Requip vs. Horizant

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

Requip (ropinirole) and Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil) are used to treat restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Requip is also used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as stiffness, tremors, muscle spasms, and poor muscle control. Requip and Horizant belong to different drug classes. Requip is a non-ergoline dopamine agonist and

Horizant is an anticonvulsant.

Side effects of Requip and Horizant that are similar include drowsiness, dizziness, and blurred vision or vision problems.

Side effects of Requip that are different from Horizant include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite, worsened RLS symptoms early in the morning, diarrhea, constipation, dry mouth, sweating, headache, 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, or urinary tract infection (UTI).

Side effects of Horizant that are different from Requip include sleepiness and loss of coordination. Rarely, depression, suicidal thoughts or attempts, or other mental/mood problems may occur while taking Horizant. Tell your doctor immediately if this occurs.

Both Requip and Horizant may interact with alcohol and other drugs that make you sleepy (sleeping pills, narcotics, muscle relaxers, or medicines for anxiety, depression, or seizures).

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

Horizant may also interact with other medications that contain gabapentin.

Withdrawal symptoms may occur if you suddenly stop taking Requip.

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 Horizant include:

• sleepiness,
• drowsiness,
• dizziness,
• loss of coordination, or
• blurred vision.

A small number of people who take anticonvulsants such as Horizant may experience depression, suicidal thoughts or attempts, or other mental/mood problems. Tell your doctor immediately if this occurs.

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.

Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil) is an anticonvulsant drug prescribed for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in adults. Horizant is not recommended for patients who are required to sleep during the daytime and remain awake at night.

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.

Horizant may interact with other medications that contain gabapentin, and other products that cause drowsiness including alcohol, antihistamines, drugs for sleep or anxiety, muscle relaxants, narcotic pain relievers, and allergy or cough-and-cold products. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant before using Horizant; it is unknown if it would affect a fetus. You should tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. In the body, Horizant becomes a drug called gabapentin that passes into your milk.

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.

Horizant is to be taken once per day with food at about 5 PM. Tablets should be swallowed whole and should not be cut, crushed, or chewed.