Pramipexole Dosing (Cont.)

Pramipexole Dosing for Parkinson's Disease

Pramipexole must be started at a low dose and slowly increased in order to reduce the risk of side effects of pramipexole. Your healthcare provider may increase your dose in the following manner until your Parkinson's disease symptoms are controlled or until you experience side effects:
 
  • Week 1 -- pramipexole 0.125 mg three times daily
  • Week 2 -- pramipexole 0.25 mg three times daily
  • Week 3 -- pramipexole 0.5 mg three times daily
  • Week 4 -- pramipexole 0.75 mg three times daily
  • Week 5 -- pramipexole 1 mg three times daily
  • Week 6 -- pramipexole 1.25 mg three times daily
  • Week 7 -- pramipexole 1.5 mg three times daily.
     
If you also take levodopa (Sinemet®, Parcopa®, Stalevo®), your healthcare provider may need to lower your levodopa dosage while you take pramipexole.
 
If you have kidney disease, including kidney failure or milder kidney problems, your healthcare provider may recommend a lower pramipexole dosage. For Parkinson's disease treatment, pramipexole should not be stopped suddenly. In most cases, it should be slowly stopped over a period of one week.
 

General Information on Dosing With Pramipexole

Some considerations for people taking pramipexole include the following:
 
  • Pramipexole comes in tablet form. It is taken by mouth three times daily when used for Parkinson's disease. When used to treat RLS, pramipexole is taken by mouth once daily about two to three hours before bedtime.
     
  • You can take pramipexole with or without food. If it bothers your stomach, try taking it with a little food.
     
  • Make sure to take pramipexole at the same time(s) each day, in order to maintain an even level of the medication in your blood.
     
  • For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Pramipexole will not work if you stop taking it. Do not suddenly stop taking pramipexole without first talking to your healthcare provider.
     
  • If you are unsure about anything related to pramipexole or your pramipexole dosage, please talk with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.
     

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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;