Question/Comment:

I am a 62 year old male with severe RLS. I have symptoms at all times of the day and night. I even experience the same feelings in my arms as well. I am on 2mg of Ropinirole which I take an hour before bedtime. My insurance company restricts me to the generic. I have also taken Requip and notice no significant difference between that and the generic. I just hope that more research is done to find the cause and possibly a cure for this annoying condition.

Answer/Reply:

HI,
I have been taking requip for many years for RLS associated with long term fibromyalgia/lyme disease. For a few years I only took 1mg, but after I started seeing a D.O. that specializes in sleep medicine, he told me that even though I was getting to sleep quicker w/o a lot of leg issues, he told me that if I was still having leg movements during the night as I slept that I was still not getting restorative sleep. He decided to increase the dosage and also take the dosages at separate times according to our sleep schedule ( my husband works until midnight so therefore I am usually up until he gets home and we go to bed. I found that if I try to go to bed earlier than when he arrives home that if I wake up, I have trouble getting back to sleep. I am currently taking 2mg at 6pm, another 2mg at 10:30pm and a final 2mg when we go to bed and that is working very well for me. The 1st dosage keeps the RLS from starting, the 2nd dose is to keep the level up in my system and the 3rd dose is to keep it working through the entire night. It has just been a matter of trial & error to arrive at the necessary dosage that works for me. Maybe speak w/your DR.about tailoring a plan to divide up when you take your requip and ask if a dosage increase might be helpful also. I hope this has given you some options to check into with you doctor.

Question/Comment:

i have been on requip almost 2 yrsi have RLS

i dont now what id do without them great product

Question/Comment:

My husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease a year ago and has been on Requip as one of his meds. He takes it 3 x's a day. We have cut back on the morning dose, because we were told one of the side effects is forgetting. Has anyone else had this issue?

Question/Comment:

I have been taking Requip for about one year now. I have severe RLS and cannot sleep at night! I begin to get the RLS in the evening around 6:00pm and cannot sit down without the symtoms beginning. I take the Requip at 6:00pm and do not sit or lie down for at least an hr.. An hr. after taking Requip , I become nautious and sleepy, and cannot function at all. I go directly to bed and am not able to watch tv or converse with my wife. It is very frustrating to do this every day of my life but without the Requip I would never be able to sleep!!!

Question/Comment:

I loved Requip, and I was able to stay awake all day and be productive, but Medicare didn't want to pay for it, and wanted me to switch to Ropinorole, which is for Sleep Apnea, which I don't have. So my doctor tried to write a script that said, "no substiturions allowed' but the pharmacy, said, "sorry, you MUST take the generic." So the doctor prescribed Gabapentin, which is a generic for seizures, but it isn't working much better than the Ropinorole. But Medicare likes it because its cheap. 52 year old female with brain injury

Answer/Reply:

I had been taking Requip for several years and it really worked. I have also noticed that the generic is not as effective. I recently had two major surgeries for cerical spinal stenosis and thought that was causing my restless leg, but no such luck. I still desperately need the requip.

Answer/Reply:

I am woman 54, also have severe RLS for a few years now. I was first given Mirapex, but it caused me to itch so severely I was scratching so much I had scabs on my skin. I was then given Requip which worked until we went to increase the dose and got Ropinorole instead. Tufts insurance won't pay anymore since there is a generic brand..Good for them to save and make more money and let me suffer, as the Ropinorole isn't working. I am increasing the dose as the RLS is interfering with my job. My Dr has suggested Gabapentin if we don't have luck with the Ropinorole. Anyone know what causes the RLS? I did have an electrode test on the nerves in my legs, for numbness years ago..Anyone else? Good luck everyone in trying to control this awful RLS..

Answer/Reply:

Maybe you could check with your doctor about a dosage increase and/or dividing up times when you start taking your medication. I take 6mg but it is divided into 3 dosages of 2mg each starting at 6 pm and than 2 hours before bedtime and the last dosage right at bedtime. It has helped me greatly. It is a matter of trial and error to decide on the timing of when you start the first dosage and so forth and if the dosage needs to be increased for effectiveness and to have it last for the duration of the night. This has improved my sleep greatly and has helped me to be albe to function better during the day. I have a dx of chronic lyme disease and was symptomatic for 13 years until I finally got the diagnosis.

Answer/Reply:

RLS is a neurological disorder but the underlying cause is not known. That is the info my brother rec'd when he went to his internist for this problem. That is the reason that neuro meds are used for the condition.

Answer/Reply:

I was diagnosed with RLS about 3 years ago. My doctor started me out on 1mg. of Requip at bedtime that worked really well for about 2 years. Then I started noticing my symptoms returning she increased the dosage to 2 mgs. twice a day, but Medicare would only pay for the Ropinirole, and I am happy to report that it works fantastically and with no side-affects!!!

Answer/Reply:

I am also on medicare due to a chronic illness (chronic Lyme disease) and take Requip as one of the related symptoms of the illness is RLS. My doctor has kept me on the brand and my Medicare D program is Healthnet Orange and they have not had and issue with the brand Requip vs.the generic ropinerole. Sometimes a drup plan will want the prescribing doctor to call the rx company and do a prior authorization to be able to take the brand instead of the generic. I think it all depends on the insurance plan and what their policies are regarding brand and generics.I did try using the ropinerole for a week or two and did not feel it was as effective as the brand - also my doctor stated that ropinerole has not been out on the market for very long and that is also why he has me stay with the brand until the generic has been proven to be as effective. Also there is another RLS drug called Mirapex. Not sure if that would be an option either.