Mirapex, help!!

Dab,

Why would your doctor not take you off the drug once you developed the problem? There are lots of other prescriptions that you can take. I also take Mirapex, started a little over a month ago. If I develop problems like you have, I'll not think twice at stopping it. If my doctor doesn't support that decision, then I'll have to find another doctor.

Dave

Dab,

I've made my immediate family very aware that this could happen while I take this prescription. My doctor is the one who brought it to my attention. When I was titrating up to my current dose I called to ask some questions and they mentioned this again. I think your doctor did you a huge disservice not monitoring you for this side effect. You should speak to him/her to find out why they did monitor you. Can you get you doctor to testify on your behalf to get the charges dismissed? From what I've read, it's not your fault.

Dave

I am so proud of all of you and your handling of the side affects of Mirapex. My husband is in denial about the behavior being a side affect. There is nothing wrong with sitting hours and hours on his smart phone gambling. Had to call police two times to settle him down for paranoia and obsessive behaviors toward me. I wish he would recognize the problem is coming from his meds. Be proud you could!

Hmmm, my father's neuor took him off the mirapex last month he didnt have any of those side affects!!

No one has posted to this forum for quite a while, so I'm not sure if it's still active, but I'll go ahead and post anyway. My husband has had Parkinson's for 16 years, and he's doing well thanks to good doctors, proper meds, and most of all because of his very active lifestyle. BUT...MIRAPEX HAS CAUSED TERRIBLE PROBLEMS FOR US FOR 13 YEARS!!! I've read so many other accounts of the same hypersexuality problem. It truly is an addiction, and like so many others, my husband does not want to admit that Mirapex is causing this. Every now and then, when he sees how stressed out and sad I am, he will admit that there is a problem and it's his fault. But that is seldom. Usually it's a matter of him ignoring what I say or just flatly denying that the Mirapex (and now the generic, pramipexole) is the cause of his EXTREME hypersexuality. This has caused major stress and unhappiness in our life. He spent many years being very angry and hateful because he felt that it was my responsibility to yield to his constant pressure for sex. I couldn't even count the number of times I have said the same things to him...over and over and over and over...telling him that the meds are the problem and that this is out of control and it's making my life miserable. I've lost sleep over it and have cried and cried and ranted and yelled, but all to no avail. Every now and then, I think he MIGHT be starting to understand, and sometimes he will even say he's sorry and will ask me to give him one more chance and be patient. But it always goes back to the same thing, with him putting pressure on me in all kinds of ways and then acting as if he's deprived or I'm unfair when I won't go along. After 13 years of this, I am weary and worn down and sad. There is no feeling or love with this constant obsession with sex. It is an addiction, and he is like any other addict--rationalizing and justifying his actions and feelings and blaming me for not going along. And yes, I have gone along many, many times when I did not want to, and that is heartbreaking and depressing. It just eats away at our relationship, and he does not understand. He wants to avoid the truth and keep on telling himself that there is nothing wrong with him and it's my fault. As I said, every now and then he will admit that it is his fault, but that's always short-lived. In a short while, or at least by the next day, it's back to the same routine--constant pressure in one way or another, even if it's only him sitting in the living room and moping--and I know exactly what's on his mind. It is constant, and it's damaged our relationship to the point where I feel angry and resentful toward him all the time. And he asks why I feel that way--and yet he KNOWS why I feel that way. I've talked to him over and over and have given him the facts many times, but if he listens at all, he quickly forgets it. He doesn't want to see the truth--he only wants to focus on his addiction to sex and continue to justify it. For the most part, the doctors (Parkinson's specialists) want to ignore this problem, or at best, they discuss it briefly, write it down in their records as "hypersexuality," then go on. They don't WANT to hear about it, but when we go to the next appointment, which is soon, I am going to bring it up and I am going to tell them how it is--no more holding back or allowing them to brush it off. They are going to hear the TRUTH of what this drug has done to our lives and our relationship. I feel sure that many more people are having similar problems, but they're too embarrassed to speak the truth to their doctors. I've read over and over of lives destroyed because of the effects of Mirapex (and Requip), and I have to wonder why this drug is even still on the market. Yes, there are people who benefit from is and don't suffer any severe side effects, but after reading about it for so many years, I really wonder just how many people are suffering in silence. How many have lost marriages, homes, their dignity, their jobs, their money, their health--or any number of other things--because of the destructive side effects of Mirapex and other dopamine agonists?

SorrelHorse:

Sorry to hear you're going thru all these problems. At the beginning of your post you say "after 16 years he's doing very well" then, later you mentioned all the problems with the medicine. I am assuming that aside from the hypersexuality, this medicine keeps all the main PD symptoms under control? Is that correct?

I was recently diagnosed so, I don't know how many 'alternatives' are out there for PD. I am doing fine with Levodopa for now. Is Mirapex given because other options did not worked for him?

Thanks and blessings

ElTorito,

To answer your question about alternatives to levadopa (including Sinemet or Stalevo), folks often start out on one of the dopamine agonists - primarily Requip or Mirapex. A newer dopamine agonist that comes in the form of a patch is Neupro also known as Rotigotine. Once those dosages are maxed out or become less effective, levadopa/Sinemet/Stalevo is often added. The gold standard is Sinemet - it works the best. However, there can be undesirable side effects - dyskinesia, in particular. On average they say folks may start exhibiting side effects after 5 years. That is not true for everyone - some develop side effects sooner and some never do. I have never taken Sinemet/Stalevo/levadopa, so have no first-hand experience.

 

Sorrel Horse,

If Mirapex is causing the undesirable behavior, one could try a different dopamine agonist. However, I would suspect the undesirable behavior would exist. The advantage to trying this might be that he could stay in the same family of medications (assuming Mirapex is addressing his PD symptoms). One would certainly want to monitor the tendency toward undesirable behavior.

 

Ed/Yekkimo,

Interesting comment re: addictions being associated more with the disease itself rather than the medications.  I sort of feel the same way about sleep issues ... but that's a topic for another day.

 

lizzy4451

just know you are not along keep your head up high and know you have done nothing wrong, it's the meds

Sorrel Horse said...
No one has posted to this forum for quite a while, so I'm not sure if it's still active, but I'll go ahead and post anyway. My husband has had Parkinson's for 16 years, and he's doing well thanks to good doctors, proper meds, and most of all because of his very active lifestyle. BUT...MIRAPEX HAS CAUSED TERRIBLE PROBLEMS FOR US FOR 13 YEARS!!! I've read so many other accounts of the same hypersexuality problem. It truly is an addiction, and like so many others, my husband does not want to admit that Mirapex is causing this. Every now and then, when he sees how stressed out and sad I am, he will admit that there is a problem and it's his fault. But that is seldom. Usually it's a matter of him ignoring what I say or just flatly denying that the Mirapex (and now the generic, pramipexole) is the cause of his EXTREME hypersexuality. This has caused major stress and unhappiness in our life. He spent many years being very angry and hateful because he felt that it was my responsibility to yield to his constant pressure for sex. I couldn't even count the number of times I have said the same things to him...over and over and over and over...telling him that the meds are the problem and that this is out of control and it's making my life miserable. I've lost sleep over it and have cried and cried and ranted and yelled, but all to no avail. Every now and then, I think he MIGHT be starting to understand, and sometimes he will even say he's sorry and will ask me to give him one more chance and be patient. But it always goes back to the same thing, with him putting pressure on me in all kinds of ways and then acting as if he's deprived or I'm unfair when I won't go along. After 13 years of this, I am weary and worn down and sad. There is no feeling or love with this constant obsession with sex. It is an addiction, and he is like any other addict--rationalizing and justifying his actions and feelings and blaming me for not going along. And yes, I have gone along many, many times when I did not want to, and that is heartbreaking and depressing. It just eats away at our relationship, and he does not understand. He wants to avoid the truth and keep on telling himself that there is nothing wrong with him and it's my fault. As I said, every now and then he will admit that it is his fault, but that's always short-lived. In a short while, or at least by the next day, it's back to the same routine--constant pressure in one way or another, even if it's only him sitting in the living room and moping--and I know exactly what's on his mind. It is constant, and it's damaged our relationship to the point where I feel angry and resentful toward him all the time. And he asks why I feel that way--and yet he KNOWS why I feel that way. I've talked to him over and over and have given him the facts many times, but if he listens at all, he quickly forgets it. He doesn't want to see the truth--he only wants to focus on his addiction to sex and continue to justify it. For the most part, the doctors (Parkinson's specialists) want to ignore this problem, or at best, they discuss it briefly, write it down in their records as "hypersexuality," then go on. They don't WANT to hear about it, but when we go to the next appointment, which is soon, I am going to bring it up and I am going to tell them how it is--no more holding back or allowing them to brush it off. They are going to hear the TRUTH of what this drug has done to our lives and our relationship. I feel sure that many more people are having similar problems, but they're too embarrassed to speak the truth to their doctors. I've read over and over of lives destroyed because of the effects of Mirapex (and Requip), and I have to wonder why this drug is even still on the market. Yes, there are people who benefit from is and don't suffer any severe side effects, but after reading about it for so many years, I really wonder just how many people are suffering in silence. How many have lost marriages, homes, their dignity, their jobs, their money, their health--or any number of other things--because of the destructive side effects of Mirapex and other dopamine agonists?

I wonder how much abnormal behavior is a result of Parkinson disease?.I am not defending Mirapex but we do need to consider what effect other pd drugs have on obsessive behavior.Last but not least Do they offer some relief from this crippling disease.If you do decide to stop Mirapex you need to taper off it so consult with your Dr first.Wish you all the best.Ed

Hi SorrelHorse,
I'm glad you have a horse to help you through this (at least, I hope you do!). I could have written a similar post a few years ago. I got my husband off Mirapex but our marriage has never been the same. I was dragged through his Mirapex affair and used sexually at the same time for many years. I just couldn't believe my husband was capable of such behavior and even though it was my constant companion, I couldn't give up on him. Now, here I am several years later and I feel trapped in this marriage. His PD is all he thinks about. He never complains about it but he doesn't seem to be able to make conversation or decisions about simple things, like what he wants to eat. The hypersexuality was hell but his inability to reason or to think ahead is terrible in an entirely different way. It seems like we get through one horrible stage, only to have to face another.
Good luck on this terrible terrifying journey. We are not alone.

Doctors hate it when you go online and play doctor yourself. What benefit do you get from Mirapex? My mom takes Stalevo with Mirapex as a combo. Maybe you can suggest that to your doc? Add a levo/carbo to the agonist. Rytary is out but I think it's confusing a lot of folks as to how much to take so that's not something my mom's doc is comfortable prescribing yet.