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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by HenryO on June 19, 2003, at 19:22:47
OK, Ame Sans Vie, you have got my attention. I'm going to start Mirapex tonight at .125mg Tell me again your suggestions for titration schedule and possible maintenance dose levels. What are the down sides to this med? How long does last in your system on a daily basis? The side effect warnings read like a horror show, did you have any of them besides nausea? Any other advice on taking this?
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 20, 2003, at 0:57:39
In reply to Mirapex, OK Ame Sans Vie, posted by HenryO on June 19, 2003, at 19:22:47
> OK, Ame Sans Vie, you have got my attention. I'm going to start Mirapex tonight at .125mg Tell me again your suggestions for titration schedule and possible maintenance dose levels.
Though I haven't spoken with enough people who take this med to be able to tell you the average dosage that provides adequate relief for most people, all studies I've read pretty much say, "the higher, the better". That is, of course, up to the US FDA-approved maximum daily dose of 4.5mg.
Titration should be highly individualized. Whereas I was able to make leaps and bounds from 375µ the first day to 4.5mg on the seventh day, some people may find the nausea or sleepiness to be too much an issue to raise their dose this quickly. Most literature recommends starting with 125µ tid for the first week, then ramping up by 375µ/week until an optimal dose is reached or side effects become intolerable.
Personally I think this is a waste of time. Though I wouldn't be quite as lax about the titration as I was if I were you, I wouldn't follow this strict schedule. Raise your dose when it seems right--when the side effects (if there even are any) have disappeared.
>What are the down sides to this med? How long does last in your system on a daily basis? The side effect warnings read like a horror show, did you have any of them besides nausea? Any other advice on taking this?
I honestly can say I have yet to find a single downside to Mirapex... if I absolutely *had* to pick something, I suppose it would be that it needs to be taken three times a day.
Not sure what it' half life is, but let's just say there have been several occasions that I've missed two, or even all three, doses for the day and wasn't adversely affected.
I thought that too about the side effects, but you just have to be brave and jump right in, lol. So far everyone I've spoken with who's taken Mirapex has reported initial transient nausea as a side effect, a few reported sleepiness, and that's all. I personally just had moderate nausea that lasted less than a week, and which was easily treatable with ginger root or authentic ginger ale. As long as you create your *own* titration schedule (hell, start with 62.5µ tid if you think the 125µ may be too much), you'll be just fine. No need to be in rush (like I was, lol) but then again, no need to further delay relief due to fear of nonexistent side effects.
Any other advice? Hmmm... I'd have to think about that one--this med is pretty much a no-brainer. You'll see what I mean. Good luck and keep me posted! :-)
Posted by HenryO on June 20, 2003, at 2:35:28
In reply to Re: Mirapex » HenryO, posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 20, 2003, at 0:57:39
Thank you for that detailed response. What is a "µ" and what is a "tid" is that a fraction of a tablet? Mine comes in single pills of .175mg each.
Posted by Viridis on June 20, 2003, at 3:21:33
In reply to Re: Mirapex, posted by HenryO on June 20, 2003, at 2:35:28
"µ" means millionth (of a gram, I guess), and "t.i.d." means "thrice daily" (3X day).
Posted by HenryO on June 20, 2003, at 3:46:45
In reply to Re: Mirapex » HenryO, posted by Viridis on June 20, 2003, at 3:21:33
So .175mg can also be expressed 175µ ?
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 20, 2003, at 6:30:01
In reply to Re: Mirapex, posted by HenryO on June 20, 2003, at 3:46:45
> So .175mg can also be expressed 175µ ?
Well, this is my fault, but it would actually be 'µg' (µ=millionth; g=gram). This would be read "micrograms". It could also be written 'mcg'. "µ" by itself, without a qualifier such as "g" for gram or "l" for liter means "micron". A micron is actually a unit of measurement, equivalent to one millionth of a meter.So, 175µg could be written:
175,000,000,000,000,000,000yg (yoctograms - one septillionth of a gram)
175,000,000,000,000,000zg (zeptograms - one sextillionth of a gram)
175,000,000,000,000ag (attograms - one quintillionth of a gram)
175,000,000,000fg (femtograms - one quadrillionth of a gram)
175,000,000pg (picograms - one trillionth of a gram)
175,000ng (nanograms - one billionth of a gram)
175µg or 175mcg (micrograms - one millionth of a gram)
0.175mg (milligrams - one thousandth of a gram)
0.0175cg (centigrams - one hundredth of a gram)
0.00175dg (decigrams - one tenth of a gram)
0.000175g (grams)
0.0000175dag (dekagrams - 10 grams)
0.00000175hg (hectograms - 100 grams)
0.000000175kg (kilograms - 1,000 grams)
0.000000000175Mg (megagrams - 1,000,000 grams)
0.000000000000175Gg (gigagrams - 1,000,000,000 grams)
0.000000000000000175Tg (teragrams - 1,000,000,000,000 grams)
0.000000000000000000175Pg (petagrams - 1,000,000,000,000,000 grams)
0.000000000000000000000175Eg (exagrams - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 grams)
0.000000000000000000000000175Zg (zetagrams - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 grams)
0.000000000000000000000000000175Yg (yottagrams - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 grams)Now I know all that is a wee bit more than you were asking about, but I figured now would be the time for a quick lesson in metric abbreviations, lol.
However, I don't believe the tablets come in a 175µg size (not in the U.S. anyway). So maybe you mean 125µg?
Posted by HenryO on June 21, 2003, at 1:28:21
In reply to Re: Mirapex » HenryO, posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 20, 2003, at 6:30:01
Good lord, what a display of metric abbreviations, Yikes. Yes you are correct my little white pills are .125mg They have 2 on one side and a U on the other. I took one last night, one this morning and will take a third in moments. Thanks.
Posted by HenryO on June 21, 2003, at 1:49:07
In reply to Re: Mirapex » HenryO, posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 20, 2003, at 0:57:39
Now that I look at these conversion values working with .125mg then 4.5 mg is 36 tablets a day. 12tid Are you really taking 36 of these a day? At the price I'm paying that comes to nearly $35.oo a day. The bottle says take 1 twice a day as needed.
Posted by HenryO on June 22, 2003, at 17:06:40
In reply to Re: Mirapex, posted by HenryO on June 21, 2003, at 1:49:07
Sorry, I hope my last post didn't seem like criticism. I meant no offense. Mirapex is working for you and I'm delighted. It's just that I got some and I am trying to understand how to use it. I didn't mean that post to sound hostile or anything. I'm staying at .175mg twice a day just to see if I feel anything. How does that sound? Thanks.
Posted by jonh kimble on June 22, 2003, at 19:14:52
In reply to Re: Mirapex » HenryO, posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 20, 2003, at 6:30:01
hi, Ame Sans Vie, how has mirapex helped? i have extremly bad problems with pessmism, apathy, everythings gray, poor concentration, and social anxiety. dopamineergics have helped (at least stimulants) but cause a terrible crash, so i am going to start mirapex in a little while. any info would be great.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 22, 2003, at 21:57:36
In reply to Ame Sans Vie, no disrespect intended, posted by HenryO on June 22, 2003, at 17:06:40
Sorry I can't make this longer, but my keyboard is broken so I'm writing this using voice recognition software, lol. I just bought this software today so I'm still getting used to it.
I would say starting at the dose you suggested is a fine idea. At your doctor's discretion, of course, I'm sure you'll be raising your dose much higher over time. My doctor and I are just now beginning to experiment with higher doses of Mirapex for myself. And yes, my dose is many times higher than yours. It's just that a slow titration schedule is strongly recommended for this particular drug because of the nausea it may cause. You more than likely will end up on a dose similar to mine.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on June 22, 2003, at 22:04:27
In reply to Re: Mirapex, posted by jonh kimble on June 22, 2003, at 19:14:52
> hi, Ame Sans Vie, how has mirapex helped? i have extremly bad problems with pessmism, apathy, everythings gray, poor concentration, and social anxiety. dopamineergics have helped (at least stimulants) but cause a terrible crash, so i am going to start mirapex in a little while. any info would be great.
Hi John,
You may want to look for my past postings concerning Mirapex, as I'm having a hard time inputting into my computer with just voice-recognition software, lol (see above post... my keyboard's broken). I'll go into some detail tomorrow when I get the keyboard fixed. Ciao!
This is the end of the thread.
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