I had the jitters for years. Two years ago my doctor prescribed a drug for restless leg syndrome (one of the three syndromes of the jitters. I could not take it (requip) because it caused me to throw up. I continued to complain and ask him if there was any other drug which could alleviate RLS (or the other two syndromes 1. Nerve damage peripheral neuropathy and 2. Pre epilepsy jitters syndrome (not named yet)) An uninvited neurologist showed up while i was in the hospital and said "this man has parkinson's so give him mirapex. The jitters went completely away for 8 months, wow, what an accidental gift. So i ask my doctor "did you know mirapex could do this and if so why did you let me suffer so long?" he claimed he knew nothing about it. The fda approved mirapex for RLS, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's years ago (2002 i think). My doctor is well read on this stuff and it is not likely he did not read this? The point is "the miracle was an accident, not the result of a caring physician. Mirapex has definitely affected me in two areas; gambling and shopping to the tune of somewhere around 20k and climbing in only a few months. This uninvited neurologist increased my dosage (doubled it) when i went to him about 4 months ago and complained of the jitters again. Do you perceive the slippery slope yet? Is there another fix for the jitters? Should i trust the medical profession to find it for me? I choose not to live with the jitters,could it be that any Dopamine increase adequate to relieve RLS will cause the Gambling and shopping compulsive behaviour? If so i choose to Live with the compulsive behaviour. Wow, talk about a rock and a hard place Noel
I too have been taking this drug for RLS I am concerned as I see a increase in these behaviors that I never had - beer, wine, shopping and casino. I am going to wean myself off it and hopefully the cravings will stop!