I need to know how to transition from rotigotine patches to ropinirole.

Brain and nerves
1

I was on ropinirole for RLS but wanted something longer lasting and more direct so switched to rotigotime patches but now find I have allergic skin reactions so I want to go back to ropinirole.  It would help me to know how to transition when I see my doctor.  I know that I cannot just start with a low dosage of ropinirole because my RLS is a severe case.

Thanks for any help you can give.

2

As I understand it if you don't get orgmentation from a medicine for rls it's out of your system in 24 hours  when I was on pramipexole I had to wean myself off over the course of a week when I got to the last 24 hours I kept moving until I was shattered and then took a sleeping tablet to get through the night then I started ropinarole 

hope that helps

regards coral 

3

Thanks for your input; I appreciate it.  I will share with my doctor, but I only hope I don't have to go through the nightmare that comes when cutting back before switching.  I've had augmentation before with other dopamine agonists, but my augmentation with ropinirole was very slow and only happened after several years on a high dosage.

As I understand it every medication ultimately leads to augmentation.

Good luck with your own solutions., and thanks for the help.

4

That's interesting I am seeing my neurologist on the 3rd February I will have to ask him what dose of ropinarole were you on ?

 

5

My daily dosages were  Ropinirole 2mg.normal + 2mg. prolonged distribution + 8 mg. prolonged distribution before I switched to the Rotigotine 8mg. patch once daily, but cannot use the patch because it leaves rash, itching, red swollen skin and must be placed in a different spot for 14 days before putting in the same spot.  Furthermore it cannot be used with heat, hot water baths, sauna, jacuzzi all of which help RLS to some extent. It also might be the reason I have lost appetit as well as the cause for nightly insomnia.  The RLS is minimum, but the side effects do not seem worth it so I might go back to Ropinirole.  It was the transition about which I am concerned because it is always a nightmare unless the dosage is correct.  Seeing doctor today, but have serious doubts that he will know the answer.  No where on the net is there any information about this particular transition.  Thanks, however, for your concern.  Rondre