Parkinson’s Patch Approved in USA
Neupro, a dopamine agonist delivered in patch form, has been available in Canada and Europe for some time, but now it has been approved in the USA. The Requip I am on is a dopamine agonist, so I should be a good candidate for the patch.
I was disappointed on doing some research to find that nausea is still one of the more common side effects. I was hoping that my tummy would not be involved, since it’s not a medicine that is swallowed. There’s also a fairly high incidence of irritation at the patch site, and users are not supposed to put the patch in the same place more often than 14 days apart. Most of the other side effects are true of just about all the Parkinson’s medicines, from dizziness to low blood pressure on standing. As a dopamine agonist, there is a certain level of risk of obsessive behavior and also of suddenly falling asleep. Driving can be risky. Thank goodness we’re both retired, because my not driving has really not been a real problem for us.
So, although I had planned on bugging the Neurologist to change me to the patch as soon as it was approved, now that I know a little more about it, I probably won’t be in such a hurry to push for it.
If anyone reads this who has been on Neupro, or is now on it, please leave a comment about your results and/or side effects.
using it at 2mg for a week. slight better with less off time bet sinamet, but not lowering the requip (3mgx4) yet. no tired spells or probs c the patch, but it sure does itch .
I tried to follow your name link, Chris242, but it’s not working. The itching is a known problem, but I’m sorry to hear that you are suffering from it. I’d love for you to give us a follow up now that you’ve been on it awhile longer, and I need a usable URL, too.
I have been on Neupro for three weeks and I LOVE it! I had been on requip for about a year and could nover remember to take my pills and was sick to my stomach all the time. The first patch of 2mg Neupro for one week = no side effects and great results! 4mg same and at my surprise even at the 6mg patch I have not had any issues. My neurologist told me that the patch may itch and to rotate the location daily but it has not been an issue. I live in Florida and it has stayed on even at the beach = you do need to make sure you hold down the edges for 30 seconds when you first put it on. I learned the hard way mine fell off on the second day but after that no issues!
I really recommend Neupro as it has already changed my life and helps me stop thinking about my Parkinson’s and get on with my life!
How wonderful that you are having such success with it! I really appreciate you taking the time to share with us all. I’m having some other medical problems right now, so my Neurologist doesn’t want to make any med changes until these other issues are dealt with. But I’m looking forward to asking for Neupro when he’s ready to make the change!!