Has anyone started the new rotigitine patch, Neupro? My husbnd started it 3 days ago and experienced profound bradykinesia ;he suffers primarily from bradykinesia and tremor, but experienced such an increase in this symptom. Has anyone else experienced this with neupro or any other dopamine agonist?
Thanks for any input. madelyn

Madelyn...I inquired, here, about the Neupro Patch about 2 weeks ago...had been curious to know, too, if anyone had started using the patch and, if so, what had been the outcome. There wasn't too much response which made me think that not too many had as yet tried the patch...or, that anyone who had even started it might not have been using it long enough to determine its efficacy, etc. I have read so many times that medications given for a particular symptom actually CAUSE the symptoms to worsen...which seems to have been the case with your husband...the bradykinesia has worsened. It is my pwp who might be started on the Neupro Patch very soon, and I have been very curious to know if her tremors (her symptoms) might worsen based on what I have read in the past..and now reading what you have posted. The way I understand it..the Neupro Patch is used concommitantly with Sinemet. What my pwp's neurologist is hoping to accomplish, i.e., if he, in fact, prescribes the patch...is to eliminate the dyskinesias resulting from taking the Sinemet. Sinemet "works well" for the tremors, but the dyskinetic side effect is quite undesirable...right now, it's a matter of a "choice" between which symptom she is able to tolerate better...but, of course, her neurlogist is working hard to determine what "meds" will "work" to give her more symptomatic relief all round. She has taken Mirapex in the past (it, too, is an agonist as is the Neupro patch)...and this "worked" very well for her UNTIL she developed the undesirable side effect of Obsessive/Compulsive behavior (she was at a 4.5 mg dosage when this occurred, but her neurologist felt that she needed to be weaned off the Mirapex completely. At our request, the neurologist is now tending toward prescribing the Mirapex at a lower dose along with less Sinemet...OR...he will prescribe the Neupro Patch...but, we're a bit leery about the new patch...just as you are. We tend to want to stay with what we already know my pwp is able to tolerate, i.e., the Sinemet at a lowered dose plus the Mirapex at a much lower dose than in the past. I have rambled, here, Madelyn...and I'm not too sure I've been of any help to you in response to your question. I guess I just felt that our concerns about the new patch were the same. Perhaps you will receive other responses that will help both of us.

Therese

Madelyn,
I don't recall of anyone here in the forum using the rotigitine patch, Neupro. There might be. I have a couple of people in my support group using it. They didn't report any problems with it. The one man has what I would call severe tremor. The Neupro has all but eliminated it.
You might need to use the patch for a little while before things smooth out. Or, the dose might be too strong.
Please keep us informed on how your husband is doing on it.

GregD

I started using the Neupro patch a week ago and I haven't had any problems. So far, I am very happy with it. I had increased my Stalevo to 4x a day because it was wearing off and sometimes wearing off was still a problem. Now with the Neupro patch, I am cutting the Stalevo back to 3x a day. It is easier to take the Stalevo 3x a day at meal time than it was to take it 4x a day. Plus the Neupro patch helps me not get so stiff at night.

Chicory

thanks Terese, greg and chicory for your postings. husband's physician aagreed to stop the med for now and resume it in 1 week to determine if the effects are the same. will keep you posted. madelyn

Hi all - there was a thread a few weeks back which I link here which may help! I am only an occasional poster here as I still feel a relative newbie to PD/parkinsonism but as I am on low-dose Neupro to support 6x Sinemet Plus this is one topic I feel OK to chip in on!!

.Seems to be prescibed quite a bit in U.K If my memory serves me right the biggest complaint was nausea.This might be a problem as Motilium is not available in U.S. This is the drug usually presribed for this in U.K

thanks to all who replied! madelyn

A little late but hope this teeny bit of info from the UK helps.I have a friend with PD ,a little older than me and 3 years into the illness.She has had this patch for several months and is doing very well with it. She takes 8 Sinemet a day plus Seligiline 1 x 25 mg a day. She started on 1mg building up to 8mg over a period of 4 weeks.She replaces the patch each day,and rotates the location every two weeks.To date she has experienced no noticeable side effects.She says she has a little localised itching but heck...I`d rather be seen to have fleas than be rolling about with repetativ e movements all day. How exhausting is thaty !!! I am taking her out for the morning. on Friday so will try to find out a little more info for you.

Lord above...just thinking.If I go ahead and get one of these patches,and then go for a patch to get me off the dreaded cigarettes [I KNOW...I KNOW...Don`t all lecture me....] and stick tassles to them...glued them to my..ahem...appendages....i could earn a heap of cash tossing and twirling them about in nightclubs and voila ! No-one would be none the wiser.
No? Oh..alright then...I`ll stick with the day job.

x

Steffi - hope your friend doesn't change the location every two weeks!!! No site should be re-used within two weeks ... so each site has 14 days to relax before being used again!! I find, even with low-dose, that the sites remain pink for a couple days after the patches are removed so with the bigger patches then for sure the recommended two-week gap would be a must!!