Requip Side Effects

Some people may experience side effects with Requip during their treatment, but will generally find that the side effects are minor. Common side effects that may appear in people taking the medicine for Parkinson's disease include dizziness and nausea. Requip side effects seen in people who are treating restless leg syndrome (RLS) may include vomiting, nausea, and fatigue.

 

Side Effects of Requip: An Introduction

As with any medicine, there are potential side effects with Requip® (ropinirole hydrochloride). However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it well. When people do develop Requip side effects, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider.
 
Requip was studied in several different groups of people. Because these groups were so different, the side effects have been broken down by group. These groups included:
 
  • Cases of early Parkinson's disease in which people were not taking levodopa (Larodopa®, Sinemet®, Atamet®)
  • Cases of advanced Parkinson's disease in which people were taking levodopa
  • Restless legs syndrome (RLS).
     
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Requip. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Requip side effects with you.)
  

Common Requip Side Effects for Early Parkinson's Disease

Requip has been studied extensively in clinical trials. In these studies, side effects occurring in a group of people taking the drug are documented and compared to those that occur in another group not taking the medicine. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
 
Based on these studies, the most common Requip side effects observed in people with early Parkinson's disease were:
 
  • Dizziness -- up to 40 percent of people 
  • Nausea -- up to 60 percent
  • Excessive tiredness, which is known as somnolence -- up to 40 percent.
     
 

Common Requip Side Effects for Advanced Parkinson's Disease

The most common Requip side effects observed in people with advanced Parkinson's disease were:
 
  • Uncontrolled, sudden movements -- up to 34 percent of people 
  • Nausea -- up to 30 percent
  • Dizziness -- up to 26 percent
  • Excessive tiredness, which is known as somnolence -- up to 20 percent.
     
For people with advanced Parkinson's disease, 24 percent of people stopped taking the drug because of side effects. This is compared to 18 percent of people who stopped taking the placebo (which is merely a sugar pill and by itself does not cause side effects). The most common reasons that people with advanced Parkinson's stopped taking Requip were:
 
  • Dizziness
  • Uncontrolled, sudden movements
  • Vomiting
  • Confusion
  • Nausea
  • Hallucinations
  • Anxiety
  • Increased sweating.
     
 
(Requip Side Effects Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;