REQUIP 1 MG - patient leaflet, side effects, dosage

Patient leaflet - REQUIP 1 MG

how to take requip

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacisthas told you to. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you’re not sure.

You may be given ReQuip on its own to treat the symptoms of your Parkinson’s disease or you may be given ReQuip as well as another medicine called L-dopa (also called levodopa).

If you are taking L-dopa you may experience some uncontrollable movements (dyskinesias) when you first start taking ReQuip. Tell your doctor if this happens, as your doctor may need to adjust the dose of the medicines you are taking.

Tell your doctor if you or your family notices that you are developing any unusual behaviours (such as an unusual urge to gamble or increased sexual urges and/or behaviours) while you are taking ReQuip. Your doctor may need to adjust or stop your dose.

How much ReQuip will you need to take?

It may take a while to find out the best dose of ReQuip for you. The usual starting dose is 0.25 mg three times a day for the first week. This dose is then gradually increased each week.

The ReQuip Starter Pack contains four blister strips of tablets -one strip for each of the first four weeks of your treatment. The four strips are marked with Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4 , and also with the treatment day (Day 1 to Day 28 ).

You must take the tablets in the order of the day number printed on the strips, starting at Day 1 and finishing at Day 28. The daily dose you take of ReQuip increases each week. There is one tablet in each blister pocket for you to take during Weeks 1, 2 and 4 , and two tablets for you to take during Week 3.

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Morning (about 8 am)	0.25 mg 1 white tablet	0.5 mg 1 pale yellow tablet	0.75 mg 1 white tablet 1 pale yellow tablet	1 mg 1 green tablet
After lunch (about 1 pm)	0.25 mg 1 white tablet	0.5 mg 1 pale yellow tablet	0.75 mg 1 white tablet 1 pale yellow tablet	1 mg 1 green tablet
Evening (about 6 pm)	0.25 mg 1 white tablet	0.5 mg 1 pale yellow tablet	0.75 mg 1 white tablet 1 pale yellow tablet	1 mg 1 green tablet

Keep taking ReQuip until you have finished this four-week Starter Pack. After that, your doctor may gradually increase or decrease the dose until you’re taking what’s best for you. Some people take up to 8 mg of ReQuip three times a day (24 mg daily altogether).

If you are also taking other medicines for Parkinson’s disease, your doctor may advise you to gradually reduce the dose of the other medicine.

Don’t take any more ReQuip than your doctor has recommended.

It may take a few weeks for ReQuip to work for you.

Taking your dose of ReQuip

Take ReQuip three times a day.

Swallow your ReQuip tablet(s) whole, with a glass of water. It’s best to take ReQuip with food, because that makes it less likely that you’ll feel sick (nauseous).

If you take more ReQuip than you should Contact a doctor or pharmacist immediately. If possible, show them the ReQuip pack.

Someone who has taken an overdose of ReQuip may have any of these symptoms: feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting), dizziness (a spinning sensation), feeling drowsy, mental or physical tiredness, fainting, hallucinations.

If you forget to take ReQuip

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. Just take your next dose at the usual time.

If you have missed taking ReQuip for more than a few days , ask your doctor for advice on how to start taking it again.

Do not stop taking ReQuip without advice

Take ReQuip for as long as your doctor recommends. Don’t stop unless your doctor advises you to.

If you suddenly stop taking ReQuip your Parkinson’s disease symptoms may quickly get much worse.

If you need to stop taking ReQuip your doctor will reduce your dose gradually.

If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can have side effects, but not everyone gets them.

The side effects of ReQuip are more likely to happen when you first start taking it, or when your dose has just been increased. They are usually mild and may become less troublesome after you have taken the dose for a while.

If you’re worried about side effects, talk to your doctor.

Very common side effects: may affect more than 1 in 10 people fainting
feeling drowsy
feeling sick (nausea)

Common side effects:

may affect up to 1 in 10 people taking ReQuip:

hallucinations (sensing things that are not real)
being sick (vomiting)
feeling dizzy (a spinning sensation)
heartburn
stomach pain
swelling of the legs

Uncommon side effects:

may affect up to 1 in 100 people taking ReQuip:

feeling dizzy or faint, especially when you stand up suddenly (this caused by a drop in blood pressure)
feeling very sleepy during the day (extreme somnolence)
falling asleep very suddenly without feeling sleepy first (sudden sleep onset episodes)
mental problems such as delirium (severe confusion), delusions (unreasonable ideas) or paranoia (unreasonable suspicions)

You may experience the following side effects:

inability to resist the impulse, drive or temptation to perform an action that could be harmful to you or others, which may include:
strong impulse to gamble excessively despite serious personal or family consequences.
altered or increased sexual interest and behaviour of significant concern to you or to others, for example, an increased sexual drive.
uncontrollable excessive shopping or spending
binge eating (eating large amounts of food in a short time period) or compulsive eating (eating more food than normal and more than is needed to satisfy your hunger)

^ Tell your doctor if you experience any of these behaviours; they will discuss ways of managing or reducing the symptoms

Very rare side effects

may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people

changes in liver function, which have shown up in blood tests
allergic reactions such as red, itchy swellings on the skin (hives), swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing, rash or intense itching

Some patients may have the following side effects (frequency not known)

aggression

If you’re taking ReQuip with L-dopa

People who are taking ReQuip with L-dopa may develop other side effects over time:

uncontrollable movements (dyskinesias) are a very common side effect. Tell your doctor if this happens, as your doctor may need to adjust the doses of the medicines you are taking
feeling confused is a common side effect

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at:

By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

how to store requip

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and on the carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

Do not store this medicine above 25°C. Keep in a dry place, away from light.

Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

Contents of the pack and other information

What ReQuip contains

The active substance in the ReQuip Starter Pack is ropinirole (as the hydrochloride) as 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg tablets.

The other ingredients are:

tablet cores: lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate
film coats:

0.25 mg tablet : hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), polysorbate 80 (E433).

0.5 mg tablet : hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), iron oxide yellow (E172), iron oxide red (E172), indigo carmine aluminium (E132).

1 mg tablet : hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), iron oxide yellow (E172), indigo carmine aluminium (E132).

What ReQuip looks like and contents of the pack

ReQuip (all strengths) is provided as pentagonal, film-coated tablets, marked ‘SB’ on one side.

ReQuip 0.25 mg : white tablets marked ‘4890’ on reverse side.

ReQuip 0.5 mg : pale yellow tablets marked ‘4891’ on reverse side.

ReQuip 1 mg : green tablets marked ‘4892’ on reverse side. 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg tablets are supplied in a Starter blister pack of 105 tablets.

The Marketing Authorisation Holder is SmithKline Beecham Limited, Stockley Park West, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB11 1BT

The Manufacturer is Catalent UK Packaging Limited, Lancaster Way, Wingates Industrial Estate, Westhoughton, Bolton, Lancashire BL5 3XX

Other formats

To listen to or request a copy of this leaflet in Braille, large print or audio please call, free of charge:

0800 198 5000 (UK Only)

Please be ready to give the following information:

Product name ReQuip 0.25 mg

ReQuip 0.5 mg

ReQuip 1 mg

Reference number 10592/0085

This is a service provided by the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

Leaflet date: January 2014

ReQuip and the ReQuip tablet shape are registered trademarks of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies

GlaxoSmithKline

DEVCOMP-0003108

What is in this leaflet

1 What ReQuip is and what it is used for

2 What you need to know before you take ReQuip

3 How to take ReQuip

4 Possible side effects

5 How to store ReQuip

6 Contents of the pack and other information

What ReQuip is and what it is used for

ReQuip is used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

The active ingredient in ReQuip is ropinirole, which belongs to a group of medicines called dopamine agonists. Dopamine agonists affect the brain in a similar way to a natural substance called dopamine.

People with Parkinson’s disease have low levels of dopamine in some parts of their brains. Ropinirole has effects similar to those of natural dopamine, so it helps to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

What you need to know before you take ReQuip

Do not take ReQuip:

if you are allergic to ropinirole or any of the other ingredients of this medcine (listed in section 6).
if you have serious kidney disease
if you have liver disease

^ Tell your doctor if you think any of these may apply to you.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking ReQuip: if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant if you are breast-feeding
if you are under 18 years old
if you have a serious heart complaint
if you have a serious mental health problem
if you have experienced any unusual urges and/or behaviours (such as excessive gambling or excessive sexual behaviour)

if you have an intolerance to some sugars (such as lactose).

Tell your doctor if you or your family/carer notices that you are developing urges or cravings to behave in ways that are unusual for you and you cannot resist the impulse, drive or temptation to carry out certain activities that could harm yourself or others. These are called impulse control disorders and can include behaviours such as addictive gambling, excessive eating or spending, an abnormally high sex drive or an increase in sexual thoughts or feelings. Your doctor may need to adjust or stop your dose

^ Tell your doctor if you think any of these may apply to you. Your doctor may decide that ReQuip isn’t suitable for you or that you need extra check-ups while you’re taking it.

Children

Do not give ReQuip to children. ReQuip is not normally prescribed for people under 18