REQUIP

Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:27 pm Post subject: Requip

Requip and compulsive behavior. This has become a nightmare for me. My Doctor has been involved in a study regarding this issue and feels dopamine agonists are a legitimate problem in some PD patients.Last edited by Zeusa on Mon Dec 31, 2007 8:13 am; edited 2 times in total
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johnball20Joined: 09 Mar 2007Posts: 135Location: Whittier, California
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:28 am Post subject: Requip

Zeusa, You and your doctor should both be concerned with behavioral changes due to the dopamine agonist Requip, or any other similar drug. We have had far too many patients in the PD community who have lost greatly from addictive behaviors such as gambling or shopping out of control, or sexual behaviors. Don't take it lightly. You may want to discuss switching to a MAO-B inhibitor like selegiliene (Eldepryl or Zelopar) or rasagiline (Aziliect), or adding Comtan or Tasmar to your medication schedule. John_________________We are working to raise awareness and find a cure.
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ZeusaJoined: 26 Dec 2007Posts: 3
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:48 am Post subject: Requip

Thank you John, I appreciate your reply about the side affects regarding requip. My Doctor and I do not take this lightly. I approached him about taking rasagaline but at this point his greatest concern is getting me off the requip first and then pursuing other options. I am also taking Sinemet and maybe that will be enough for now.Last edited by Zeusa on Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
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johnball20Joined: 09 Mar 2007Posts: 135Location: Whittier, California
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:43 am Post subject: Reuip

Zeusa, I yhink your doctor is very much overstating the case if he believes that ALL Pd medications cause or are linked to compulsive behavior. I don't believe that is the case at all. The problem is almost exclusively with the dopamine agonists. It may be in combination or as a monotherapy, but an agonist has been involved in every case that I know of from conversations with hundreds of PD sufferers. I have not heard reliable data from any source that confirms changes in behavior, particularly compulsive behavior, when an agonist was not involved. That was certainly the case in my own behavioral concerns. John_________________We are working to raise awareness and find a cure.
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kmcclungJoined: 05 Mar 2007Posts: 49Location: Michigan
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:01 pm Post subject:

Zeusa, Our thirty year old house has all new power outlets and fancy light switches. One of the bathrooms has a new blower fan and one of the other bathrooms would have a new fan if I had been able to get my stiff body into the crapped position to change it. The third bathroom doesn't have a fan but I was thinking about how I would put one in that room. Also replaced some ceiling lamps and one ceiling fan. Have a new water softener, new high efficiency furnace and high efficiency central air. Was considering purchasing a sound system for the family room as I dislike the quality of sound from the TV. Also I don't like the quality of the color that TV produces so was considering replacing it. I reduced my Mirapex from 4.5 mg a day to 3 mg a day. Because of convenience I switched neurologist and told the new neuro what I had done with my medication. She thought my action was okay. I later took myself down to 2 mg a day. When Azilect became available in the U.S. I waited a few months and then asked the neurologist if I could get off the Mirapex and take Azilect. She approved that so I am now taking 1 mg of Azilect daily. The furnace and central air were old and needed to be updated. The light switches are nice and when I plug the vacuum cleaner into an outlet the plug doesn't fall out. I still hate the sound and color from the TV and hopefully someday will replace that TV and put in a sound system. The point that I wish to make is that I feel much much much better not taking the Mirapex. The Azilect took a long time before it became effective. I started taking it last February 1st and it was May before I started feeling better. The neurologist said that I should have noticed a change within a few days but I did not. Other benefits: I gained a lot of weight while on Mirapex. I've lost 50 pounds from February to August. My weight is holding steady. Can cut my toe nails without difficulty and see my feet when I look straight down. Much of the stiffness in the trunk of my body has dissipated. If I accidentally walk into a door frame I no longer have pain shoot through my body. Just feel a little silly. I sleep at least four to five hours straight when I go to bed. On Mirapex it was normal to sleep 2 1/2 hours and than wake up and sleep a half hour or so and wake up and this continued until I got up. I had put myself on a driving restriction because of sleep attacks. Now I can drive without fear of falling asleep. Life is wonderful compared to what life was like on Mirapex. I must say that Mirapex and other agonist are good medications. Just not for me and for a few other people. In our Parkinson's support group one individual had hallucinations from Mirapex and another had sleep attacks. For others in our group agonist are working fine. For some individuals Azilect is ineffective, I feel sad about that because I know how much it helps me. Ken

hu Dec 27, 2007 7:01 pm Post subject: Requip

I should clarify John that I was referring to the agonists alone that have been causing my compulsive behavior. I am also on Sinemet and will stay on that. Sorry for the confusion.... Z
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gronholmJoined: 22 Jan 2008Posts: 3
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject: Requip

if this need - Requip
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ghostgirlJoined: 11 Sep 2007Posts: 19
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:28 am Post subject:

alcoholics havve beens shown to maintain higher thann normal adopaamine levels-dopaminee and addictiion go hand in hand....i'm wondeering if aall pd mmedds inherentlly ca;use compulsiive behavior problems.......... best to eveeryonne--gg
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Rogerstar1Joined: 14 Mar 2007Posts: 199
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 11:22 pm Post subject:

Whether it is the meds, the PD or some combination of the two my experience suggests to me there is a correlation. Long ago when I was a beer drinker at a certain level before inebriation I could detect the endorphins or dopamine or whatever chemical was being triggered/produced cause a distinctive euphoria. It wasn't the onset of drunkeness but a unique rush brought on by dopamine I think. Since I've been ill in the early stages at least, some beer in the evening kept PD symptoms at bay. When I began Sinemet I switched to nonalcohol beer. Miripex, widely known to bring on compulsive behaviosr didn't work for me becase it induced fainting and nausea. Now my substantial ingestion of Sinemet encourages compulsions to buy and bid for things I don't need.....vigilence is required. Compulsions are real! best to you Ghostgirl
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ghostgirlJoined: 11 Sep 2007Posts: 19
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:19 am Post subject:

hi Roger -thx forr the eeaarnest reply :) if we could just use the meds like training wheeells..entra;in ouur brains then drop them'.....bottom line...the 'vigilence for me is mmaintaining enough objectivity t;o know what makes me feel goood in my soul ...my first tryyy of mucuna had mmixed rressults -after only 2 dayss and a tottal of 1 tsp of powder-made me jittery aand feeell nott quittee mysellf-realizeed i am aa compulsive fire builder (in our wood stove) yours in vigileence sharilyn (gg)
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Rogerstar1Joined: 14 Mar 2007Posts: 199
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:57 pm Post subject:

Case in point: I like maple syrup on Breyer's butter pecan ice cream...a lot. Wednesday I received two, 1 quart bottles of 100% pure MEDIUM AMBER grade - good enough and plenty to last me a lifetime. But the truly good stuff is LIGHT AMBER grade. Climate change has caused an abundance of medium and darker grades and a scarcity of light amber. Producers increasingly mis-grade...consumers beware. So Thursday I get right back on line, confirm genuine LIGHTAMBER grade and using Ebay's 'buy it now' mechanism purchase two more quarts and three glass 'nip' sized bottles of light amber maple syrup. Truth betold there's not that big of a difference. You tell me. Was it the Sinemet, PD or just a common lack of will power that has me sitting here feeling stupid? I no longer take agonists. Trivia for today: It takes 40 gallons of raw sap to produce one gallon of 100% pure maple syrup. R.
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ghostgirlJoined: 11 Sep 2007Posts: 19
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject:

Quote:
rivia for today: It takes 40 gallons of raw sap to produce one gallon of 100% pure maple syrup. are we not unlikke the maple trees?wiith the dark of wintter now is thee sseeason where the sap draws deep within thhe tree ...sso too does our energy draw in deepp ..its pressence in our deppth revealing and makking visible our infirmities---oohh bbut wwill sppring ever come gg
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teokimhoeJoined: 03 Mar 2007Posts: 41Location: Malaysia
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:07 am Post subject: REQUIP (Ropinirole)

I think that the mental side effects of Requip (Ropinirole) such as pathological gambling and hypersexuality have been over-publicized. Based own my own personal experience, Requip seldom causes mental side effects. Very often, Parkinson's patients are on more than one drug. Therefore, the mental side effects which are attributed to Requip could be actually caused by other medications. Dr Chew Nee Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia._________________to help the PD patients aware the diseases and encourage to set up support groups to educate the patients and their immediate families
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johnball20Joined: 09 Mar 2007Posts: 135Location: Whittier, California
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:57 am Post subject: Behavioral side effects of dopamine agonists

Teokimhoe, I'm afraid that the behavioral changes associaed with the dopamine agonists, not just Requip (ropinerole), are actually far more frequent than reported, rather than less. That is largely because many patients are unwilling to share the knowledge of these behaviors with their Parkinson's doctors, or their families in many cases, because they are ashamed, or because they have not tied the behavior to the drug. I hae personal experience with changes in behavior (hypersexuality) and know far too many PD patients who have experienced severe gambling addictioins and other disturbing compulsive behaviors. Once the problem is identified, a change in drug prescription produces a change in behavior and the compulsion is no longer a problem. John_________________We are working to raise awareness and find a cure.
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I was diagnosed as Parkinson's disease patient in 2005.I was prescribed by doctor with Sinemet 25/100 one each three times and Jumex 5 gm one each two times per day for the past of two years.As my physical agility is not too much improving and I decide to change Dr. NK Chew, Neurologist of Pantai Cheras Medical Centre for treatment on the month of July 07 . He optimises my medication to 4 gm Requip (ropinirole) each three times and one Sinemet 25/100 two times a day. I am surprised my agility is 90% improving as told by my two trainers. I am glad I am able to do stretching exercises and gmx classes ie. body combat, pump, yoga, spinning and box and kick exercises for three hours from Monday to Friday. I do massage on every Saturday to loosen my body tiredness. I rest on bed for an hour after my exercises. I find my Physical mobility and agility is normal and PD is very mild from now as told by Dr. Chew.I wish to take this forum to express my thanks to Dr. Chew Nee Kong for his excellent work and his contribution for the Parkinson's patients.TEOKIMHOE