Ropinirole and Dizziness: What Users Say

• rai...
• February 28, 2015

Ropinirole for Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had restless legs syndrome for 20 years or so now. I have been taking Requip for almost the entire time it was diagnosed, and I have a severe case. In the past few months, I have experienced some nausea, dizziness, pain, and tiredness after my first dose in the morning. I did not realize this could be a side effect of the medication. I take 4mg, 3X a day. If I did not, I would never sleep, sit through a movie, or be able to focus on work. I will put up with the side effects."

• Bma...
• March 12, 2018

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I began Ropinirole about 3 months ago. My RLS was out of control at bedtime and just sitting down for periods of time. I started with 1 mg before bed, then 2 mg, then 3 mg. I was SO SICK. Nauseated, using the restroom all the time, severe insomnia, fatigue, dizziness, confusion... However, most of these side effects have abated. My problem now is that right after I take the Ropinirole, my RLS gets horrible! It goes away after about an hour, but for that one hour, I'm in agony. Anyone else experience this? The restlessness is also in my arms. Ugh. Sometimes the insomnia persists. I'm also on clonazepam as needed."

• Anonymous
• May 22, 2011

Ropinirole for Restless Legs Syndrome "Has anyone noticed that Requip XL has more side effects than regular Requip? My doctor has been giving me samples of Requip XL to take instead of my regular Requip (insurance will not pay for Requip XL). I take 6 mg per day and have taken it for many years. My dosage has been as much as 12 mg, but I have reduced the dosage to get down to 6 mg. I still have breakthrough restless legs even when I take my medicine on schedule, and sometimes when I do not take my medicine on time, I will have restless legs for hours after I take my dose. I am having severe nausea, vomiting, sweats, flushing, hot flashes, dizziness, tiredness, etc."

• R66...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 28, 2016

For Restless Legs Syndrome "First time to take ropinirole for RLS. Took 1 2 mg tablet at 9:45 pm. 30 minutes later I nauseated, a cold sweat, dizzy, and disoriented. Thought I needed to go to ER. I vomited a couple of times and felt better in about one hour. Will not use again."

• Dia...
• April 6, 2015

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had RLS for about 9 years and finally decided to try medication. I took 2 mg of Ropinirole about an hour before my regular bedtime. I ended up falling asleep on the couch about 30 minutes after taking the pill. When I tried to get up to go to bed, I was nauseous, dizzy, and having cold sweats. I felt so sick. I was up much of the night with those same symptoms. It was awful. It is now the next day, and I am still not feeling completely well. Needless to say, I will not be taking Ropinirole again!"

• See...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 28, 2021

For Periodic Limb Movement Disorder "I can say that it helped me to sleep deeper, but the drawback was that I started seeing a bug each time I fell asleep and then awoke thinking it was crawling near me! Nothing there. It was a hallucination. It freaked me out! I also had a bout of vertigo! Also, I felt like something was crawling on my skin. I know that it was the medication because I stopped taking it, and about a week later the hallucinations disappeared. Then I tried taking the med again, and the hallucinations returned along with the crazy vivid dreams! Ropinirole is not for me, end of story."

• nan...
• December 11, 2009

Ropinirole "Requip is a very scary drug. It gave me the worst headaches. I was in bed within 30 minutes of taking it. It also caused me to get myoclonus. Anytime I would try to rest, my entire body would start jerking. The jerks could go on for hours. The only way to stop the jerking was to stand up and walk. I started taking Requip for RLS, which I now believe was caused by the Zoloft. I stopped taking Requip and started weaning off the Zoloft. The jerking has stopped, but I feel very dizzy. Can't wait to get all of this out of my body."

• Jer...
• February 3, 2012

For Restless Legs Syndrome "Have had restless legs syndrome for many years and usually was able to 'deal' with it but reached a point where it was unbearable. Gabapentin made me very dizzy, so my Dr. prescribed Ropinirole, lowest dose. After two weeks, I developed horrible side effects: dizziness, feeling I was going to faint, nausea would wake me up at night, my body felt flush, and my skin turned reddish. Stopped taking it, and still after a week without, am still experiencing these side effects."

• LBJ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 30, 2021

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I've been taking ropinirole for about 6 months. It's changed my life. I've had RLS to some degree since I was a child. I'm 46, and for the last 10 years prior to taking the drug, I seldom slept for more than an hour at a time, getting up to do wall sits, planks, and push-ups just to buy another hour of sleep. I started with one 0.25 mg pill but added a second pill after the 3rd night, and that did the trick. Ropinirole doesn't last me the whole night, but getting 5 or 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep is still miraculous to me. So far as I can tell, I've had no side effects except a little dizziness at night. I feel like its effects are diminishing, so the doctor may up my dose soon."