Side effects of Parkinsons drugs...

This is a problem with mirapex/ pramipexole, NOT Requip/ ropinerole. My husband was on a high dose of mirapex (3 mg 3 times a day) and developed an abnormal sex behavior. I had read of the drug’s well-known reputation for causing abnormal addictions and recognized it pretty quickly. I took him off the mirapex at once, reported it to his neuro and she agreed with my assessment and action.
Mirapex is also used to treat RLS, which I have had for 30 or so years. Like most with this disease I progressed thru numerous meds - they would work for a while then become ineffective, and the search for a new drug would start. Requip didn’t work. Mirapex does. I started on 1/4 mg in the evening, and titrated to 1 mg in the evening. Have been on that dosage for 8 years with no need for more, no negative side effects.
PD meds are very complicated - some work, some don’t. Some cause nasty side effects, others are great. Long term use, especially as the PD gets worse, should be carefully monitored. Dosages get increased but can become part of the problem. It is a constant juggling act.....

Usedup,

All the years I cared for my mom I never noticed that kind of forgetfulness. She knew who was dead or alive. That would concern me.

Here’s the thing. My mom’s neurologist said to me that if a person is diagnosed older it is a slower progression

If a person is diagnosed at a younger age then it is a faster progression, such as the rapid progression and severe symptoms like Michael J. Fox.

Alan Alda was diagnosed not that long ago at an older age and his is progressing slowly.

How early on do you notice personality changes with Parkinson’s? My BIL Jay seems to be changing quickly. Normally very intelligent he is very forgetful. He does okay at work. But at home and socializing he is forgetful. He is my late husband’s younger brother. Unless reminded he doesn’t remember my husband is dead. His wife says he forgets stuff at home frequently. He is also having more falls. The tremor in his hand is worse.

The thing that is so challenging about Parkinson’s disease and the meds is that is truly effects everyone so differently. There is no one ‘general’ description at all. I say this as a caregiver to my mother for over 14 years in my home and many years before that as well. I spoke at length to her neurologist about the effects and treatments for this disease. It’s trial and error and can be tricky to treat. Blood tests and doctor appointments are routinely done to monitor the disease and meds.

Those of us with Restless Legs at night take very low doses of Requip, luckily!

Margaret, it is an interesting article. A friend of ours had this reaction while on ropinerole, in his case it was gambling and the casinos. He's been off the meds for some time, but still is very careful at the casino just in case. On a lighter note, our dog got into the meds case in my purse. Not knowing what he'd ingested, the vet called poison control. She had this odd, puzzled look on her face as she told me they said to watch the dog, should he get my credit card and be heading to the casino.

I sent on the link that came up in the news, but have no other knowledge about it. The University of Queensland is highly reputable, and it should be possible to send an inquiry to them. We have had a few posts recently about highly sexualised people with dementia (NOT the poor guy whose wife had dementia), so I guessed it might interest some of us.

Jay is on ropinerole. So far without side effects. His doctor has said eventually he will be on levadopa. He’s doing well so far. He’s still working some, travels to visit friends and is easy around the house.

I may be missing it, but nowhere in this article do they tell us what the medication is. What I think the writer is referring to is ropinerole, a dopamine agonist used in younger PD patients. This is also known as Requip, used for restless leg syndrome. So people with RLS are also subject to the possible side effects, not just people with PD. The reason this really concerns me is they refer to it as "the key medication" used to treat PD. Ropinerole is used in younger people with PD in the early stages to help with dopamine. In time, it's not enough and doctors move the patient to carbidopa/levadopa, which IS the key medication used by people with PD. As carbidopa/levadopa is also not without side effects after years of use, doctors try to hold off on this until needed. For DH, ropinerole worked great for a couple years, and that was a couple years less on the carbidopa. What concerns me is people reading this and thinking the carbidopa is going to cause these problems.