Common Questions
This Web site summarizes important information about Requip. This information should not take the place of discussions with your doctor about your medical condition or Requip. Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed on this Web site. Do not take Requip for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Read the patient information leaflet for Requip each time you get more medicine, as it may have been updated. For more information about Requip, a prescription medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist. He or she can give you information about Requip that is written for health care professionals.
What Are Some Common Questions About Requip?
Requip is a prescription medicine used to treat moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome. It is sometimes used to treat Parkinson's disease. Having one of these conditions does not mean you have or will develop the other.
What is the most important information I should know about Requip?
- Patients with RLS should take Requip differently than patients with Parkinson's disease (see How should I take Requip for RLS? for the recommended dosing for RLS). A lower dose of Requip is generally needed for patients with RLS, and is taken once daily before bedtime.
- There are known side effects of Requip. If you fall asleep or feel very sleepy while doing normal activities such as driving, faint, feel dizzy, nauseated, or sweaty when you stand up from sitting or lying down, you should talk with your doctor (see What are the possible side effects of Requip?).
- Before starting Requip, be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking any medicines that make you drowsy.
Who should not take Requip?
You should not take Requip if you are allergic to the active ingredient ropinirole or to any of the inactive ingredients. Your doctor and pharmacist have a list of the inactive ingredients.
What should I tell my doctor?
Be sure to tell your doctor if:
- You are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
- You are breast-feeding
- You have daytime sleepiness from a sleep disorder other than RLS or have unexpected sleepiness or periods of sleep while taking Requip
- You are taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines. Some of these medicines may increase your chances of getting side effects while taking Requip
- You start or stop taking other medicines while you are taking Requip. This may increase your chances of getting side effects
- You start or stop smoking while you are taking Requip. Smoking may decrease the treatment effect of Requip
- You feel dizzy, nauseated, sweaty, or faint when you stand up from sitting or lying down
- You drink alcoholic beverages. This may increase your chances of becoming drowsy or sleepy while taking Requip
- Also tell your doctor if you or your family notices that you develop any unusual impulses or behaviors, such as pathological gambling or hypersexuality
How should I take Requip for RLS?
- Be sure to take Requip exactly as directed by your doctor or health care provider
- The usual way to take Requip is once in the evening, 1 to 3 hours before bedtime
- Your doctor will start you on a low dose of Requip. Your doctor may change the dose until you are taking the amount of medicine that is right for you to control your symptoms
- You may receive a starting kit with doses marked by day. The pills in this kit slowly increase your daily dose over time so that you and your doctor may determine what the best dose is for you. Different people respond differently to this medicine. You may not need the highest-dose pill in this kit or you may need an even higher dose to relieve your symptoms. You should carefully follow your doctor's advice on the use of this kit
- If you miss your dose, do not double your next dose. Take only your usual dose 1 to 3 hours before your next bedtime
- Contact your doctor, if you stop taking Requip for any reason. Do not restart without consulting your doctor
- You can take Requip with or without food. Taking Requip with food may decrease the chances of feeling nauseated
What are the possible side effects of Requip?
- Most people who take Requip tolerate it well. The most commonly reported side effects in people taking Requip for RLS are nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and drowsiness or sleepiness. You should be careful until you know if Requip affects your ability to remain alert while doing normal daily activities, and you should watch for the development of significant daytime sleepiness or episodes of falling asleep. It is possible that you could fall asleep while doing normal activities such as driving a car, doing physical tasks, or using hazardous machinery while taking Requip. Your chances of falling asleep while doing normal activities while taking Requip are greater if you are taking other medicines that cause drowsiness.
- When you start taking Requip or when you increase your dose, you may feel dizzy, nauseated, sweaty or faint, when first standing up from sitting or lying down. Therefore, do not stand up quickly after sitting or lying down, particularly if you have been sitting or lying down for a long period of time. Take a minute sitting on the edge of the bed or chair before you get up.
- Some patients taking ropinirole have shown urges to behave in a way unusual for them. Examples of this are an unusual urge to gamble or increased sexual urges and/or behaviors. If you or your family notices that you are developing any unusual behaviors, talk to your doctor.
- Hallucinations (unreal sounds, visions, or sensations) have been reported in patients taking Requip. These were uncommon in patients taking Requip for RLS. The risk is greater in patients with Parkinson's disease who are elderly, taking Requip with L-dopa, or taking higher doses of Requip than recommended for RLS.
Other Information about Requip
Results from studies of people with Parkinson's disease show that they may be at an increased risk of developing melanoma, a form of skin cancer, when compared to people without Parkinson's disease. It is not known if this problem is associated with Parkinson's disease or the medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease. Requip is one of the medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease, therefore, patients being treated with Requip should have periodic skin examinations.
- Take Requip exactly as your doctor prescribes it
- Keep Requip out of the reach of children
- Store Requip at room temperature out of direct sunlight
- Keep Requip in a tightly closed container
What Are Some Common Questions About Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)?
Q: Are there any non-medication choices for RLS?
A: There may be some activities you can do to help reduce the symptoms of RLS.
Q: Is there only 1 type of RLS?
A: There are 2 types of RLS, primary and secondary. Requip is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary RLS.
If you think you're experiencing symptoms of RLS, see your doctor. Symptoms of RLS, such as tingling sensations in the legs, can be similar to symptoms of other disorders, so only your doctor can diagnose RLS. There are no specific tests to diagnose symptoms of RLS. Diagnosis of RLS is based on your symptoms, your medical history, and a physical exam. Medical tests may be done to rule out other conditions associated with similar symptoms of RLS.
While the exact cause of primary RLS is unknown, doctors believe that RLS may be related to dopamine (DOPE – uh – mean), a chemical that carries the signals between the nerve cells that help regulate body movement. When the dopamine system does not function properly, it may upset the signals between these nerve cells.
Secondary RLS may be related to a number of other causes. When evaluating patients' symptoms of RLS, it is important for health care providers to rule out other underlying conditions associated with secondary RLS symptoms, such as iron deficiency, pregnancy, and kidney failure.