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Ropinirole is in a group of medicine called a dopamine agonist. This is an FDA-approved prescription that can be used alone or with other medications. This is available in the dosage strengths of 0.5 mg, 0.25 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg that come as a tablet for oral use.
What condition does Ropinirole treat?
Ropinirole is a prescription medicine used alone or with another medicine to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Some of the symptoms are:
- Problems with balance
- Slowed movements
- Shaking or stiffness of parts of the body
This medication can also be used for the treatment of restless legs syndrome. It is a condition that causes discomfort in the legs and a strong urge to move the legs, especially at night when lying or sitting down. Ropinirole may improve your sleep by lessening the urge to move your legs and reduces uncomfortable feelings in the legs.
How does Ropinirole work?
Ropinirole works by imitating the activity of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is found in the nervous system and brain. It is involved in transmitting messages between nerves. These messages let the normal working of the body. Dopamine is known to be decreased in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease. It usually transmits messages by stimulating specific receptor sites. This medication stimulates these receptor sites in the brain. It makes the same effects as dopamine and also acts as a substitute for dopamine. In this way, Ropinirole helps to restore the dopamine activity in the brain that helps lessen the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
What is the dosage of Ropinirole?
The recommended dosage for this medication is based on your condition, age, and response to the drug. Follow carefully the instructions given by your doctor. It is possible to have different doses from other people. For this reason, do not change your dose as well as taking it more or less than the prescribed dosage.
Ropinirole tends to have a prolonged effect from one daily dose. The drug is being released slowly and continuously over several hours to help provide steady blood levels of the medicine throughout the day. The tablet is swallowed as a whole with a glass of water.
Dosage for Parkinson’s disease in adults aged 18 to 64 years:
- The usual starting dose is 0.25 mg taken 3 times each day and the maximum dose would be 8 mg taken 3 times each day.
Dosage for restless legs syndrome in adults aged 18 to 64 years:
- The usual starting dose is 0.25 mg each day to be taken 1 to 3 hours before bedtime and the maximum dose would be 4 mg taken once a day.
Remember to take your medication regularly and at the same time each day. Do not suddenly stop this treatment without consulting your doctor. If you missed a tablet in a day, call your doctor right away. Keep in mind to not take double doses to make up for the missed one.
What are the precautions in using Ropinirole?
- People taking this medicine have reported falling asleep without warning during activities of daily living. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before doing any activities.
- Fainting, light-headedness, and dizziness may occur especially when you get up from a sitting or lying position. These symptoms are more likely to occur when you begin taking this medication or the dosage is increased.
- If you any of these following symptoms, check with your doctor right away; high fever, severe muscle stiffness, trouble breathing, low or high blood pressure.
- Hallucinations may happen in some patients. This is more common with elderly patients. If this happens, call your doctor right away.
- Smoking can lessen the effect of this medication. It is best if you avoid smoking while you are taking this medicine.
- If you have Parkinson’s disease, your doctor must check your skin regularly for melanoma.
- Several people taking this medication had unusual changes in their behavior. Talk with your doctor if you have any problems with gambling while using this medicine.
- While you are taking this drug, it is not recommended to use any medicine without consulting your doctor. Inform your doctor if you have a prescription or non-prescription medicines and vitamin or herbal supplements.
