Side Effects Of Ropinirole

Like all medicines, ropinirole can cause side effects. However, many people have no side effects or only minor ones.

Common side effects of ropinirole

These common side effects of ropinirole happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Keep taking the medicine, but talk to a doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

It's possible to have serious side effects with ropinirole. Some are rare and happen in less than 1 in 1,000 people, but others can be more common.

Speak to a doctor if:

• your legs, feet or hands become swollen
• your restless legs syndrome gets worse

Call a doctor or call 111 now if:

• you start binge eating, gambling or shopping uncontrollably or have an unusually high sex drive - these are signs of impulse control disorder
• you see, feel or hear things that are not there (hallucinations) or feel confused - this is more likely to happen in older people
• you think things that are not true (delusions)
• you feel paranoid
• you feel unusually sleepy or suddenly fall asleep during the day

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to ropinirole.

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of ropinirole. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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