Requip - Not a Promising Start

[Madalot]

My neurologist feels that taking Requip for the leg movements is a sensible thing to try and I started it tonight. This is NOT starting out well in that within an hour of taking it, I was having hot/cold flashes (back and forth driving me crazy), increased thigh pain on my left side (my preferred sleeping side), and weird chest pain. But worst of all -- I can't sleep. I tried for over an hour, but got out of bed and gave up.

I'm yawning like crazy and for 3 days straight, I have NOT gotten my nap in. I was just about to get one today when the new DME called saying they were bringing out backup tanks for the oxygen (the old company never addressed this, but the new one was flabbergasted that I didn't have a backup system on the oxygen -- go figure). So, I missed what probably would have been a good nap this afternoon. I did fall asleep this evening from 7:45 - 8:20, but that's it.

So, here I sit. Yawning and tired, but unable to get comfortable enough or settled enough to sleep. There is no doubt to me that this is the medication because I never have trouble getting to sleep. Not to this degree.

What'd I'd LIKE to do is go lay in the bed, propped up to get as comfortable as possible and just relax -- ON MY BACK because my thigh hurts so much to lay on it. Since that's a major no-no, I don't think I should because heaven forbid I SHOULD fall asleep that way, especially considering all my protests that I never do it.

This is just great.

[máirtín]

My neurologist feels that taking Requip for the leg movements is a sensible thing to try and I started it tonight.

I tried Requip for about six months but I never felt it made any difference. I don't know how the doctor would know if it is working without a sleep study.

[katcw]

A few years ago my doc put me on Requip for RLS -- and all it did was give me restless arm syndrome! I couldn't stand it and stopped using the meds. My RLS was minor, did not wake me, and it was better to have that than to take the meds.

Was your RLS keeping you awake or causing any major problem? I don't know if there are other possible treatments, but if it isn't too bad then perhaps leaving it untreated would be a better choice(?)

[Madalot]

My neurologist feels that taking Requip for the leg movements is a sensible thing to try and I started it tonight.

I tried Requip for about six months but I never felt it made any difference. I don't know how the doctor would know if it is working without a sleep study.

*IF* my daytime fatigue lessens on this medication, it would be assumed that the medication solved the problem. I just had a sleep study and am not looking to do another one any time soon.

Was your RLS keeping you awake or causing any major problem? I don't know if there are other possible treatments, but if it isn't too bad then perhaps leaving it untreated would be a better choice(?)

We are treating diaphragm muscle weakness (which is being treated very effectively). However, I am waking up a lot during the night and having excessive daytime fatigue, which I did NOT have prior to being on this machine. My last sleep study showed leg movements during REM sleep (weird, I know) but my medical team thought we would try Requip to see if it helped alleviate the awakenings and therefore help with the daytime fatigue.

I told my husband that I'll give this a try and see if things settle down some, but wow -- this stuff has made me feel so strange. I know one thing -- taking it 1-2 hours before bed won't work for me. I need to take it way earlier, probably early evening, and give it more time.

Once I finally fell asleep, I DID not wake up again for about 3-4 hours, but I DID wake up my back.

Hopefully, taking it earlier and giving myself a chance to adapt to it, will make things better.

[Mary Z]

I take Requip and have never had any side effects from it. Sorry you are having such a hard time with it. It does seem to help me

[Madalot]

I take Requip and have never had any side effects from it. Sorry you are having such a hard time with it. It does seem to help me

Thanks Mary! I tend to suffer side effects from any new medication, at least for a few days until I settle on it. I know that I need to give it up to two weeks for the problems to subside, IF I can tolerate the problems that long.

There have only been two medications given to me (Niaspan & Lisinopril) that the side effects never went away and I had to go off of them. But both of those I gave at least 2-4 weeks before telling my doctors that I just couldn't tolerate them.

I'm hoping that the problems with Requip will stop and that it helps.

[jbn3boys]

My sleep doc gave me the option of Requip OR Mirapex. For some reason, I chose the lesser-known one, Mirapex. The only side effect I've noticed is that it makes me sleepy--good side effect to have! If you give the Requip the try you intend to, and it does not settle down and work, you could try asking about Mirapex. My sleep doc's nurse said they are very similar, and either one should work.

My RLS is/was also minor. I didn't know I had it aside from the sleep study. But now that I'm on Mirapex (and several other changes), my AHI is slowly coming down. I guess that's how I know it (or some combination of things) is working, at least some days.

Hang in there, Maddie. Sorry it's been so hard for you!

jbn
(who has been MIA for over a week!)

[BlackSpinner]

What'd I'd LIKE to do is go lay in the bed, propped up to get as comfortable as possible and just relax -- ON MY BACK because my thigh hurts so much to lay on it. Since that's a major no-no, I don't think I should because heaven forbid I SHOULD fall asleep that way, especially considering all my protests that I never do it.

This is just great.

Well you have equipment to deal with that issue. I would just DO IT. Better then no sleep.

[Bright Choice]

For what its worth, Maddie, I started taking Requip about a year ago, 9 months prior to cpap. I had rls pretty bad pm's and at night. It wrecked sleep onset and gave me frequent awakenings. The Requip has really helped. I take 0.5mgm at 7 pm and go to bed about 10 pm. I started cpap about 3 months ago and did pretty good. So good that I thought that once I got stabilized on cpap that I could quir Requip.
But... Last night I had a psg w/titration for possible ASV. They wanted me to skip the Requip to see if it would help me get qualified for ASV. It was not a good thing to do. Psg showed leg jerks every 15 seconds and I was miserable. Had enough centrals to qualify me early in the night, took some Requip and had great sleep with the rest of the ASV titration.

So... Although I really don't like the idea of Requip, it really helps and I would be miserable without it. No side effects that I know of.

Good luck on your quest!!

[Madalot]

What'd I'd LIKE to do is go lay in the bed, propped up to get as comfortable as possible and just relax -- ON MY BACK because my thigh hurts so much to lay on it. Since that's a major no-no, I don't think I should because heaven forbid I SHOULD fall asleep that way, especially considering all my protests that I never do it.

This is just great.

Well you have equipment to deal with that issue. I would just DO IT. Better then no sleep.

That's what I ended up doing, but one thing that did come out of the sleep study is that the ventilator settings are NOT okay if I'm supine. Sleeping on my side, they're perfect, but supine they had to increase the EPAP to 12 (I'm at 6 now) and the IPAP went up to 20. They also had to increase the tidal volume to 440.

That's one of the reasons they are telling me to do whatever I can to stay off my back so they don't have to increase the settings since they work fine on my side.

So... Although I really don't like the idea of Requip, it really helps and I would be miserable without it. No side effects that I know of.

Good luck on your quest!!

Thanks. I tend to have a lot of side effects any time I start a new medication, but unless they are horrible, I usually deal with them until I stabilize. I'm having a potentially serious side effect today, which I have reported to my doctor. I'll have to see what he says about whether or not to continue the Requip...

[snuginarug]

Darn it all, Mad, you are so sensible I don't get a chance to give you advice.

I will have my fingers crossed about this Requip, and it is good to know that you have Mirapex in the wings. (I have my fingers crossed about so many things, it is surprising I can type at all. )

I do hope you can get some good sleep tonight.

Take care

((( hugs )))

[BlackSpinner]

Thanks. I tend to have a lot of side effects any time I start a new medication, but unless they are horrible, I usually deal with them until I stabilize. I'm having a potentially serious side effect today, which I have reported to my doctor. I'll have to see what he says about whether or not to continue the Requip...

I also tend to have a lot of side effects to anything I take and I also have to debate whether it is worth taking it or not. I spent many years in pain due to migraines because the effects of the anti migraine drugs and the more powerful pain killers would have made it impossible for me to work. I could program in pain but not with an IQ of 50, stoned or asleep.

[robysue]

Maddie,

I am so sorry you're having even more problems. However 3--4 hours of sleep without waking up is 3--4 hours of sleep without waking up. To heck with realizing you woke up on your back if that 3--4 hours of sleep FELT good. Maybe your idea of taking the Requip earlier than the recommended 1 to 2 hours before bed will make it more tolerable.

[robysue]

Thanks. I tend to have a lot of side effects any time I start a new medication, but unless they are horrible, I usually deal with them until I stabilize. I'm having a potentially serious side effect today, which I have reported to my doctor. I'll have to see what he says about whether or not to continue the Requip...

I also tend to have a lot of side effects to anything I take and I also have to debate whether it is worth taking it or not. I spent many years in pain due to migraines because the effects of the anti migraine drugs and the more powerful pain killers would have made it impossible for me to work. I could program in pain but not with an IQ of 50, stoned or asleep.

I so identify BlackSpinner: For years I've more or less ignored my (moderate) migraine pain even as it became chronic because the pain was easier to deal with than meds. Unfortunately, it's hard to teach when you feel like you might fall over due to vertigo and the vertigo turns out to be migraine-related. The search for a migraine med that I can tolerate remains active: The NP is having me discontinue the depakote after a few days of weaning due to its playing havoc with the insomnia and triggering mood and anger problems. *sigh*

[Madalot]

I received a call from *A* doctor at the university, but not MY doctor that prescribed the Requip. This happens a lot that one of the Fellows returns phone calls.

As far as some of the side effects, I guess this is another case where they don't believe me. He said that typically, Requip puts you to sleep, NOT keeps you awake. "Trouble Sleeping" was in the list of side effects that should be reported to the physician immediately, but whatever.

He also said that the other side effect can't be from the Requip and that I should call my primary doctor about it. I don't know -- maybe it IS just a coincidence, but it's a little too coincidental that the day after starting this medication, I start bleeding from my rear end (sorry -- probably TMI).

He said he would speak with MY doctor and ask him and get back to me.