 shares of stock a year. A couple of years later, I started reading the side effects for all my meds very closely. After reading about compulsive behavior, I tried taking a few different medications, sadly, nothing worked like ropinirole. After learning how it affected me, I still found it hard to stop being so compulsive. This morning I was looking for any new substitutes for ropinirole, then thought I needed to write this review."
Requip (ropinirole) "At first, this medication seemed like a lifesaver. After time, I began to augment, and I would have to take more and more of the drug earlier in the day. It caused all kinds of side effects, from yawning to compulsive shopping. I gained about 40 lbs, and my blood pressure went through the roof. After being on this prescription for several years, it was horrendous to get off. It has taken almost a year to finally say I am totally free of the DA's (dopamine agonists). I will never, ever take one of these classes of drugs again. The side effects, withdrawal, and effect on overall health are not worth it."
Requip (ropinirole) "I have autoimmune issues, no thyroid and RLS started for me about a year before a thyroid cancer diagnosis. The RLS was so severe I literally asked my husband to hide the guns in the house because I was that miserable (along with other side effects from the cancer treatment). I was referred to a sleep neurologist and was started on 2 mg of Requip. This drug, I believe, has changed and saved my life. Literally. I went without a dose for the first time last night because I didn't make it to the pharmacy in time for my refill. Well, I had zero sleep last night. Waiting for the drug store to open this morning because I am still experiencing severe symptoms at 6:00 am. I learned my symptoms are less when my diet is healthy (low or no carb is best)."
Requip (ropinirole) "I have had severe refractory full body RLS for 10 years. My symptoms are 24/7 without medication. I was prescribed Requip, and it was one of the worst nights of my life! I was terribly nauseous and vomited all night. But even worse than that was the fact that it made my RLS much worse. I had the same results with Mirapex. My doctor tried me on several other meds. None of them worked, and some made the RLS worse like the Requip and Mirapex did. I ended up hurting my shoulder pretty badly, and my doctor prescribed Tramadol. Lo and behold, once it got into my system, the RLS was gone! I've been taking the Tramadol every 6 hours for 9 years now and am still symptom-free and doing great!"
Requip (ropinirole) "I am now in my 70s and have suffered restless legs all my adult life. My doctor referred me to a neurologist 4 years ago who tried me on Ropinirole starting on a low dose of 1mg each night gradually building up to 5mg daily. It took me over a year to get over nausea and adjusting my dosage to get the desired result. I now take a 1mg tablet with each meal and 2 before bed making a total of 5mg daily and I no longer suffer from restless legs, totally gone! I have no side effects at all."
"I’ve had restless leg syndrome for about 30 years, guessing!! I tried a lot of products, but ropinirole seems to be at the top of the list!! My legs start moving around 8 PM most of the time. If I’m watching TV or sitting down, I have to get up and move. I started with 0.25 mg twice a day, now I’m on 1 mg!! Since last year, not a year yet!! They were working wonderfully, but now and then, my legs seem to be moving again. It gets so discouraging sometimes!! Soon, I will check with my doctor. I may have to increase the dosage a little!! The worst thing is, sometimes I get weird dreams—not pleasant at all, but not all the time. I also get nausea, but when I lie down, it seems to pass off!! I take ginger chews, they seem to help!! Hope this helps someone!! Hope there is a cure for this sometime in the future!! I am 64 years old. I would not be able to do without ropinirole, or I would be up all night long!! Thank you for allowing me to share!!!"
Requip (ropinirole) "All night long one night my legs kept jumping up in the air till I couldn't sleep keeping my husband up. So I got on Requip 0.25mg, take 2 at bedtime and I slept all night long, without jumping legs, and if I had them, I didn't know about them. So far, as sleep, it helps me also. This is the best thing for me and my legs."
Requip (ropinirole) "I had restless legs almost every night. I dreaded going to bed because I knew I would be in misery. I started taking Requip, my doctor recommended it and wrote a prescription for it. I have never had restless legs once after starting it. I am so thankful I have this medication."
Requip (ropinirole) "I started Requip 1 mg at bedtime. It worked great for 3-4 months. My Dr. increased the dosage so I now take 3 mg at bedtime. Again, it worked great for a few months, and then the symptoms reappeared. The Requip is better than nothing, but I was up pacing the floors when I should have been sleeping. My husband suggested acupuncture, and that has made a huge difference. I take the Requip 3 mg with 3 saltines to prevent nausea and vomiting. I have an acupuncture treatment every 2 weeks, and no problems when I go to bed."
Requip (ropinirole) "I have been taking Requip for probably 15 years for RLS. Then I was moved up to Requip XL, and I've been taking that just fine for probably another 8 years. And if you have restless leg syndrome, do you know what I'm talking about? There's no such thing as sleep, you just can't. I would rather go without my heart medication and have a heart attack than get no sleep and have a heart attack. Because my Requip works, I have to have the brand name. The ropinirole makes me very sick, sick to my stomach. I threw all my pills up, and that doesn't do any good. It also makes me sick to my stomach and nauseous all day, I don't want that either. So for the last four months, I have been trying to refill my Requip, and nobody seems to have it. Did they stop making the real thing? Please tell me they did not stop making Requip and all they have is ropinirole. It would be the end of me, I cannot find the real thing. I need the real thing!"
"Doc suggested Ropinirole .25 mg for RLS. I take two each evening, 2 hr before bed. From day one, it has been terrific. I have read some of the side effects, but I have had none, just an elimination of the RLS and a great night's sleep."
Requip (ropinirole) "I am on 6 mg of the 24-hour release ropinirole, and I think I've found the solution. I take 2 mg in the afternoon, then 4 mg an hour before bed. After living with restless legs syndrome for 45 years, driving me insane for many years, I actually think I may have found the solution, highly recommended."
Requip (ropinirole) "Been on Requip for about a month now. I know when I forget to take it. I sleep soundly and have no side effects. I waited years before asking my doctor for help! What was I thinking?! My insomnia is all but gone as well! Ty Requip!"
Requip (ropinirole) "I have had restless legs syndrome for 20 years or so now. I have been taking Requip for almost the entire time it was diagnosed, and I have a severe case. In the past few months, I have experienced some nausea, dizziness, pain, and tiredness after my first dose in the morning. I did not realize this could be a side effect of the medication. I take 4mg, 3X a day. If I did not, I would never sleep, sit through a movie, or be able to focus on work. I will put up with the side effects."
Requip (ropinirole) "I have had restless legs for over 50 years. It started when I was expecting my 1st daughter. I was told it was common in pregnant women but mine has NEVER let up - in fact has gotten worse over the years. I tried drinking quinine water until that was banned, it helped some but not much. I also 'held up the wall' with stretching exercises. I started taking ropinirole about 10 years on the advice of another person who called herself 'the queen of restless legs'. I was given 1mg and told I should start taking 1/2 pill per day, increasing it weekly until I got 'results' - that one could take as many as 8 pills per day! Well, the 1/2 pill worked just fine for several years - I now take 1 to 2 per day depending."
"I have had RLS for 35 years and have taken ropinirole for 15 years. Today I am one week ropinirole-free. A reviewer here says, 'started on 2 mg ropinirole and vomiting.' Ropinirole should be started on the lowest dose, around 0.25 mg, and slowly titrated upwards and taken with food to reduce nausea. To start on 2 mg is madness. The official guideline is that the max daily dose for ropinirole is 4 mg, but many RLS experts (John Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, etc.) say experience shows this is just asking for augmentation and the max daily dose should be no more than 1 mg. Because of augmentation, I knew I had to get off the ropinirole and was afraid of the withdrawals. I was on 5 mg daily, and it took a year slowly weaning. Ropinirole can seem like a wonder drug, but it has a high rate of augmentation."
Requip (ropinirole) "I have had leg pain for over 5 years now. I have taken tramadol for the pain. I never thought it was restless leg because I never felt like moving my legs, they just ached so bad in the morning when I woke up. My doctor just added Requip 2 days ago, and it was amazing. I slept past 5 a.m. and woke at 8 a.m. with no leg pain and didn't need my 2 tramadol! Unbelievable! I am so excited to possibly cut my tramadol dose down because I was always so tired on tramadol! I'm hoping this will work for a while. My starting dose of Requip is 0.25 mg."
Requip (ropinirole) "Let me first start by saying that Requip did work very well to control my restless legs syndrome. (I have terrible, uncontrollable leg movement/pain.) However, the side effects of the higher dosage made me very sick. Approximately one hour before bedtime, I had taken the pill. I began to feel extremely nauseous, with excruciating stomach cramps, chills, and my head started spinning. I could barely make it to the bathroom, where I immediately threw up. I found relief soon thereafter from the side effects. I continued having a mild stomach ache about 4 hours later. Requip should definitely be taken in a smaller dosage at first. Then move up gradually when you feel that the dosage isn't covering all your pains. I take Requip daily and have for 10 years for my RLS. Feel better!"
Requip, Requip XL
Requip, Requip XL
