Requip vs. Mirapex

• Are Requip and Mirapex the Same Thing?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Requip?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Mirapex?
• What Is Requip?
• What Is Mirapex?
• What Drugs Interact with Requip?
• What Drugs Interact with Mirapex?
• How Should Requip Be Taken?
• How Should Mirapex Be Taken?

Requip (ropinirole) and Mirapex (pramipexole) are dopamine agonists used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as stiffness, tremors, muscle spasms, and poor muscle control. Requip and Mirapex are also used to treat restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Side effects of Requip and Mirapex that are similar include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, appetite changes, dry mouth, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, sleep problems (insomnia or unusual dreams), constipation, spinning sensation, blurred vision or vision problems.

Side effects of Requip that are different from Mirapex include worsened RLS symptoms early in the morning, diarrhea, sweating, agitation, anxiety, flushing, weakness, chest pain, leg swelling, high or low blood pressure, lightheadedness or fainting, muscle spasm, numbness, abdominal pain, indigestion, gas, palpitations, fast heart rate, sore throat, or urinary tract infection (UTI).

Side effects of Mirapex that are different from Requip include dizziness when standing, swelling in your hands and feet, weight changes, memory problems (amnesia), confusion or thinking problems, impotence, loss of interest in sex, or trouble having an orgasm.

Both Requip and Mirapex may interact with alcohol, other drugs that make you sleepy (sleeping pills, narcotics, muscle relaxers, or medicines for anxiety, depression, or seizures), metoclopramide, or medications used to treat mental illness.

Requip may also interact with levodopa, ciprofloxacin, fluvoxamine, omeprazole, medications used to treat nausea and vomiting, or estrogen.

Mirapex may also interact with cimetidine.

Withdrawal symptoms may occur if you suddenly stop taking Requip or Mirapex.

Common side effects of Requip include:

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• stomach pain,
• loss of appetite,
• worsened RLS symptoms early in the morning,
• diarrhea,
• constipation,
• dry mouth,
• sweating,
• headache,
• dizziness,
• drowsiness,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• agitation,
• anxiety,
• flushing,
• weakness,
• chest pain,
• leg swelling,
• high or low blood pressure,
• lightheadedness or fainting,
• muscle spasm,
• numbness,
• spinning sensation,
• abdominal pain,
• indigestion,
• gas,
• palpitations,
• fast heart rate,
• sore throat,
• urinary tract infection, or
• vision problems.

Common side effects of Mirapex include:

• dizziness when standing (postural hypotension)
• nausea
• dry mouth
• stomach pain
• vomiting
• constipation
• headache
• dizziness
• spinning sensation
• drowsiness
• swelling in your hands and feet
• appetite or weight changes
• blurred vision
• sleep problems (insomnia or unusual dreams)
• memory problems (amnesia)
• forgetfulness
  confusion or thinking problems
• swelling in your hands or feet
• impotence
• loss of interest in sex, or
• trouble having an orgasm

Tell your doctor if you experience serious side effects of Mirapex including extreme drowsiness, falling asleep suddenly, even after feeling alert; nausea, sweating, feeling light-headed, fainting; hallucinations; muscle spasms, muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness with fever or flu symptoms and dark colored urine; increased urination, chest pain, cough with white or pink phlegm (mucus), wheezing; shortness of breath (even with mild exertion), swelling, rapid weight gain; weakness, tiredness, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss; fast or uneven heartbeats; or tremors, twitching or uncontrollable movements of your eyes, lips, tongue, face, arms, or legs. It may take a few weeks for full effects of Mirapex to be noticed.

Requip (ropinirole) is a non-ergoline dopamine agonist used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as stiffness, tremors, muscle spasms, and poor muscle control. Requip is also used to treat restless legs syndrome (RLS). Requip is available in generic form.

Mirapex (pramipexole) is a dopamine agonist medication used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and restless legs syndrome.

Requip may interact with levodopa, ciprofloxacin, fluvoxamine, metoclopramide, omeprazole, medication used to treat nausea and vomiting or mental illness, or estrogen. Tell your doctor all medications you use. During pregnancy, Requip should be used only if prescribed. It is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Requip may reduce breast milk production. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding. Withdrawal symptoms such as fever, muscle stiffness, and confusion may occur if you stop the medication suddenly or if you change doses.

Cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression or anxiety can worsen the sleepiness caused by pramipexole. This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with pramipexole. Alcohol can also increase the side effects. During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. Although very unlikely, if you suddenly stop taking this drug, withdrawal reactions may occur, including fever and confusion.

The recommended dose of Requip is 40 to 320 mcg twice daily for adults and 40 to 80 mcg twice daily for children. If you are also using a bronchodilator, use it first before using the beclomethasone inhaler. There may be other drugs that can interact with Requip.

Mirapex is taken in tablet form three times per day.