Drug Database - Requip

Generic Name: ropinirole (oral) (ro-PIN-ih-rol)

Brand Names: Requip®

Classification: Non-Ergoline Dopamine Agonist

Issue Date: 1994

Requip has some of the same effects as a chemical called dopamine, which occurs naturally in your body. Low levels of dopamine in the brain are associated with Parkinson's disease.

Requip is used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as stiffness, tremors, muscle spasms, and poor muscle control. Requip is also used to treat restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. The dose and timing of Requip in treating Parkinson's diease is different from the dose and timing in treating RLS.

You may receive Requip in a starting kit that has each pill marked with the day you should take it. Do not mix these pills up because they each contain different amounts of Requip. The pills must be taken in order so that you gradually receive higher doses of the medication.

You may have a brief increase in side effects whenever your dose is changed. Requip can be taken with or without food. Nausea is a common side effect of Requip. Taking the medicine with food may lessen this effect.

It may be several weeks or months before you notice that this medicine working. Continue taking the medicine until your doctor recommends that you stop.

Do not stop using Requip or change your dose without first talking to your doctor. You may have side effects such as:

• fever
• muscle stiffness
• confusion

If you stop the medication suddenly or if you change doses. Store Requip at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Some people taking Requip have fallen asleep during normal daytime activities such as working, talking, eating, or driving. You may fall asleep suddenly, even after feeling alert. Tell your doctor if you have any problems with daytime sleepiness or drowsiness. If you are unsure of how this medicine will affect you, be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you have any of the following:

• heart disease
• kidney disease
• liver disease

If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use Requip, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether Requip passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Requip may reduce breast milk production. Do not take Requip without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Requip may cause hallucinations (the sensation of hearing or seeing something that is not there), most commonly among elderly people. Call your doctor if you experience hallucinations.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Seek emergency medical attention if an overdose is suspected.

Symptoms of a Requip overdose may include:

• nausea
• vomiting
• fainting
• weakness
• agitation
• hallucinations
• confusion
• muscle twitching
• tingly feeling
• chest pain

Requip can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert. Avoid smoking, which can make Requip less effective.

Avoid using other medicines that make you sleepy (such as alcohol, cold medicine, pain medication, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by Requip.

Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of Requip.

Dizziness or drowsiness may be more likely to occur when you rise from a sitting or lying position. Rise slowly and use caution to prevent a fall.

Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction:

• difficulty breathing
• closing of the throat
• swelling of the lips, tongue, or face
• hives

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• fever
• muscle stiffness
• feeling light-headed
• slow heartbeat
• fainting

Call your doctor promptly if you fall asleep during a daily activity, if you faint, or if you have hallucinations (hearing or seeing something that is not there). Your doctor may want you to stop taking Requip, or take a lower dose.

Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur, such as:

• mild nausea
• vomiting
• upset stomach
• loss of appetite
• worsened RLS symptoms early in the morning
• diarrhea or constipation
• dry mouth
• sweating
• headache
• drowsiness or confusion
• sleep problems (insomnia)
• agitation
• anxiety

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Some people using Requip have developed a gambling habit. It is not known whether Requip actually causes this effect. Talk with your doctor if you believe you have an unusual urge to gamble while you are taking Requip.

Before taking Requip, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• levodopa
• ciprofloxacin (Cipro®)

• a medication used to treat nausea and vomiting or mental illness, such as:
• chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
• fluphenazine (Prolixin)
• mesoridazine (Serentil)
• perphenazine (Trilafon)
• thioridazine (Mellaril)
• promazine (Sparine)
• trifluoperazine (Stelazine)
• thiothixene (Navane)

• haloperidol (Haldol)

• an estrogen such as:
• Premarin
• Prempro
• Estratest
• Ogen
• Estraderm
• Climara
• Vivelle
• estradiol, and others

If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to use Requip, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.

There may be other drugs not listed that can affect Requip. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.