Requip

Requip is a prescription-only medicine prescribed for:

• Parkinson's disease.
• Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) (a nervous system disorder in which a person moves his/her legs to relieve unpleasant sensations in the legs).

It is available as:

• Tablet
• Extended release tablet

Before using Requip, you must know all about the risks and complications associated with it. Together with your doctor, you can decide whether the medication will do you more goods than the harms.

Here are some factors to be considered before deciding to use this medicine:

Allergies: Inform your doctor about the allergies you have, such as to this medication, other medications, or to foods, dyes, or preservatives.

Pediatric: Safety and efficacy of this medicine in children have not been well documented.

Geriatric: Though generally safe for use in elderly, ropinirole should be used cautiously in this population group.

Pregnancy: It falls under pregnancy category C for all trimesters, meaning that due to lack of sufficient studies, it’s not clear if this medication is safe for use in pregnancy.

Breastfeeding: Use only after assessing risks and benefits of the use.

Drug Interactions: Taking two medicines together can be harmful due to possible interactions. In other cases, even if there is a possible interaction between two medicines your doctor may advise you to take them together after adjusting the dose or issuing precautions.

Though usually not recommended, your doctor may decide, after adjusting dose or frequency of one or both medicines, to use this medicine with:

• Warfarin

Rarely and only when absolutely needed, this medicine may be used with the following medicines even if using them together may put you at risk of certain side effects.

In such cases, you may have to take the adjusted dose or change the frequency of intake.

• Ciprofloxacin
• Kava

Other Interactions: Taking your medicine together with certain foods or items such as alcohol or tobacco may cause undesirable interactions. Talk to your doctor to know if using this medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco is safe.

Inform your doctor about any other medical condition you have, including:

• Dyskinesia (movement disorder)
• Hallucinations
• Heart diseases
• Abnormal heart rhythms
• High or low blood pressure)
• Mental disorders
• Postural hypotension (feeling dizzy or fainting when suddenly changing the position): Use cautiously.
• Kidney or liver impairment
• Lung problems caused by other Parkinson's medicines
• Sleep disorders

To use Requip properly, you must follow all instructions given by your doctor and do not take more, less, more frequently or for a longer duration than recommended.

Read the patient information leaflet carefully and follow accordingly. Consult your doctor if you have any query.

Take this medicine with food to reduce nausea. Do not open, break or chew the extended-release tablet. Swallow the entire tablet.

Dosing: For best results, follow your doctor to know what amount of medicine you should take in a single dose. The doses of a medicine can differ according to the conditions for which it is being prescribed, your age and your overall health status. Remember your doses can differ. Consult your doctor if you have anything to ask.

The doses of extended-release tablets are:

For Parkinson's disease

• Adults: Starting with 2 milligrams (mg) once daily for up to 2 weeks, the doses may be increased. The maximum daily dose is 24 mg.
• Children: Your doctor will decide the use and dose.

The doses of tablets are:

For Parkinson's disease

• Adults: Starting with 0.25 milligram (mg) three times a day, the doses may be increased. The maximum daily dose is 24 mg.
• Children: Your doctor will decide the use and dose.

For Restless Legs Syndrome

• Adults: Starting with 0.25 milligrams (mg) once daily, 1 to 3 hours before sleep, the doses may be increased. The maximum daily dose is 4 mg.
• Children: Your doctor will decide the use and dose.

Missed Dose: Take your missed dose once you remember but avoid it if it’s time to take your next dose, and follow your normal dosing schedule. Avoid taking double doses to make up for the missed dose.

Storage:

• Store in a closed container at room temperature.
• Keep away from heat, moisture, and direct light.
• Do not freeze.
• Keep away from children.
• Discard any unused or expired medicines.

In using Requip, you must be careful and take some precautions as advised by your doctor. Your progress should be regularly monitored to determine if you are responding to the treatment.

Do not suddenly discontinue any medicine without consulting your doctor. You doctor may recommend tapering the dose.

You may feel excessive sleepiness while taking this medicine. Therefore, exercise extra caution while driving, using machines or doing any activity that requires alertness.

Avoid taking alcohol or other CNS depressants such as allergy or cold medicines, sleeping pills, narcotic pain killers, medicine for seizures, muscle relaxants, or other anesthetics. If you need to, consult your doctor.

You may feel dizzy when standing suddenly from a lying or sitting position. Therefore, take care not to faint.

Elderly patients are more likely to have hallucinations. Talk to your doctor if you start hearing or seeing things that are not present.

Do not smoke during the course of the treatment. Schedule regular skin check-up to look for melanoma, if you have Parkinson's disease.

Consult your doctor if you notice any abnormal behavioral changes such as excessive gambling or increased sexual urges.

As with many medications, there are several potential side effects associated with Requip.

Consult your doctor immediately if you have any of the following side effects:

More common:

• Abnormal body movements
• Confusion
• Exacerbation of parkinsonism
• Excessive sleepiness
• Excessive tiredness or weakness
• Feeling dizzy or fainting when changing the position suddenly
• Hallucinations
• Nausea
• Swollen legs

Less common: 

• Pain in stomach, chest, arms or legs
• Bloody urine
• Breathing difficulties
• Chest discomfort
• Chills
• Cough
• Depression
• High or low blood pressure
• Loss of consciousness
• Memory or concentration problems
• Painful or troubled urination
• Rapid, irregular heartbeat
• Rapid weight gain or loss
• Spinning head
• Sweating
• Swollen face or limbs
• Tingling or pricking sensations in the hands or feet
• Vision problems such as blurry or double vision
• Vomiting

Rare: 

• o Abnormal muscle contractions
• o Anxiety
• o Fever
• o Headache
• o Hearing abnormal ringing sounds
• o Incontinence
• o Joint pain
• o Stuffy or a runny nose
• o Sneezing
• o Swallowing difficulties
• o Strange urges
• o Vision problems

Seek emergency medical attention if you have any of the Symptoms of Overdose, including:

• Continuous coughing or sweating
• Dazing
• Excessive body movements, typically of the face or mouth
• Restlessness
• Unusual tiredness or weakness
• Unpleasant dreams

Some non-serious side effects usually go away on their own without requiring medical intervention. You may also ask your doctor to learn more about how you may prevent or reduce the side effects.

Talk to your doctor if the side effects persist or worry you, including:

Less common:

• Back pain
• Burping
• Decreased appetite
• Decreased sex drive
• Dry mouth
• Excessive sleepiness
• Problem with bowel evacuation
• Red, warm skin
• Shaking
• Unpleasant dreams
• Upset stomach
• Weight loss

The side effects of the medicine are not limited to the ones listed above. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any side effects that are uncommon or worry you. To report side effects to the FDA, contact at 1-800-FDA-1088.