Ropinirole and Tiredness: What Users Say

• Rac...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 11, 2016

Ropinirole for Restless Legs Syndrome "At first, this medication seemed like a lifesaver. After time, I began to augment, and I would have to take more and more of the drug earlier in the day. It caused all kinds of side effects, from yawning to compulsive shopping. I gained about 40 lbs, and my blood pressure went through the roof. After being on this prescription for several years, it was horrendous to get off. It has taken almost a year to finally say I am totally free of the DA's (dopamine agonists). I will never, ever take one of these classes of drugs again. The side effects, withdrawal, and effect on overall health are not worth it."

• 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."

• KPa...
• August 24, 2016

Ropinirole for Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had leg pain for over 5 years now. I have taken tramadol for the pain. I never thought it was restless leg because I never felt like moving my legs, they just ached so bad in the morning when I woke up. My doctor just added Requip 2 days ago, and it was amazing. I slept past 5 a.m. and woke at 8 a.m. with no leg pain and didn't need my 2 tramadol! Unbelievable! I am so excited to possibly cut my tramadol dose down because I was always so tired on tramadol! I'm hoping this will work for a while. My starting dose of Requip is 0.25 mg."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2012

Ropinirole for Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had restless legs syndrome for much longer than anyone knew what it was. I was a kid in the '70s getting in trouble for 'squirming' at my desk. It tends to act up more with periods of activity. When my wife and I were dating, I was at the gym and riding a bike, and I would wake up in the middle of the night and do stretches and anything to try and make the feeling go away. Recently, it has become unbearable again for some reason, it is ten years after the last bad period. I have tried Lyrica, which did not seem to help, Neurontin, which helped some but was wiping me out with tiredness, and I just switched to Mirapex because I couldn't see that 1-2 mg a night was doing anything but making me nauseous."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2019

For Restless Legs Syndrome "So I started Ropinirole 1 mg for restless leg syndrome, and it helped so much with my legs. After I took it, though, it made me very tired. Like I was in bed asleep by 8 pm. I slept awesome, best sleep in years. Then after a while, my doctor increased it to 2 mg because it seemed to not last all night. In 2-3 hours after taking 2 mg, I threw up everything! Took it with food, without, tried... but it was ridiculous how much I was getting sick. Reading people's experiences, I've also had increased muscle aches, cramping in legs, and neck stuffiness, so I'm thinking this isn't right for me."

• 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."

• Res...
• February 26, 2017

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have been on Requip for 3 days now. 1 mg total. It's done nothing. I'm exhausted and want to sleep, but the RSL keeps me up. I average about 4 hours of sleep a day now. I spend hours in my chair with my arms and legs shaking. It's pure hell. Sometimes I feel like taking a chainsaw to my limbs."

• Bag...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 6, 2019

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I'm on 4 mg. It works, but I have terrible side effects from it. However, RLS is incurable and is worse, so I still need to take it. 45 minutes after taking it, I get nausea, fever chills, and body aches. It makes me tired, which is fine by me."

• pep...
• August 19, 2017

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had RLS for a good 15 years. I have taken about everything there is for it, and one thing I have found is no one thing works for everyone. Ropinirole has worked the best, but even that I will have a night now and then when they get really bad. The side effects of ropinirole are tiredness. I call it tired, but it is really total fatigue. I can usually keep going for a time when I am tired, but with fatigue, you have to give up and lay down. I don't go to sleep usually as I am not sleepy, but have to lay down. I sleep pretty well at night, but wake up in the morning feeling like I haven't rested at all. There is no describing RLS unless you have it really bad, and thank God most that I talk to don't."

• Wil...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 18, 2018

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I have had RLS for years. Bad, tired years. I take three 1mg every night. I have to take them at 7 pm because now, it doesn't take effect for at least 3 hours, plus I take 1/2 Xanax with them along with 100 mg of Gabapentin. I get tired, nose stuffy, but cannot go to sleep. I end up in bed about 9-10 because I am so tired. I lay there and my mind is wild. Sometimes I fall asleep. I wake around 5-6. Go back to sleep for an hour or so and this is when I have crazy dreams. I was on Ropinirole patches during the day, but they would not stay stuck to my skin. During the day my legs are so weak and tired I can hardly walk, but if I sit down, they start jerking around."

• You...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 13, 2018

For Parkinson's Disease "I was anxious to the point that I wanted to jump out of my skin. Sinemet managed tremors, but I couldn't function at times because of clenched fists with my arms flexed and rubbing my hands together. Initially, I took two ropinirole daily (one in the morning and one at bedtime), anxiety was gone in two days, but I was extremely exhausted in the afternoon. Now I take both doses at bedtime, and the tiredness (not sleepiness) is reduced. Still, some days I barely make it back home, so exhausted."

• You...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 13, 2018

For Parkinson's Disease "I was anxious to the point that I wanted to jump out of my skin. Sinemet managed tremors, but I couldn't function at times because of clenched fists with my arms flexed and rubbing my hands together. Initially, I took two ropinirole daily (one in the morning and one at bedtime), anxiety was gone in two days, but I was extremely exhausted in the afternoon. Now I take both doses at bedtime, and the tiredness (not sleepiness) is reduced. Still, some days I barely make it back home, so exhausted."

• BRK...
• January 31, 2009

Ropinirole for Parkinson's Disease "I took this for about 6 months. It made me very tired to the point that I would skip doses. I told my doctor that it could not be working for me if I couldn't stay awake or was missing doses."