Pramipexole 1.5mg

Anti-Parkinson Agent

CSA NA – FDA Approved – REMS (N) – Can Ship 

Pramipexole, Mirapex is a non-ergot dopamine agonist that binds to dopamine receptors and dopamine activity on the nerves of the striatum and substantia nigra.

Parkinson disease, restless leg syndrome

Before starting Pramipexole, Mirapex make sure your physician is aware of any allergies or medications you currently take.  You may experience dyskinesias, loss of impulse control, neuroleptic malignant syndrome and orthostatic hypotension while taking Pramipexole, Mirapex.

Oral Immediate Release: 1.5mg to 4.5mg daily in divided doses.

Oral Extended Release: 1.5mg to 4.5mg once daily.

How to Take: Take with or without food.  Swallow the extended release tablets whole; do not crush, chew, or divide.  For restless legs syndrome, administer 2 to 3 hours before bedtime; if augmentation occurs, dose earlier in the day, divide into multiple daily doses, or consider switching to alternative therapy.

Orthostatic hypotension, drowsiness, extrapyramidal reaction, insomnia, dizziness, hallucination, headache, restless leg syndrome, abnormal dreams, nausea, constipation, dyskinesia, asthenia, accidental injury.

Note this is not a complete list of side effects for Pramipexole, Mirapex only common ones.

1. This medication has a lot of scary side effects, is it safe?
   All medications have side effects, but dopamine does a lot of different things in the body therefore supplementing with an agonist has many effects all of which are dosage dependent.  Parkinson’s disease results in low dopamine in some areas of the brain but with an oral medication, the drug is distributed throughout the body resulting in higher than normal dopamine in some areas while bringing it to normal levels in the area of concern.  This is the main treatment for Parkinson’s disease as it replaces what the brain is missing directly and in most cases side effects are minimal especially when starting out at lower dosages.  If you experience side effects of concern, discuss it with your physician as steps can be made to manage them.
2. Why would my doctor treat my Parkinson’s disease with a drug that causes dyskinesia which is a different movement disorder?
   Parkinson’s is a progressive disease that worsens with time resulting in dosages getting higher and higher to manage symptoms.  Initially medications will control the symptoms of it, but as the dosages get higher the risk of side effects increases and eventually with enough dopaminergic activity dyskinesias will occur.  At this point the condition is generally quite progressed and combination therapies using other medications can be used to lower the total daily dosage of levodopa.  As a dopamine is important for muscle control in many areas of the nervous system, it is unsurprising that both a deficiency and a surplus will have detrimental effects.