Ropinirole is dopamine agonist, used to treat Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome (RLS). The medication is also sold under different names such as Requip, Ropark, Ropinotergotirole or Adartrel.
Adverse Effects
The most common side effects of ropinirole are nervous system changes. Those include signs of dyskinesia, dizziness, headaches, falls, vertigo, paresthesia, hypesthesia, and hypo- or hyper-kinesia. Patients have reported migraine, seizures, coordination and extrapyramidal problems, peripheral neuropathy, neuralgia, paralysis, aphasia, stupor and cases of coma.
Sleepiness, confusion, hallucinations, amnesia, sleeping disorders, agitation, depression, mood swings, libido changes (both depressed libido and hypersexuality) and many other psychiatric side effects may be caused by ropinirole. Possibly the most serious might be sudden sleep, because it could lead to injuries or even death if you happen to be in the traffic. If you feel sleepy and drowsy while taking this medication you should report the side effect to the doctor.
Patients suffer from bone, joint and muscle pains, sometimes groin pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, intervertebral disc degeneration or protrusion, muscle contraction and twitching, torticollis, sacroiliitis, synovitis, rotator cuff syndrome and polymyalgia rheumatica.
Generally, ropinirole patients report sweating, flushing, tiredness, edemas, chest pain, and sometimes asthenia, bruising and varicose veins.
Gastrointestinal problems may be presented as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, anorexia or gases. Sometimes, these unpleasant side effects can be minimized, if you take the medication with food.
Patients might experience impotence, menstrual problems, vaginal infection, prostatic disorder, urine-connected problems, and even kidney stones. The drug might lead to thyroid problems and gynecomastia, rarely to goiter or SIADH.
Ropinirole may affect the heart, being the cause of syncope, hyper- and hypo-tension, orthostatic symptoms, tachycardia and arrhythmias. This drug might cause cardiovascular problems, cardiac failure, angina pectoris, infarction, circulatory collapse or thrombosis.
Patients treated with ropinirole have increased risk of viral infections, and may suffer from pharyngitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, cough or dyspnea. There were also cases of epitaxis, asthma and pulmonary edema, sometimes even severe complication, like retrroperitoneal fibrosis, pulmonary infiltrates or pericarditis.
Treatment with this drug may cause eye problems: vision problems, diplopia, xeroftalmia, eye irritation and pain, photophobia, conjuctivits, glaucoma, and rarely scotoma.
Metabolic changes are present in ropinirole treated patients. They are likely to experience weight changes (increase or decrease), increase of LDH (“bad” cholesterol) and cholesterol in general, phosphates, uric acid, increase of some enzymes, and also decrease of natrum, kalium and glucose in the blood. Some patients may suffer from acidosis, thirst, dehydration and diabetes associated with this drug.
The medication could cause liver disorders: increased liver enzymes, hepatitis, colitis and cholelithiasis.
Patients could experience hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), night sweat, rashes, skin problems, acne, fungal dermatitis, photosensitivity, sometimes hair loss and seborrhea.
Ropinirole rarely affects the blood, causing cases of anemia, blood cell problems or lymphedema.
Oncology
Ropinirole has certain malignant potential, and is connected to the cases of benign brain neoplasm, breast, bladder, rectal and esophageal carcinomas, lipoma, malignant laryngeal and uterine neoplasms, etc.
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