So- I was watching TV (what else to do when you can’t move your BODY) and I see a commercial for this medication that is supposed to treat restless leg syndrome. First of all- what the HECK is RLS. If you have it, please tell me so that I start to take it seriously. Anyway- so they go through the whole thing, finally getting to the side-affects. I’m sitting listening them go through the normal ones…”Naseau, upset stomach, blurry vision, dry-mouth,” and then ALL OF A SUDDEN they hit me with this:
“Also, if you experience a sudden, uncontrollable urge for sex or gambling, please alert your doctor.”
Trading in an uncontrollable urge to move your legs for an uncontrollable urge to drive to Vegas. Great deal.
OK, I totally went to their site and got this as the offical word:
Most people who take MIRAPEX tolerate it well. Some of the more common side effects can include:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Tiredness
When beginning to take MIRAPEX, you should be cautious until you know how the drug will affect you. Some people who take MIRAPEX can become sleepy or fall asleep while doing normal everyday activities like driving a car. It is possible that MIRAPEX treatment can cause someone to feel faint or become dizzy when standing up from a seated or prone position. There are reports of some people having hallucinations (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, or tasting something that does not actually exist) while taking MIRAPEX. However, hallucinations are uncommon in people taking MIRAPEX for primary restless legs syndrome and occur more frequently in people over 65 taking MIRAPEX for Parkinson’s disease.
There have been reports of patients taking certain medications to treat Parkinson’s disease or RLS, including MIRAPEX, that have reported problems with gambling, compulsive eating, and increased sex drive. It is not possible to reliably estimate how often these behaviors occur to determine which factors may contribute to them. If you or your family members notice that you are developing unusual behaviors, talk to your doctor.
Phew. I feel better. Don’t you?
Truly…take it seriously. I have it. So does most of my family (it’s hereditary - they recently have located the gene). And, for some people it’s really awful. So are the meds that you take for it. Some of us go through 10-15 meds before we find one we can tolerate. I’d love to not need them, but without them, I’d lose my job and be divorced - without drugs, I sleep about 1-2 hours a night and am a zombie during the day, with memory impairment. Not fun at all.
So, please! Take it seriously. Oh, it’s not that severe for some - my mom doesn’t need any drugs for her’s. And my sister controls her’s through diet and vitamins. It’s extremely variable in how it affects a person and how it’s treated.
Hope that helped.
Thanks for the response! I always appreciate it when someone actually responds to my ramblings. I hope they find some medication without the horrible side-affects! Good luck viewsaskew.
Erin, I never thought RLS was a big deal, until now. I have it soooo bad because of the pregnancy. As I sit here and read your blogs starting from the beginning I can not stop moving my legs. The right one has been acting up for over 24 hours now, like it’s possessed. Restless legs, not fun. But you can’t take Mirapex with a baby on the way. They say that it should go away after he’s born, and believe me it better, or I’m hoping onto the gambling wagon. Auntie also did some research and found out that tonic water helps because of the quenine(sp?) in it. And it does help a little, so for a couple days I did that, until I got the urge to google quenine and see if there’s another way to take it. Since drinking all that tonic water to make my legs stop just makes me get up to use the bathroom more at night…but anyways, I’m googling away and find out that pregnant women shouldn’t drink tonic water because the babies can get addicted to the quenine and have withdrawl symptoms like a drug withdrawl! I don’t know how much evidence there is to support that but it was enough to make me cut the tonic out of my life. And just when I was starting to tolerate the yucky taste.
Mirapex here I come, if needed!