Hi to All. I have PD for the last 10 years. I shall replace Requip by Mirapex because it is more effective against tremor which is my main syndrom. Is there anyone else who has gone through the same experience? I would very much like to hear your comments please. Thanks.

to titrate up VERY slowly on Mirapex, try to stay under 3 mgs/daily, and watch out for any Obessive Compulsive Behaviors.
If you do experience OCD, try another agonist.

Charlie

The argument between which to use has been going on for years. Charlie gave you great information. Requip proved to have absolutely no effect for me. Mirapex works for me too. I do have a bit of a compulsive/obsessive personality, but I always had that. But is you were to ask others on this forum, they would warn you to stay away from this drug, as others have had their lives literally ruined by using Mirapex.

Vicky

I have read a lot about sudden sleep attacks occurring during the day because of Mirapex. Does anyone have any experience with this side effect?

have experience with Mirapex induced sleep apneas and hallucinations. Both were fairly mild in my experience. They both went away inside a year of starting Mirapex. Sometimes I would have to pull off the road and power nap for 15 mins or so, so I would not fall asleep driving.
The hallucinations were brown streaks in my peripheral vision. Once I realized what they were, I got used to my "little furry friends"!!

Chas

Thanks a lot Chasmo and vlhperry. I understand quite a large number of people are affected and concerned by this Obsessive Behaviour problem and sleep attacks. When I started using Requip I had sleep attacks for about 2 years. Then I developed personal methods to fight against them. Finally they disappeared. Before going over to Mirapex I am trying to find out whether I have to tackle the same problem once more and whether it is worth the effort. With Mirapex have you got better results?

Until about 10 days ago I had not idea how much Mirapex did for my tremor. Just as levodopa does for PD symptoms.

When I was in the "off" state after 12 hours off meds my tremor was at least four times worse. Once allowed to take meds again, my tremor was it usual irritating monster, but manageable...at least I could hold something in my hand.

I quit Requip years ago due to sleep attacks.

Totally agree with the minimum dosage. I take .5 mg three times a day.
More would be nice, but I don't care for the side effects...neither does Dr. Shulman.

So, less meds is best for levodopa and Mirapex...for me that is. Although I am only non-symptomatic for about the first 20-30 minutes after a dosage, then the down hill slide begins until the next 3-hour dose.

Hello Cesar. Requip can make you feel much better UP TO A POINT. But unless you find the right amount of mg's and don't exceed that amount, Requip can make your symptoms worse - especially tremor and balance.
After almost six years of taking Requip, I have found that 8.5 mg per day do more for me than the 12mg per day I took three years ago. You might try to reduce your daily dose of Requip and see what happens. Reduce by only .50 mg per day (not per dose) and wait a week before you cut out another .50mg. That gives you time to see which amount helps - or not.
I have not tried Mirapex, but reducing Requip is certainly easier than switching.
Good luck,

birte

After one year on Requip alone, I added Sinemet. I experienced sleep attacks the first year on Requip. By the end of year two, I was at 30 mg of Requip and have stayed at 30 mg for the past 5 years without sleep attacks. I might attribute some agitation to Requip but agitation could come from other sources. I'm very sensitive to food blocking the benefits of Sinemet to the point that eating a good diet and getting adequate nutrition is probably my biggest battle. Requip appears to not be affected by eating. I take 150 mg Stalevo 8 times daily or every three hours. That's a lot of L dopa. Where I run into trouble is if I need to add more Sinemet due to eating. Then I risk dyskinesia: the pits of PD. I feel lucky in being able to tolerate Requip at 30 mg as I think it potentiates L dopa predictably where as increasing L dopa gives very unpredictable results.

Hello shcq. You say 30mg Requip and 8x150mg Stalevo per day. These numbers are quite high. There must be a lot of involuntary movements as side effect. Can you or your Doctor determine approximately which drug is causing what. For many side effects L-dopa may be the culprit. I presume that stiffness and rigidity are much more important than tremor in your case. In my case the main problem is tremor. Sorry for going outside the main topic, but here we are discussing our problems with the hope of helping each other.