I took Requip XL for years with very few side effects and a great deal of benefit. I was switched to a generic and went south and had to change to a different dopamine agonist. I've been on Neupro now for about half a year, starting at 4 mg and recently switching to 6 mg. I have almost no side effects other than a slight skin irritation when I remove the patch. I have never tried l-dopa. The other side effect of Neupro, of course, is in my wallet. I'm sure that my constant cycling enhances the effects of any medication.