| Key to ratings for requip: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
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| 5 | RLS | Weight Gain | If titrated correctly - you'll end up with the right dosage! My Dr. had me email almost daily how I was feeling after taking the newest dose. If I was a little nauseas she had me repeat the same dosage. She increased until I got the relief I was looking for. I'm not sure if the wt gain is related. I was sleeping about 3 hrs/night before requip - I was too miserable to eat. It has made such a positive improvement in my live! Anyone having side effects - have you're dosage checked! It could be as easy as taking less! | F | 49 | 2 years | 1/25/2010 | 1 | RLS | When I woke after the first night of taking REQUIP XL 2 mg with the headache from hell. I stood up and almost passed out, started sweating, nauseated, light sensitivity. | not taking it EVER! Yes, I slept last night but it's not worth the misery the next day. | F | 62 | 1 days | 1/12/2010 | 5 | RLS | I had a few strange dreams at the beginning, but I've had dreams before just as crazy! I get real sleepy about an hour after taking 1mg before bedtime, but I look forward to the slumber now, because before I started taking it my feet would tingle, burn, turn numb and cold... so right now I love it! I've been on it for about 6 months with no weight gain (Thank Goodness). I didn't know that was a side effect, but I try to control the ole fat anyway. | I'm glad my doctor prescribed it. I went for all kinds of testing from circulation problems, vitimin deficiences, to arthritis and this is the only thing that showed up. | F | 51 | 6 days | 12/28/2009 | 3 | RLS | Heavy sweating,weight gain, overeating, compulsiveness. | Taken for a few months now and noticed early afternoon rebound. My MD had me take one when I get home and it seems to help. I've noticed at 2 mg now I wake up drenched in sweat at night. I also am more compulsive at spending, playing on the computer, etc... Have gained 15 lbs. | M | 50 | 3 months | 12/15/2009 | 2 | Parkinson's | Hypersexuality. I was taking 18 mg day of requip. At its height of use I was hypersexual. The result was I had an affair with another woman on mirapex who was in a similar situation. I was a conservative Lutheran pastor and my career and marriage both ended as a result. | M | 45 | 4 years | 11/29/2009 | 4 | Slight weight gain, depression, nausea, very increased sexual appetite. | At 38 and being diabetic, I had little to no sex drive, as my boyfriend would agree, after taking requip I cant get enough. I want sex all the time, I'm more interested in sex and in my boyfriend, I love it. | F | 38 | 6 months | 11/20/2009 | 1 | Parkinson's | I had been previously a prudent, cautious, conservative businessman and investor. On Requip, I spent my own and borrowed money compulsively and recklessly on high-risk "investment opportunities". My hypersexuality included over-the-top spending on "adult" videos. I spent compulsively on collectibles. My marriage nearly came apart. | M | 62 | 2 years | 11/20/2009 | 3 | RLS | Weight gain, 21 lbs in 2 months, nasal congestion, constant fatigue, heartburn, headache, itching,urges to gamble, stomache pain, loose stools, kidney stones, constant toothache. | I'm done. I'll suffer with RLS, and severe sleep deprivation, I have since I was 12. | F | 33 | 63 days | 11/6/2009 | 3 | RLS | As a longtime user of Requip, my side effects are many. I am almost always tired. I have frequent headaches. My joints often get so stiff that I feel like I have rigormortous setting in. I also have terrible ankle stiffness at night that causes me to rotate them until they pop over and over again. I am not sure if the requip causes this or it is part of RLS and the requip helps it. I also have an increase in gambling activity but my MAIN side effect that has hurt my life is strange or bizarre sexual urges. Nothing illegal but still strange. | Still taking it because I simply CANNOT sleep without it. WISH I could find another alternative!!! | M | 44 | 9 years | 10/29/2009 | 1 | RLS | I have gained 40 pounds in the last 4 years; additionally, I have been vomiting a couple of nights a week for two years. I've had all kinds of tests to determine why I've been vomiting, only to have them all come back negative. Now I read the website and find that vomiting is just one of the side effects. Yes, the drup works for RLS, but only if I don't throw it up. And now I know why I've felt like I'm wandering around underwater for the last 3 - 4 years. I don't know how I'm going to get off this stuff, but I'm going to have to try! | F | 55 | 4 years | 10/14/2009 | 1 | RLS | I've been taking requip for about 8 months. I only take it at night, but it's not helping and i've gained 10 pounds! I have ringing in the ears, but I also have a vertigo problem and am off balance alot. Now i'm wondering if the requip is adding to that problem. I'm tired, distracted, and just don't have my old get up and go. Quitting today! I can't believe my doctor prescribed it. | F | 52 | 8 months | 9/26/2009 | 3 | Parkinsons | Tightness in chest, ocassional headaches, short-term nausea, increase in appetite | Has increased my dexterity on the keyboard but has not assisted with tremor in my right arm. Currently on 4mg morning and 4mg in the evening. Dont want to take medicine more than I need to. Doctor wants to try Requip before we move to Sinemet. If I can attain a shake-free arm, the side affects are tolerable. | M | 44 | 6 weeks | 9/14/2009 | 4 | RLS | Weight gain, hair loss, lethargy and mood swings. I wonder how much is due to requip and how much menopause. No sexual stuff though, unfortunately (lol). | Certainly controls the RLS but should like info on alterative medications, i.e. without the side-effects. | F | 54 | 1 years | 9/11/2009 | 1 | parkinson's | nausea, vomiting, light headededness,extreme fatigue, falling asleep at any time, violent vomiting. | M | 62 | 9/1/2009 | 4 | RLS | Very vivid nightmares/dreams that wake me up every couple of hours, also occasional drowsiness | F | 19 | 6 months | 8/20/2009 | 4 | RLS | The Requip makes me extremely sleepy.....so I do my best to time my taking my evening dosage. Have been increased to the 5 mg and now within minutes of taking, I have a terrible dry hacking cough, as if I had hair in the back of my throat. Also nasal congestion, so bad, that I wake up feeling like I am ready to throw up. Horrible feeling of having dry heaves. May have found a simple solution, two hours before bed, split tablet in half, take half with food, then take the other half at bedtime. No coughing, and no RLS systems yet...... | I hope my new plan of attack works, because the REQUIP really does quiet my RLS........I've had RLS for over 35 years.........my Mom said I had "The Clinks", I just couldn't keep still, but back then it was difficult to tell your Mom, "It feels like ants in my legs". Before going to REQUIP, I was on Sinemet, and it had gotten to the point that it just wasn't working anymore.......and my husband was tired of me kicking him in bed. | F | 51 | 3 months | 8/20/2009 | 2 | parkinsons | large weight gain,edema hands and feet, bad cough, fall asleep during the day,hard to stay asleep at night,teeth have gone bad,low pain in back, bad acid reflux after second dose | In the begining it worked prety good but now the sude effects are so bad i feel I need to get off this drug. and try something else. | F | 64 | 2 years | 8/18/2009 | 5 | severe RLS, muscle spasms. | I have had the swelling of feet and legs but not sure it's requip. It comes and goes. My muscle spasms start in afternoon, so I take 1mg in aftrnoon, then 1 in evening, then a third one about8:30/9:00. It has been a life savor for me with very few side effects. | I have been taking neurontin for about 13 yrs. for fibromyalgia and RLS. But it had gotten where it wasn't helping the RLS, which had gotten worse through the yrs. I had the RLS for many yrs, as did my mother, but didn't know there was a name for it untill I was told when I was diagnosed with the fibromyalgia. | F | 62 | 2 days | 8/7/2009 | 2 | RLS | Approximately one hour after sleep onset I wake up and have trouble getting back to sleep. | I have OSA (use CPAP) and RLS. Also some related MH issues such as anxiety and depression resulting from sleep deprivation. Like many here have stated, Requip started out as a God-send, but faded quickly. Some of it is my own fault, I know. I have sever ADHD and do not remember to take the doses during the day. So, I take 1mg at night (with Dr. approval.) My sleep seems more disrupted from the drug than the disorder. Also experienced hyopsexual activity and thinking. Not a good thing. Again, the "compulsive behavior" brought on by the drug is worse than the disrupted sleep from the RLS. | M | 51 | 2 years | 6/30/2009 | 3 | PD | Nausea, sleepiness, swelling of my leggs | I have been taking Requip for little over two years. Because of my petite size (5'1"- 110 lb), I started out with the smallest dosage and it gave me an instant relief from PD symptoms. But it didn't last long. In one year, I have reached with maximum dosage with more side effects. I had nausea from the low dosage but it lasts only half an hour to an hour. I accidentally found antidote for it. It is a peanut butter sandwich cracker. It's better to eat it before nausea starts but it still works even when I'm already feeling sick. It usually takes effect within 2 to 3 sandwich crackers. However, there is nothing I can do to fight against sleepiness. I'm having swelling of my legs lately. My feet and hands are constantly cramping up. Last two months have been very difficult with more side effects with not much effect to my PD symptoms. Try to keep my full time job in this economy with PD at my stage is very hard. The only good thing is that I can still sleep well at night. | F | 49 | 27 months | 6/27/2009 | 1 | RLS | Almost instant cold like symptoms (no indicators of , headaches, eye swelling, instant insomnia. | I have had RLS for about 5 years and doc advised doing the intro to Requip in interval dosages. The .25 and .5 made no difference and I didn't feel any changes, but when I hit the 1.0 I instantly got the symptoms above. I stopped immediately and thankfully I did after reading all of these comments. I am still getting over the bronchitis and other symptoms, but can say I would rather live with the jerking and twitching than go through this again. Would not recommend this to anyone, find another way. I was previously treated with Clorazepam (sp?) and that worked well. Will be going back to that once all of this clears up. | M | 34 | 7 days | 6/4/2009 | 3 | RLS | depression, anxiety, anger, restlessness, inability to concentrate, loss of interest, sexuality issues | I have had RLS for more than 40 yrs. It was well controlled with Sinimet with few side effects. In Spring of 08 I underwent a complete hysterectomy and the Sinimet quite working within hours. The doctor doubled the dose, then tripled the dose and I was still miserable. I would pace for hours, the RLS went into my hands and arms, I cried for hours on end. I was switched to Requip .25 three times a day. That helped a little so it was doubled to .25 six times a day. I now have control of the RLS about 60% of the time. Between the RLS and Requip I feel as if my life is ruined. Either the side effects are bothering me or the RLS is. It controls my life. I have to plan around it all the time. Some nights I get little sleep, I need to allow extra time for driving because I either stop to pace or start feeling sleepy and stop to get awake, I have to plan where to sit in meetings because I have to get up because of the RLS or feeling sleepy. The depression is very bad. I sometimes cry for hours on end. The anger and anxiety are bad. But I don't know what to do. I can't live with the RLS as is and I can't seem to get anymore relief with anything else. This is ruining both my professional and personal life. My doctor gets impatient with me and doesn't seem to have any other answer, I've been to a psychologist who grew impatient with me because I woulnd't make any imporvements in my life, and he was supposed to be a specialist in depression. I would love to have some | F | 58 | 5/20/2009 | 3 | Daytime sleepiness, severe leg and foot pain,ringing in the ears, hyper interest in sex but difficuly with erection, hyper sensation in the early evening (extreme nervousness}, mild tingling in the hands, leg and foot swelling. | It's a catch 22...Can't sleep without it and endure the side effects. | M | 65 | 2 years | 5/17/2009 | 5 | RLS | This is an update to a post I made a couple of years ago. I've been on Requip almost five years now. Here's what I experience now: 1. My daily dose has been stable now for almost two years. .5 about 1pm, .5 around 11pm and another 1mg just before I go to bed. The 1pm dose stops the rebound effect which I only get when I forget to take the afternoon dose. 2. I continue to experience increased libido but for the past year ,decreased sensitivity. Could the the decreased senstivity may be due to age? Its similar to useing a condom. 3. I've almost forgoten that I have RLS. I never wake up in the middle of the night anymore. I now use a generic brand (Ropinirole) and find it works faster. It may be my imagination, but if I let it disolve in my mouth it kicks in much faster. That didn't happen with the brand name version. This generic brand is more disolvable then the brand name. I prefer it now. | Has anyone used the Requip Extended Release? I'm very pleased with Ropinirole. I would reccomend it to anyone, but you gotta give it time! I would tell anyone considering it, to give it at least a year to find the more or less effetive dose for you. IT may take even longer for the perfect dose for your individual need. Ask your doctor to have the pharmacist give it to you in .05mg tabs with an order to take something like 2mg daily as needed. You can adjust your dose more easily with the smaller tabs. | M | 68 | 5 years | 5/11/2009 | 1 | RLS | Premature Atrial Contractions, Shortness of Breath, Forgetfulness, Confusion, General Weakness, Chronic Pharyngitis, Post Nasal Drainage, Anxiety, Low Back Pain, Fatigue, Weight Gain, mild paranoia. | I have been on Requip for about 1yr. I also have Bipolar Disorder and am on Meds for it. My Psychiatrist prescribed and didn't give me any info or tell me anything to watch out for. This is a horrible and dangerous drug and needs to be taken off the market. If there are any class action suits relating to this drug I would like to know about them. | F | 62 | 1 years | 4/27/2009 | 3 | severe RLS | weight gain, nausea, sleepiness during the day | I take 4mg of Requip daily. A specialist said he had seen only a handful of people whose RLS is as bad as mine. I fall asleep during the day, and evening. Then when I go to bed, I sleep almost exactly an hour and a half, then I'm up for the rest of the night most nights. Then after only 2 hours' sleep for several nights in a row, I crash and sleep about 6 hours maybe one night in 4 or 5 nights. When I have an early morning appointment after one of these 2-hour nights, it's like driving drunk. This is no way to live. | F | 67 | 3 years | 4/22/2009 | 1 | RLS | I experienced weight gain, hyposexual activity with my wife, hypersexuality on internet. Yes, it stopped the RLS (1mg taken at night) Caused a separation, with me not knowing why this happened. Saw an ad on tv about Requip lawsuit dealing with the gambling, which I did online but with 'play' money. | I googled requip and started to cry. everything that was ruining my life and had no idea why was answered. I stopped cold turkey, have began to lose weight, have no desire to do things on the internet and am trying to regain the trust I lost from my wife (yes, still separated). Am attending sessions with a psychologist all out of my own pocket. I am not being accepted into the lawsuit because this drug did not cause me any losses in gambling debt. I feel that I lost more than money, I lost my wife's trust. I wouldn't recommend this life ruining drug to my worst enemy! DONT USE IT!!!! | M | 50 | 1.5 years | 3/29/2009 | 3 | PLM | nausea, viral illness? | Helps me feel more awake during the day! However, side effects may be outweighing benefits: have been experiencing mild bouts of nausea in the evenings. Sometimes wake up in the middle of the night feeling nauseous or else very shaky. Only threw up once, while increasing the dose, but have had 'choking' feelings and hypersalivating. Every time I've increased the dose I've gotten a viral illness: coincidence? Don't know, there's a lot of stuff going around this time of year and family members have had it too. Will give it a while longer, but talk to doc if nausea doesn't improve. | F | 24 | 3 weeks | 3/26/2009 | 1 | RLS | Constant feeling I was about to throw-up. Strange headache that seemed to originate a few inches behind and between my eyes. Anxiety. | And I only took it once, then refused any more. Everything horrid of what others wrote about this stuff was true. IF it helps someone out there, I am thankful and amazed. While it did make me sleepy and there were no RLS symptoms that night, I would much prefer RLS to this nightmare. | M | 521 | 1 days | 3/25/2009 | 3 | rls | zombie like fatigue, mild stomache ache/ feeling sick,severe dihorea, mouth ulcers/coldsores, (feeling run down) anxious, nervousness, paranoid, mood swingy/depressive like symptoms. very thirsty/dry mouth, itchy feet, watery blurred eyes. mild pain in ball foot and knees (apart from that no RLS ha !!) | relived my RLS within 2 days . i wake feeling unrefreshed hungover with puffy eyes. they give me an unerving grounded/spaced out feeling (i'm normally hyper maybe there relaxing me & i'm not used to it) i normally have arthritis in neck & carpal tunnel: these symptoms have improved since being on adartrel. the symptoms outway the side affects by far. doc recons i'll be off them in 3 months. been on them 5 wks now there starting to be less afective i can't bear to up the dose only on 2 tabs a night, i'll try last the 3mnth i wouldn't like to be on them permanently there too distrubtive to everyday life. | F | 41 | 5 weeks | 3/7/2009 | 2 | RLS | Increased, and obnoxious, sexuality starting day 7. | I took the starter pack for 8 days, with the final day at the full 1 mg dose. No improvement in my ability to sleep--I wake up every 2 hours. I am quitting this medication, and will try exercise and relaxation techniques. | F | 51 | 8 days | 2/27/2009 | 2 | RLS | I am a 19 year old college student diagnosed with rls and prescribed requip. I started to experience some very strange side effects from the drug that seemed to baffle people. After reading this post I realized I was not alone. I started to have tingling sensations in my head and felt my temples pulsating. I always took it before bed time as prescribed and I would go to sleep nasally congested from it. I had this very foggy head the next day and was not able to concentrate. You can pretty much say it gave me a pretty short attention span. Either way it didnt completely take away my rls sensations. It seemed to replace it with vibrating sensations in my feet. | M | 2/23/2009 | 1 | PLMD | Facial swelling including: eyes, lips, nose & tongue. Level-10 headache upon waking. | This was my first dose of .5mg. I would NEVER take it again! | F | 34 | 1 days | 2/1/2009 | 3 | RLS | Sometimes it works...sometimes not. Sometimes it makes me down-right "antsy". Has anyone experienced any weight gain while taking this medication? If you have...pleas e-mail me and share your experience with me. Thanks! | F | 47 | 2 years | 1/29/2009 | 1 | rls / plmd | I was on requip for a year and a half. What started as a Miracle, ended in a trip to one of the lower levels of Hell. I tolerated every side effect by rationalizing " Well, you weigh the bad with the good ...and I can sleep, so...." I was put on requip because I went to a dr for snoring and what my husband thought was sleep apnea - he thought I jerked back from interupted breathing...and I was suffering severe sleep deprivation. I had a sleep study / was Dx with rls and plmd. My prescribing physician kept saying you need to up the dose to combat the rebound and then the dose had to be increased again, due to augmentation. I ended up taking requip all day long - .25, then .50 mgs every four hours...then 1 and 2 mgs at night. If I didn't, my legs and arms had myoclonic jerks as if I had parkinson's --- I had to stand at meetings and was asked in hushed tones if I had parkinson's. I was more and more anxious about the time of day -- like a drug addict, because if I missed a dose | < I fell asleep at my desk / driving too. By the grace of God, I'm not dead from an MVA. I sometimes had to pull over to doze off on my way to work ! > Ankles too stiff in the morning to walk < I hobbled out of bed > , fingers, especially thumbs, wrists too stiff to pick up a coffee pot, add depression < I never had before > irritable < becasue I was always so sleepy> , and finally, add incontinence!!- urine just ran out of me when I stood up or moved - even when my bladder wasn't full > at this point, I went off the drug cold turkey ! DON"T TAKE THIS DRUG UNLESS YOU HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING ELSE AND IT'S LIFE OR DEATH - This drug, in my opinion, is poison to your body. I used codeine at night for five days to get through withdrawal. I noticed most of the side effects were gone by day two...no more stiffness in ankles, thumbs, wrists... I was awake !, not drowsy !!...and no more myoclonic jerks and rls during the day or evening. My legs didn't start to | F | 49 | 1.5 years | 1/26/2009 | 4 | parkinsons | big weight gain . Very sleepy after second dose. cant sleep very well at night.edema in legs and hands. acid reflux after taking second dose.balance is off a little. dry mouth which in turn has caused bad teeth. bad cough | I am still taking requip 5 mg 3 times aday I guess it helps some | F | 64 | 6 years | 1/22/2009 | 1 | Restless Leg Syndrome | 1. Terrible augmentation; 2. Acute bronchitis twice in a 6 week period (no cold or flu preceding either); 3. Horrible heartburn; and 4. Compulsive overeating. | While it did help me sleep in the beginning, the augmentation started within a couple of weeks (only took .5mg at night, then .75, the 1.0 to get results). RLS symptoms started showing up earlier and earlier in the day. Also, the compulsive overeating was extremely disturbing, not to mention two bouts, out of nowhere, of acute bronchitis. Will go back to half a xanax and also add Folic acid each morning (recommended by the RD at our local health food store). Definitely not worth the side effects!!! | F | 49 | 4 months | 1/20/2009 | 2 | RLS | Godsend at first...after several months, developed nausea, vomiting, nasal congestion (with 5 minutes of taking a pill), headaches, extreme drowsiness. | Question: Has anyone experienced side effects coming off the requip...i.e, quitting cold turkey. | F | 63 | 7 years | 1/15/2009 | 4 | RLS | I had most of what other people discribe, and some specific to me. One major one was constant very bad gagging post nasal drip. This has now "almost" stopped since going off drug. | I posted before in Oct. I began to tell about acidentally discovering that common table salt (salt water)seems to control the RLS at night. Since Oct. I have seen my doc and told him about going off the drug. Told him about the salt thing. I have high B P I take meds for. Doc didn't discourage the salt. He wonders if it is the sodium, the iodin, or the cloride. Salt has continued to work for me since late June of 08. Had to find right amount desolved in water by experiment. It works for me 99% of nights. worth a try I'd say. Doc said to bad it's a common element, or I could make a fourtune on this discovery. | M | 63 | 18 months | 1/9/2009 | 5 | RLS | I'm 67. Have been taking reqip for about three years now. Have a few side effects. Hypersexuality, flashes in eyes, weight gain. I can live with these. My only real complaint about it is the rebound effect about halfway thru the next day. I take a total of 2mg. in three divided doses so that I have a blood level all the time. | I would like to know if anyone has tried the Requip XL (long acting Requip) I just found out about it today. | M | 67 | 3 years | 1/4/2009 | 1 | rls | Upper gastric problems, severe fatigue during day. Anxiety. Panic attacks. Dizzy. Headaches. Ringing in ears. Chest pain and heaviness. Just spent 3 days in hospital after taken to ER thinking I was having a heart attack. Had a severe panic attack 1 hr after taking 2mg in the hospital! Felt like room was 100 degrees. Hospital RN started research after all tests negative. | Find another way to deal with RLS. Willing to join any class action against this manufacturer. Had my last Requip yesterday, and hope I dont have any permanent damage. | M | 53 | 1.5 years | 12/12/2008 | 1 | RLS | Began taking this drug, at first it was very helpful, I was delighted to be able to sleep. Began taking 1MG 1 per night. Then increased to .1MG 1 per day and night, then finally up to 3-4 2MG tablets per night. | Increased nausea to the point that even though I am only taking 2MG per night I must take the medication with anti-nausea medication or I am doomed for at least 24 hours. I can honestly state that I have not had any relief with Requip for years at this point in time. I have been diagnoses, finally, with feritiin iron deficiency however taking any level of replacement induces nausea at this point in time as well. I am very upset at this point in time since I do not seem to have any other alternatives as other medications seem to have as many negative side effects. I would not recommend anyone with RLS to take this medication. | F | 59 | 3 years | 12/6/2008 | 1 | RLS | Experienced wight gain, my eye site is very blurry. I thought it was from radiation I had seven years ago but am beginning to think it is the drugs. Have definite obsessive compulsive disorder. I lost almost $10,000 in a year and had never gambled before in my life. I find the drug ruins my evenings as it makes me very tired and sleep all evening if I take the recommended dosage. Unfortunately I have a very severe case of rls and cant live without help of some sort of drug. | M | 55 | 5 days | 12/4/2008 | 1 | RLS | I HAVE NOT HAD ANY SIDE EFFECTS AND WILL NOT HAVE ANY. I AS GIVEN A SCRIPT FOR IT TODAY. AFTER READING WHAT IS ON HERE I WILL NOT BE GETTING IT FILLED. THIS STUFF SCARES ME. WOULD RATHER KEEP DEALING WITH THE RLS. | ANYTHING THAT CAN DO WHAT THIS DOES TO A PERSON I WOULD NOT TAKE NO MATTER WHAT. | F | 63 | 0 days | 11/24/2008 | 4 | RLS | Persistent cough now coupled with urinary incontinence (anybody else having this?? It's driving me crazy!!!); post op knee pain from knee replacement 3.5 months ago is getting worse all the time; out-of-control online shopping with no real concern despite knowing better; general lethargy; diarrhea, often quite explosive; some mild eye issues I didn't associate with this drug until reading others' comments. | Drug gave immediate relief after years of intermittent problems that grew unbearable after knee replacement. Surgeon refused further Vicodin which was the only relief. Very suicidal from constant pain and nightly insanity and pacing for miles around the house all night long until PCP had me try Requip. Currently on .5mg. Have had some weight gain but blamed increasing knee pain and deccreased walking on that until now. Now scared that the worsening knee pain could be caused by Requip. Have Fybromyalgia and enough joint/muscle pain without adding to that... Worried about infections now as well since I have to be super careful. But it's this total lack of control over these urine "squirts" that made me search online in the first place. It's not even due to a full bladder, and it's driving me nuts. -- Need to get a handle on spending before it's too late. That this drug inhibits self control is scary! | F | 55 | 6 weeks | 10/30/2008 | 4 | parkinsons | Leg and feet swelling, 30 lb. weight gain, arthritis in hands, increased libido, frequent erections, bloated feelings. | Taking 24 mg per day. | M | 57 | 4 years | 10/7/2008 | 3 | rls | At first falling to sleep without warning. Now can't sleep without it must wait an hour or more before it works but it does for about 4hrs and that is a good night for me. | M | 2 years | 9/21/2008 | 4 | RLS | felt odd all the time. groggy, sick and nauseous, terrable caugh all the time, developed post nasal drip very bad at night, huge flashes of light in eyes and checkerboard patterns when eyelids were closed and head moved fast. sleepy all the time. Attention span went to almost zero. And just a lot of other stuff. | Helped "at first" Didn't last After some time began to have body shaking leg jerks/kicks even during the day Med wasn't working at night Increased med Side effects got bad Constanly coughed like a giant barking dog, PND almost closed my throat at night Awake hacking up clear mucus all night,(problem got worse & moved to full time day & night Hacking it up almost caused vomiting) Day jerks came back Felt off/odd *sick* all the time Couldn't deal with it any more & went cold turkey off med First night off, had a major leg problems In desperation used bag of ice under the leg Helped the leg to clamn down By accident I found that salt seems to be connected with RLS (I eat & cook salt free No added salt except what is in the food-if processed) I was having ripples down my legs one night while watching TV I started eating some heavily salted tortilla chips as a TV snak & the ripples stopped Experimented with drinking salt water before going to be | M | 63 | 18 months | 9/4/2008 | 2 | rls | serious compulsive shopping problem exacerbated by Requip. Fogginess in mornings, numbness - I'm going to try something else | M | 49 | 5 years | 8/31/2008 | 4 | RLS | I used to be a night owl but now that I take requip I fall asleep early. I wouldn't call that a bad side effect though because I do sleep well now. I have a prescription for .5mg which I usually cut in half. I try to take it at least 1/2 an hour before I sit down to relax for the evening because if I don't and the RLS symptoms start it is harder to relieve the symptoms. On occasion I have taken the whole .5 pill and when I do I sometimes have very disturbing dreams. | Overall I feel requip is a great solution for me, however after reading this I am concerned it will stop working so well and my RLS symptoms will return. Initially my physician though it could have been due to anemia and B12 deficiency. But the symptoms did not clear up after taking supplements. Just now she feels it could be an iron deficiency, which was undiagnosed this whole time. I believe doctors should exhaust all possible causes before putting people on any medication. | F | 41 | 1 years | 8/11/2008 | 3 | RLS | Daytime sleepiness, increased twitches and jerks, nausea | I have suffered from RLS for over 20 years, initially self-medicating with Valerian. However, about 4 years ago, I noticed I was getting some mild twitching in my toes. Did the sleep studies, saw neurologists, and finally succumbed to prescription medication. Have been taking a low dose of Requip (or Repreve in Australia) for the past 3 years. Yes, it usually gets me to sleep (after a good hour of intense yawning!) as it relaxes out the fizzy legs. But there is a downside! I now have horrible myoclonic jerks throughout the day, much much more severe than the initial curling of a couple of toes. Some days my whole legs, up to the hip, and even sometimes my torso, will contort. This is hard to hide when I am travelling home on the bus or train and I feel really self-conscious and uncomfortable. Long distance travel...anything over 1 hour...is now out of the question. Anyway, for want of a reasonable substitute, I am still taking Requip but I really don't like it. I never feel fresh o | F | 54 | 3 years | 8/3/2008 | 5 | Restless Leg Syndrome | none | Stopped all my leg movements almost immediately. I highly recommend this medication! | F | 51 | 6 months | 7/22/2008 | 5 | RLS | Strang and lucid sex dreams. Horny all the time. Also have had a few hallucinations. Nothing major just cats climbing under the bed and we don't have a cat, but I know it's a hallucination when it happens. Wake up around 4 AM the fall right back to sleep, and have some joint pain in hands and wrists. Also wake up with numb hands now but goes away fast. Sweaty too. | All in all Requip is a God send for me. I was having to take atleast 2 naps durring the day just to function. I thought I had cancer or something. Now I sleep a full night no tiredness have energy, and enjoying the early evening now. NO RESTLESS LEGS! that's the best part! (besides mor fun in bed with my wife now!) | M | 38 | 10 days | 7/21/2008 | 4 | Parkinson's | I've experienced the usual stuff (grogginess, weight gain, joint stiffness, mild swelling in hand) but overall have tolerated the drug well and it has helped. However, I'm extremely concerned about my eyes. Several months into taking 9 mg of Requip per day, I had a posterior vitreous detachment(vitreous pulls away from retina) resulting in a mammoth floater. Dr. said it's quite common "as we age" and generally harmless. Had another one in same eye a few months later and one in other eye, too, so I have to deal with big floaters. Now I have an "epiretinal membrane" growing which is blurring the central vision in one eye (it is operable if it gets worse). I also see a black vascular-like pattern/after-image right after I close and open my right eye; plus I've noticed an odd flash of light when I move my eyes from one side of the TV screen to the other. | Even with all this my vision is still fine and easily correctable to 20/20. But I'm in the process of increasing my dosage of requip and am wondering if I'm crazy for continuing this medication. My ophthalmologist doesn't think it's related and my neurologist seemed unaware of the "vision problems" side effect. Has anyone else experienced what I have??? | F | 59 | 21 months | 7/13/2008 | 1 | Restless Leg Syndrome | Weight gain of 30 pounds, swelling of extremities, sweating, increase in frequency of RLS | I was unaware of the side effect of weight gain until I read the messages on this site. Initially, Requip did help, but by the end of 10 months on Requip, I was having RLS every day compared to three or four times per week before the medication. Have stopped it and will not resume. | F | 65 | 10 months | 6/15/2008 | 4 | RLS | Had RLS for about 12 years although I never knew what it was for years. Diagnosed with MS 14 years ago and thought it was another symptom. Started on starter pack and went up to 2mg. Side effects include severe night sweats, severe augmentation from 5p.m. including to the arms, severe nasal congestion- unable to breathe without using nasal spray. Neurologist has reduced dose to 1mg which takes longer to kick in- 2 hours before bed seems to work. Wake a little earlier in the morning but as long as I'm getting a night's sleep I'll stick with it. Valium 2m.g was the best drug I ever took for RLS- worked like a dream for 2 years and then suddenly stopped, apparently you get used to it .. Luckily I had no withdrawal problems, just stopped taking it.Will stick with ropinirole until that also stops working. | Although the augmentation is awful- I never had RLS in the day, the benefits of a full night's sleep are immeasurable. Before Requip ( called adartrel in the UK) I slept 1-2 hours a night because of the leg twitching and spasms. I think I'm prepared to put up with the side effects to be able to sleep for the first time in YEARS! Fascinating to read how many people have suffered night sweats on this drug- when I mentioned it to my neurologist, he had never heard of it and suggested my GP follow up with some tests. Now I know why I'm getting them.I understand this drug is expensive in the USA but luckily we are blessed with the NHS in England so I only pay the base standard presrciption charge of £6 for 2 months supply ( $10) | F | 48 | 1 days | 6/11/2008 | 1 | Restless Leg Syndrome | I have been taking Mirapex for several years for RLS and my doctor urged me to try Requip. From the very beginning I had problems. It seemed to do exactly the opposite of what it was prescribed to treat. I feel terrible - can't sleep but am exhausted; the RLS is worse than ever before; I feel nauseous and sweaty all the time. | I absolutely do not like this medication and will never take it again. It's back to Mirapex for me! | F | 62 | 6/9/2008 | 5 | PLMSand RLS | i haven't attributed any side effects to requip since i take several other meds with their own baggage. however, i read the side effects of others and i do find that i am slightly groggy and tired in the morning which, if i give into will put me to sleep. but, prior to taking requip all i could do was sleep. so, it's difficult to differentiate what is a side effect and what is a symptom. the biggest side effect has been life changing; when i am awake i am alert and energized, "living le vida loca." | i also have described this drug a a mircle pill. for the last four years or so i have been living like a vegtable. my first complaint was that i was profoundly tired during the day, sometimes falling asleep during a meal or on the telephone or worse, driving. during this time i had several surigical procedures that mixed the signals and caused me to think that the cause lied with the reasons for surgery. first i had a swallowing problem that led to fainting which after a tedious investigation led to an emergency pace maker procedure. heart block was the cause and i thought the pace maker was the cure. not so, more surgery on my cervical spine to correct deformity; this was complicated and risky and resulted in long hospital stays and several more surgeries. the sleep problem fell into the background until i announced one day that i must be cured. only, the sleepiness krept back into my life as i recuperated during the next year. as time went by and i recovered from the knive and reduc | M | 50 | 6 months | 6/4/2008 | 2 | restless legs | Until I visited this site, I didn't realize I was experiencing side effects. Requip does help to relieve the restless legs although sometimes it is slow to work, and if I take it earlier, it makes me so sleepy that I can't enjoy the evening hours. However, I have been feeling so bad lately that I went to see my doctor. He did blood work that did not show anything. He thought that switching to Mirapex might help, but I'm just not sure. I have extreme pain in my feet, some numbness and tingling in my hands, and just feel strange most of the time. I have a very short attention span, am irritable or angry most of the time which is just not me. This is affecting my work and home life. I have decided to come off the requip gradually to see if my symptoms improve. If they are relieved, I will have to look for another medication for restless legs. | F | 59 | 3 years | 5/28/2008 | 4 | Severe RLS | Occassional Nausea (which usually passes quickly). If I take it and can not get to bed within 30 minutes-1 hr I get a little more naustead and occassionaly feel as though I might vomit. I have on about 3 occassions gotten so dizzy that I became pale and weak and my knees buckled. Once I came crashing down in the kitchen and the other 2 times were in the bathroom washing my face before bed within an hour of taking it. If I take it very late at night and don't sleep 8 hours I'm nauseated in the morning. I have had somewhat frequent headaches behind my eye and have constant headaches in general. I have had 2 migraines. I have had no numbness, swelling or actual fainting (though as I mentioned I came very close). I have only vomitted on 2 occassions while taking sinus medicine with requip. Overall, nothing too bad. I have been taking it for 3 years. Recently I started experiencing some vertigo that was a little more frequent. But it tends to come in spells. I am drowsy during the day by 3 | As early as my childhood memories begin, I remember having these horrible feelings in my legs. My grandmother called them "fidgets" My grandmother, mother & father have these "figets" but to much lesser degrees. Now, just as then, my legs bother me on a daily basis. I would experience it in school, in the car or laying in bed. Mine has always been so severe it is not just late in the evening but all day long. I would have to pace my house as a 4 year old in the middle of the night with my mother. My parents have spent hours massaging my feet with Rubbing alcohol, which the cooling sensation helped long enough to get me to sleep. I am 27 now and the symptoms are still frequent and bothersome. I get ill,aggitated & angry towards anyone when my legs are bothering me because it is truly uncontrolable & makes me feel helpless.Requip, despite it's side effects have been a life saver. I started with the .25 dose & was moved up until I was taking 2 mg. Th | M | 27 | 3 years | 5/23/2008 | 4 | rls | I am taking 0,5-1 mg daily for rls. A definite improvement in sleep. Though joint pain in my legs (only (curious?)) when I swim or sit late in the afternoon. Have not tried daytime dose. Would rather not up the dosage over 1mg at night. | I am curious how requip compares to mirapex. Is this like the difference between orange and apple juice or are they mostly the same? Also how does staggering the drug at night work, ie taking most of the dose before bedtime and another part when I wake up at night (usually I go to bed at 2330 and wake up at 2-3 am) | M | 52 | 8 weeks | 4/27/2008 | 5 | MS & RLS | none that I know of | MIRACLE DRUG! When I was pregnant, I had to stop taking Requip and it almost killed me. I was up paceing the floor all night. I imedately got back on it and haven't had any leg jumping since. I have always taken the 1mg. | F | 31 | 3 years | 4/15/2008 | 5 | I have had RLS . | The reason I am so satisfied is that .5 mg. worked the very first night. As I have gotten older, my RLS symptoms have increased from 2 to 3X per week to every night at the same time and last until 2:00 Am. The first night taking Requip I was without RLS. I take it about 6:00 PM and by 8:00 I am in bed asleep. I have to get up at 5:00 AM. I notice a break through at about 5:00 in the afternoon. I have had the left side headache behind eye, some light when my lids are closed, some heatburn, no nausa, some definite joint pain, however, in comparison to RLS for years, I am 62, I am very pleased. I have increased my Gloucosimine (sp) for the joint stuff. Iron used to help prior to Requip but it has side effects as well. Reading the comments have helped me because I have experienced most of the side effects but not enough to have me stop taking it at this time. | I have had RLS since age of 9. Mother called it 'growing pains' However, RLS does run in the family; mother, grandmother and one of my sons has it. Several cousins have it. | F | 62 | 365 days | 3/31/2008 | 1 | RLS | I have developed numbness all over my body. Foggy-head is also becoming a issue. | Requip stopped my RLS but the side effects of numbness and foggy head are not worth it. I am concerned about long-term side effects. It has also hindered weight loss that I have worked for so diligently. I have stopped this medication and have gone back to Klonopin. Has anyone else experienced numbness? | F | 63 | 19 days | 3/30/2008 | 3 | RLS | I have to say that at .25mg to .75mg at night I did have fewer RLS SX but the side effects were NOT worth it. I Got wicked bad heartburn that OTC medication would not help. Feelings of panic and anxiety. Rebound RLS SX in the daytime which I NEVER had before. Weight gain, bloating and gas. Also the hypersexuality aspect was just weird because although aroused you can't climax. | Requip does work BUT it's not worth the side effects. I'm going back to low dose neurontin. I am very glad I didn't go up to higher dosing as getting off of Requip would be the pits. Personally ...like many of the posters here...I find that nothing works over the long haul. You have to switch meds from year to year as they all seem to have both side effects and a finite time that they will work. | F | 57 | 3 months | 3/19/2008 | 5 | RLS | None | I didnt have any nausea. Just finally a decent nights sleep where i wasnt torturing my poor husband by kicking him to death. I love this drug. Been on it for a couple of years now, and would be at a loss without it. | F | 29 | 2 years | 3/18/2008 | 3 | restless legs | at first complete relief of rls on very first pill some nausea and joint pain weight gain is also an issue with me now 2mg per night most nights good relief but dont want to increase dosage | i am very concerned about being on this med for yrs & yrs any ideas out there | F | 48 | 1 years | 3/13/2008 | 4 | taking requip for rls if i don't go to sleep within a hour of taking i get upset stomach and headache also have no sex drive at all | F | 40 | 1 years | 3/9/2008 | 5 | RLS | Nausea, sweats, flashing lights in my eyes. | I suffered and my family suffered because of my RLS. I get relief to sleep now. The nausea is worth it to sleep thru the night. Otherwise I would not make it thru. The Requip made RLS bareable. Without it I could have killed someone. Requip effects everyone about the same but differently as I have read here. It is not a horror drug some make it out to be. | M | 43 | 2 years | 2/25/2008 | 2 | RLS | SEVERE Nausea and Vommiting. | At first I thought I couldn't live without this medication I hadn't slept all night in years. This medicine took the pain away...but I had to increase and take it during the day for the rebound. I eventually got up to 3 mg. and have found that I was always fighting not to"toss my cookies". When I went back down to one mg I couldn't keep that down either so have had to stop. As soon as I stopped it...all my symptoms returned but will have to deal with the excrutiating pain another way. | F | 44 | 3 months | 2/4/2008 | 1 | RLS | Severe nausea, dizziness, didn't alleviate RLS symptoms. | I took this med for debilitating RLS. Found I had to consistently raise the dose to relieve the symptoms. Wasn't long after I got to 2mg that the severe nausea and dizziness developed. I felt like I had drank too much without actually being drunk! Yet I persisted out of desperation to relieve the RLS. I ended up taking a total of 5mg a day, with food, and still felt sick and still had breakthrough RLS. A drug rep from the company that makes Requip told me that people taking it for Parkinson's take up to 15mg a day. I can't even imagine how bad I'd feel taking that much! This med is so expensive and has such terrible side effects, not to mention it didn't really help the RLS, I would never recommend it to anyone. | F | 38 | 1 years | 2/2/2008 | 1 | RLS | About an hour after taking it at bed time, my whole body felt poisoned. I got sweaty, nauseated, and very weak, to the point that I could not stand or sit. I crawled to the bathroom because I thought that I was going to throw up, but I could not even sit up to reach the can. Then, as I lay on the floor, my breathing got very shallow and labored. My insides were burning, my mouth was dry, and at one point, I realized that I had stopped breathing. I had to force myself to breath. I have never felt such total incapacitation. It took a 1/2 hour of laying still on the bathroom floor before I could muster the strength to get back into bed and the symptoms slowly cleared. | I was taking 1mg at bedtime and had 1 minor episode, then they got worse to the point as I described. I was considering calling 911 but I did not have the strength. The next morning I took my Requip prescription and flushed them down the toilet. I have lived for 30 years with RLS, but I nearly died after 1 month on Requip. The absolute scariest medication I have ever tried. | M | 52 | 30 days | 1/31/2008 | 1 | For RLS | I actually have been taking the meds only for about 3 days now. I had not received ANY relief and my sleep has actually gotten worse. I toss and turn all night and do not sleep until early morning. I have had severe eye pain and after reading other consumers comments, I am discontinuing use of this medicine. Look into herbal remedies such as Valerian and acupuncture. | F | 28 | 3 days | 1/24/2008 | 5 | RLS | a very light nausea occassionally that goes away easily. a light headache the first week when I first got up that goes away quickly. No side effects as of late. | This is great. Not only do I get to sleep and my legs quit bothering me and making me crazy all night long but I feel happier during the day and more energetic. I hope this lasts. I love it. | F | 56 | 10 days | 1/21/2008 | 3 | Restless Legs | Experienced strobe light effect in eyes, fatigue, and extreme sleepiness about an hour after dosage. Most importantly, the restless leg symptoms have increased in intensity and duration. | I began with the starter packet and initially settled on a 1.5 mg dosage. That didn't last long. The RLS symptoms returned with a venegence. I have increased the dosage three time in a year. I am taking Requip earlier in the day, sometimes more than once a day. It seldom lasts through the night any more. Before starting Requip I suffered from RLS about 60% of the time. Now it is every day, both day and night. Wish I had never started. I have an appointment with my doctor to discuss alternatives. | F | 48 | 1 years | 1/12/2008 | 1 | RLS | Since beginning the Requip I have severe joint pain. I am always tired and lethargic. I only had symptoms at bedtime when I started on Requip now I seem to have rebound symptoms and struggle with RLS 24 hours a day. I felt better taking Neurontin but had to stop due to weight gain. My quality of live has nosedived. On a night when I need to take more Requip due to RLS severity, I find that the next day I am extremely irritable and aggitated. I definitely want off of this RX. | Don't get started on this. My symptoms have increased in both severity and frequency since I started on this. I can't get through one evening without Requip, and have to increase the dose to get any relief. I am feeling extremely overwhelmed!! I don't know how to get off of it now. | F | 55 | 12 months | 1/12/2008 | 1 | RLS for 15 yrs | Started out with .5 and over time got to 2 mg. Took 2 mg for 3 yrs. The weight gain was horrible. I was moody, never felt good/right. I honestly think my teeth got worse, but I can't prove that. | I AM REQUIP FREE for 3 months now. I started taking a regular daily vitamin, plus I added extra Iron, potassium and calcium. I took the vitamins for about 6 months. then one night I waited for the all too familar signs to show up...they never did. I quit Requip cold turkey and never looked back. If you are taking this for RLS...YOU CAN GET OFF THIS STUFF!! | F | 45 | 7 years | 1/11/2008 | 5 | RLS | Occasionally...perhaps once every two to three weeks...experience extreme nausea and weakness that can only be alleviated by laying down in a dark, quiet place. Symptoms last for one to two hours, and seem to be exacerbated somehow by diet, but I have yet to identify the exact correlation. I believe the effect should be avoidable by carefully scheduling the taking of the medication. | This is the third medication I have taken for nighttime RLS symptoms, having taken Permax first, followed by Mirapex. Both of those lost effectiveness after about two years. Requip has been the most reliable of the RLS medications I have taken, and is well worth taking in spite of the occasional side effects, no matter how severe. I normally take 6mg, but find myself able to reduce the dosage from time to time to as little as 2mg. Though Requip has substantially eliminated my nighttime symptoms, I still require Tramadol for daytime symptoms occurring between 3:00 and 8:00 pm. | M | 47 | 3 years | 1/6/2008 | 4 | RLS | numbness in legs if woken up suddenly | I liked it. It helps me go to sleep and stay asleep all night with out having the painful tingling in my arms and in my legs all night. It also helps my husband sleep because Im not tossing and turning all night. Now if only my daughter would let me sleep all night Id be really good! I did notice though when I do get up in the middle of the night, my legs are tingly like they feel asleep and I have to get up slowly. | F | 22 | 2 months | 1/3/2008 | 1 | Sleep clinic recommended | Sleeping during the day too much. After stopping I went through terrible days of spasticity which I had to use baclofin and flexeril to help. I pray this is not permanent as it is very painful. | I consider it to be one of the worse drugs I've ever taken and think it should be taken off the market before someone takes their life due to side effects or changes to the system which I hope are not going to continue. | M | 66 | 15 days | 12/27/2007 | 4 | RLS | Over the past two years I've run the gamut of side-effects. I take 1mg at night and half of that (.5mg) at noon for rebound. Sometimes I can see the capillaries in my eyes but they are black. Like black lightning. Also, I get the strobe light effect in my left eye, usually in the evenings while watching TV. I had my eyes checked when I started getting the strobe light effect and the doctor said my retina is fine. I had leg cramps for a while but found that Co-Enzyme Q10 120 mg daily would take care of that. Have occasional itching of my feet but hydrocortisone cream seems to work fine. Also, I have increased libido which, at my age, is fine with me!! My doctor thinks the increased libido is because I am getting enough sleep now, but I think it's due to the Requip directly. When I first started Requip I had blunted orgasms which,after a few months, were replaced by prolonged,enhanced orgasms | I'm willing to jump through a lot of hoops to stay on the Requip.I've had RLS for over 30 years. I still find it hard to believe that now I'm getting a whole nights sleep, every night without having to get up and exercise my legs. I sleep like a baby now. I'm a retired nurse and looked high and low over the years for relief. I tried benzodiazpines which seemed to work for a short while. Beta blockers also seemed to work for a while. Any time I had to use a narcotic, like Tylenol #3 , that would work for a few days. Nothing worked for very long tho. I tried the home remedies like Vitamin E, Folic Acid, Calcium/Mag. Zinc, etc etc. I tried eating more sugar and then tried no sugar at all. I was grasping at straws... Requip is a God-send!!! | M | 66 | 800 days | 12/14/2007 | 1 | Have had RLS since I was a kid and starting taking Requip approx. 2 years ago w/.5 mg. BID, got relief however only temporary, had to gradually increase dose to 1 mg. BID with only temp. relief again. Augmentation symptoms are HUGE!! Definitely has made the twitching worse, not even able to ride in the car for 45 mins. Made the connection between my horrible irritability, 20 lbs. weight gain and cravings an hour after taking it. Will gradually decrease dose and eventually will stop taking it. Not much relief with it might as well live without the side effects. | Please research this medication before you start taking this!!! If I had known this I would have never started it. | F | 43 | 2 years | 12/4/2007 | 4 | RLS | Headache upon waking (starting about 5am). Possibly related: migrate-like headache behind one eye (usually left eye). Vision problems -- headaches after reading or working at computer. I have a lazy eye -- seems to be exacerbated. | Worked great for RLS, even at lowest dosage. Had to reduce dosage due to headaches, and vision problems. | M | 53 | 2 months | 11/24/2007 | 3 | RLS | Have had RLS for about 20 years. Uncontrollable urge to move legs at night - aches. Am currently taking 1 mg in the evening. Have had weight gain - about 20 lbs. But at least I can sleep! After taking for 6 mths - have started having severe legs cramps. | I logged in here to find out if the Requip might be associated with my leg cramps, as blood work does not show vitamin defiency. Now I suspect it is the culprit. I did not realize the weight gain might be due to Requip until logging on here. But this has been the only change in the last several mths so I suspect it is responsible for that as well. I'm not sure if I can handle the cramps - but all in all it's been wonderful to sleep for the first time in years! I'll look for an alternate source of relief for legs cramps before discontinuing this med. | F | 51 | 6 months | 11/16/2007 | 2 | RLS | NIght sweats, nightime reflux with gagging, sinusitis, significant joint pain between the time I take it and the time I fall asleep, increased leg motion during daytime, weight gain, and--the symptom that finally has made me quit--extreme drowsiness and fatigue which appeared over a year after I began taking the drug. This delayed effect would normally make me doubt a connection with requip except that when I discontinued it the fatigue lifted in a matter of days. | Requip does alleviate nightime rls but for me the side effects were equal to or worse than rls untreated. RLS leaves me tired the next day, but so does requip and RLS untreated doesn't entail all the other negative side effects. | M | 48 | 2 years | 11/13/2007 | 1 | RLS | Always sleepy, forgetful, haluccinations | The requip never worked very well but every time we talked to the doctor, he upped the dose. I was up to 6 mg. Finally after talking to another doctor I tried Klonopin. It's worked very well. I'm still very forgetful although it seems a little better. | M | 45 | 18 months | 11/2/2007 | 2 | RLS | Nausea, Weakness, Body felt "poisoned", joint pain, headaches | I switched from 1 mg Mirapex (which worked perfectly for my RLS, but left me in a gambling death-grip) to 1 mg of Requip one year ago. I got some relief, but not nearly as effective or last as long as Mirpapex. I had to increase to 2 mg, and then my bad side effects really kicked in. 15 minutes after dosage, I have 1-2 hours of bad nausea. I feel weak and tired, with dull headaches. My whole body feels wrong, like it's poisoned. Requip also takes about 2 hours before it helps the RLS. The help is 50-75%, and does not last thru the night. After a few weeks on 2 mg, I started noticing joiint pain all over my body. I grudgingly went off Requip (no RLS Meds) for 2 weeks and all of the symptoms disappeared including the joint pain. When I resumed Requip, ALL side effects returned. Thur experimentation, I now take 1/3 - 1/2 dosage 2 hours before bed time and the remainder about 1 hour before bedtime. The nausea and feeling of "poisoning" is still there but reduced somew | M | 56 | 1 years | 10/29/2007 | 5 | RLS | I am in the prime of my life and just found out the requip is enhancing my sex life a million fold. I am THRILLED. It makes me feel sexy and confident for the first time in 20 yrs. Oh and it helps my legs too. I sleep better with it but not fantastially well. All in all I love this stuff! Only problem is If I don't take it before symptoms begin then my stomach hurts and I get a weird creepy feeling all over. Ijust have to remember to take it before that happens. | F | 42 | 1.5 years | 10/26/2007 | 2 | RLS | Severely burning skin, anxiety and feeling of absolute doom. explosive diarrhea Nausea and restlessness. | On two occasions I had severe side effects. To be fair...other times I took it and it did relax my RLS and my legs felt warm and heavy by morning...but for some reason on two occasions...I went through hell with it. I had to wake up my husband because I became so fearful ...as if someone was going to or did die. I was nauseaus, pale, anxious, having explosive diarrhea as if my stomach was heaving backwards. I also noticed a residual effect of a ridiculous volatile temper which lingered for 24 hours or so. | F | 35 | 30 days | 10/25/2007 | 2 | RLS | Nasea, pvc (heart having extra bottom beat),Some weird strobe light effect in eyes when i woke up in the middle of the night. | Started off on 1mg dose of requip which seemed to wear off after a few months went to 2mg and started rebounding, after a couple months of that is when the pvcs' started! Thought i was having a heart attack. I no longer take it! | F | 39 | 1 years | 10/25/2007 | 1 | rls | moody, spacey, lethargic, diapharetic, nervous, sometimes disoriented, upset stomach, abnormal appetite | been taking requip about 4 months now. started out on .5 mg. the first few weeks were great. no rls and great sleep. all of the sudden the .5 mg were not enough actually symtoms continually got worse. began taking 1 mg. there again great for about 3 weeks. then again not enough. i began taking two of the 1 mg pills nightly. wow, the rls went away, but so did my short term memory, energy to do anything, happiness became moody and very short tempered. i would rather deal with the rls than go through this crap. would not recommend this drug to anyone...if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with the symtoms minus the use of this drug please email the information. i would greatly appreciate it. | M | 32 | 4 months | 10/18/2007 | 1 | RLS | Felt like I was dying, on the floor in a pool of sweat, couldn't stand, throwing up, extreme dizziness. Had an EKG, Echo and still have a monitor for a month. | Requip can make your blood pressure dangerously low. You need to have a really good feel for what your pressure is before starting this drug. A daily history, NOT just a reading in the doctors office when you are nervous and get a reading that is higher. | F | 49 | 15 days | 10/12/2007 | 1 | RLS ? | Mild Nausea but intense sweating episodes at random times day and night lasting 15 minutes or so. Had little or no noticable effect on the creepy lower leg sensation and lower arm sensation it was prescribed for. Did create disturbing dreams. | I don't think i have RLS but a sensation that comes and goes and feels like i am about to get terrible goosebumps, very uncomfortable. discovered that Vicodin is only thing that terats it so far, i am open to any ideas. | M | 51 | 30 days | 10/10/2007 | 1 | RLS | Fainting, and not just light-headed faiting. Fainting like crash, crack-head-on-floor-vomit-and/or-wet-yourself fainting. I was afraid to be left alone. Very nauseated all night long. At first I didn't know it was the Requip that was making me so sick. The doctor order a sonogram and a heart monitor. Turned out it was the Requip. Was great for RLS but I thought I was dying. | F | 60 | 40 days | 9/24/2007 | 5 | rls | Use to take Quinine for bad leg cramps during the night but can no longer obtain Quinine, so doctor gave me 1 mg Requip and it has worked from the beginning. I take it about 9 pm, sleep through the night most of the time (up one time to piddle) and wake up fine. Thought it was a great drug. Now I have taken it every night for 2 months, and now I have developed a terrible itch, all over my body, from feet to head and scratching it only subsides the itch for a short time. Nothing else has changed or be added to my diet or medicines. I normally do not suffer from any allergies so am wondering if it could be the Requip. The itch is terrible and can be embarrising at times, but the cramps distrub my sleep so I am of mixed feeling about stopping the Reuip. I will try to cut back or stop the Requip and see if that helps. No one else has mentioned an itch. I haven't had any other symptom such as those listed so don't know what to make of it. Has anyone else developed a terrible itch? D | F | 69 | 2 days | 9/23/2007 | 4 | RLS | Upset stomach if taken without food.After 6 mounths had to increase does to 2 mg.now at one year not working as well. Fall asleep while driving a real problem. | Works well at relieving RLS. I take 1mg 4hrs before bed then 1mg 2hrs before which work better on stomach upset. RLS is made worse by Salt, and food with MSG on it. | M | 57 | 1 years | 9/23/2007 | 3 | fibromyalgia | I am taking the starter pack and I did not have major problems until I got to the 1 mg. Now I have headaches, nausea, vomiting, I almost fall asleep in class, and I got disoriented and went into the wrong classroom today. | I am going to stop taking it and see if I can get back on Zanaflex. It did help me sleep better at 0.25 or 0.5 mg but now I am up all night with heartburn, nausa and vomiting. Sometimes I am sick all day. I could not go to class 2 days in a row because my stomach was so upset. | F | 22 | 10 days | 9/18/2007 | 3 | RLS | Worsening symptoms during the day, strange dreams-not remembering if it really happened or it was a dream, desire to consume more alcohol (?) Possible weight gain | If I don't take it, I am up and down all night and grumpy the next day from frustration and interrupted sleep. | F | 48 | 2 years | 9/14/2007 | 2 | RLS | No subsiding of the creepy feeling, 10lb weight gain even though my daily exercise and caloric intake was the same, fatigue, dreams, waking at various time during the night. | I will stop taking requip, the dreams keep me awake and I am very tired all day, weight gain is unacceptable. | F | 52 | 4 weeks | 9/14/2007 | 3 | Essential tremor/parkinsons maybe | Sore throat low in throat/ Bleeding gums( thought I had Gingervitis) | Did help smooth leg motion going down stairs | M | 70 | 15 months | 9/11/2007 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |