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Quick facts
- How it is given
- oral
- Type
- human prescription drug
- RxNorm ID
- 312847
We do not publish dosing. How much of this medicine to take, how often, and for how long depends on your age, weight, kidney and liver function, other conditions and other medicines. That is a decision for the person who prescribes or dispenses it. Follow the directions on your own pack and ask your pharmacist if anything is unclear.
What it is used to treat
Ropinirole tablets are a non-ergoline dopamine agonist indicated for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). ( 1.1 , 1.2 ) 1.1 Parkinson's Disease Ropinirole tablets are indicated for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. 1.2 Restless Legs Syndrome Ropinirole tablets are indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
About this medicine
Ropinirole Tablets, USP contain ropinirole, a non-ergoline dopamine agonist, as the hydrochloride salt. The chemical name of ropinirole hydrochloride, USP is 4-[2-(dipropylamino)ethyl]-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one and the empirical formula is C 16 H 24 N 2 O•HCl. The molecular weight is 296.84 g/mol (260.38 as the free base). The structural formula is: Ropinirole hydrochloride, USP is a pale cream to yellow powder with a melting range of 243°C to 250°C and a solubility of 133 mg/mL in water. Each circular, beveled edged, biconvex film-coated tablet contains ropinirole hydrochloride, USP equivalent to ropinirole, 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, 4 mg, or 5 mg. Inactive ingredients consist of citric acid anhydrous powder, croscarmellose sodium, lactose anhydrous, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, and microcrystalline cellulose. The ingredients of the film coating for each tablet are as follows: 0.25 mg: Hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc and titanium dioxide. 0.5 mg: FD&C Blue no. 2 aluminum lake, ferric oxide red, ferric oxide yellow, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc and titanium dioxide. 1 mg: FD&C Blue no. 2 aluminum lake, ferric oxide black, ferric oxide yellow, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc and titanium dioxide. 2 mg: Ferric oxide red, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc and titanium dioxide. 3 mg: Carmine, FD&C Blue no. 2 aluminum lake, FD&C Yellow no. 6 aluminum lake, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc and titanium dioxide. 4 mg: Ferric oxide black, ferric oxide red, ferric oxide yellow, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc and titanium dioxide. 5 mg: FD&C Blue no. 1 aluminum lake, FD&C Blue no. 2 aluminum lake, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc and titanium dioxide. The product meets USP Dissolution Test 2. structure
How it works
12.1 Mechanism of Action Ropinirole is a non-ergoline dopamine agonist. The precise mechanism of action of ropinirole as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease is unknown, although it is thought to be related to its ability to stimulate dopamine D 2 receptors within the caudate-putamen in the brain. The precise mechanism of action of ropinirole as a treatment for RLS is unknown, although it is thought to be related to its ability to stimulate dopamine receptors.
Who should not take it
Ropinirole tablets are contraindicated in patients known to have a hypersensitivity/allergic reaction (including urticaria, angioedema, rash, pruritus) to ropinirole or to any of the excipients. History of hypersensitivity/allergic reaction (including urticaria, angioedema, rash, pruritus) to ropinirole or to any of the excipients. ()
Warnings and cautions
• Sudden onset of sleep and somnolence may occur ( 5.1 ) • Syncope may occur ( 5.2 ) • Hypotension, including orthostatic hypotension may occur ( 5.3 ) • May cause hallucinations and psychotic-like behaviors ( 5.4 ) • May cause or exacerbate dyskinesia ( 5.5 ) • May cause problems with impulse control or compulsive behaviors ( 5.6 ) 5.1 Falling Asleep during Activities of Daily Living and Somnolence Patients treated with ropinirole have reported falling asleep while engaged in activities of daily living, including driving or operating machinery, which sometimes resulted in accidents. Although many of these patients reported somnolence while on ropinirole, some perceived that they had no warning signs, such as excessive drowsiness, and believed that they were alert immediately prior to the event. Some have reported these events more than 1 year after initiation of treatment. In controlled clinical trials, somnolence was commonly reported in patients receiving ropinirole and was more frequent in Parkinson’s disease (up to 40% ropinirole, 6% placebo) than in RLS (12% ropinirole, 6% placebo) [ see Adverse Reactions ( 6.1 )]. It has been reported that falling asleep while engaged in activities of daily living usually occurs in a setting of pre-existing somnolence, although patients may not give such a history. For this reason, prescribers should reassess patients for drowsiness or sleepiness, especially since some of the events occur well after the start of treatment. Prescribers should also be aware that patients may not acknowledge drowsiness or sleepiness until directly questioned about drowsiness or sleepiness during specific activities. Before initiating treatment with ropinirole, patients should be advised of the potential to develop drowsiness and specifically asked about factors that may increase the risk with ropinirole such as concomitant sedating medications or alcohol, the presence of sleep disorders (other than RLS), and concomitant medications that increase ropinirole plasma levels (e.g., ciprofloxacin) [ see Drug Interactions ( 7.1 )]. […]
Reported side effects
The following adverse reactions are described in more detail in other sections of the label: • Hypersensitivity [ see Contraindications ( ) ] • Falling asleep during activities of daily living and somnolence [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ) ] • Syncope [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ) ] • Hypotension/orthostatic hypotension [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 ) ] • Hallucinations/psychotic-like behavior [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 ) ] • Dyskinesia [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 ) ] • Impulse control/compulsive behaviors [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 ) ] • Withdrawal-emergent hyperpyrexia and confusion [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 ) ] • Withdrawal Symptoms [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8) ] • Augmentation and early-morning rebound in RLS [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.9) ] • Fibrotic complications [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.10 ) ] • Retinal pathology [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.11 ) ] Most common adverse reactions (incidence with ropinirole at least 5% greater than placebo) in the respective indications were: • Early PD: Nausea, somnolence, dizziness, syncope, asthenic condition, viral infection, leg edema, vomiting, and dyspepsia. ( 6.1 ) • Advanced PD: Dyskinesia, somnolence, nausea, dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, sweating, and headache. ( 6.1 ) • RLS: Nausea, vomiting, somnolence, dizziness, and asthenic condition. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA at 1 (888) 721-7115 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared with rates in the clinical trials of another drug (or of another development program of a different formulation of the same drug) and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Parkinson's Disease During the premarketing development of ropinirole, patients received ropinirole either without L-dopa (early Parkinson’s disease trials) or as concomitant therapy with L-dopa (advanced Parkinson’s disease trials). […]
Interactions with other medicines
• Inhibitors or inducers of CYP1A2: May alter the clearance of ropinirole; dose adjustment of ropinirole may be required. ( 7.1 , 12.3) • Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): Starting or stopping HRT may require dose adjustment of ropinirole. ( 7.2 , 12.3 ) • Dopamine antagonists (e.g., neuroleptics, metoclopramide): May reduce efficacy of ropinirole. ( 7.3 ) 7.1 Cytochrome P450 1A2 Inhibitors and Inducers In vitro metabolism studies showed that cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is the major enzyme responsible for the metabolism of ropinirole. There is thus the potential for inducers or inhibitors of this enzyme to alter the clearance of ropinirole. Therefore, if therapy with a drug known to be a potent inducer or inhibitor of CYP1A2 is stopped or started during treatment with ropinirole, adjustment of the dose of ropinirole may be required. Coadministration of ciprofloxacin, an inhibitor of CYP1A2, increases the AUC and C max of ropinirole [ see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 ) ]. Cigarette smoking is expected to increase the clearance of ropinirole since CYP1A2 is known to be induced by smoking hormone replacement therapy [ see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 ) ]. 7.2 Estrogens Population pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that higher doses of estrogens (usually associated with hormone replacement therapy) reduced the clearance of ropinirole. Starting or stopping may require adjustment of dosage of ropinirole [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . 7.3 Dopamine Antagonists Because ropinirole is a dopamine agonist, it is possible that dopamine antagonists such as neuroleptics (e.g., phenothiazines, butyrophenones, thioxanthenes) or metoclopramide may reduce the efficacy of ropinirole. Drug Interaction Studies Digoxin: Coadministration of ropinirole (2 mg 3 times daily) with digoxin (0.125 to 0.25 mg once daily) did not alter the steady-state pharmacokinetics of digoxin in 10 patients. Theophylline: Administration of theophylline (300 mg twice daily), a substrate of CYP1A2, did not alter the steady-state pharmacokinetics of ropinirole (2 mg 3 times daily) in 12 patients with Parkinson’s disease. […]
Use in specific groups
Pregnancy: Based on animal data, may cause fetal harm. ( 8.1 ) 8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no adequate data on the developmental risk associated with the use of ropinirole in pregnant women. In animal studies, ropinirole had adverse effects on development when administered to pregnant rats at doses similar to (neurobehavioral impairment) or greater than (teratogenicity and embryolethality at >36 times) the MRHD for Parkinson’s disease. Ropinirole doses associated with teratogenicity and embryolethality in pregnant rats were associated with maternal toxicity. In pregnant rabbits, ropinirole potentiated the teratogenic effects of L-dopa when these drugs were administered in combination [see Data]. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and of miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively. The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in the indicated populations is unknown. Data Animal Data: Oral administration of ropinirole (0, 20, 60, 90, 120, or 150 mg/kg/day) to pregnant rats during organogenesis resulted in embryolethality, increased incidence of fetal malformations (digit, cardiovascular, and neural tube defects) and variations, and decreased fetal weight at the 2 highest doses. These doses were also associated with maternal toxicity. The highest no-effect dose for adverse effects on embryofetal development (90 mg/kg/day) is approximately 36 times the MRHD for Parkinson’s disease (24 mg/day) on a body surface area (mg/m 2 ) basis. No effect on embryofetal development was observed in rabbits when ropinirole was administered alone during organogenesis at oral doses of 0, 1, 5, or 20 mg/kg/day (up to 16 times the MRHD on a mg/m 2 basis). In pregnant rabbits, there was a greater incidence and severity of fetal malformations (primarily digit defects) when ropinirole (10 mg/kg/day) was administered orally during gestation in combination with L-dopa (250 mg/kg/day) than when L-dopa was administered alone. This drug combination was also associated with maternal toxicity. […]
If too much is taken
The symptoms of overdose with ropinirole are related to its dopaminergic activity. General supportive measures are recommended. Vital signs should be maintained, if necessary. In clinical trials, there have been patients who accidentally or intentionally took more than their prescribed dose of ropinirole. The largest overdose reported with ropinirole in clinical trials was 435 mg taken over a 7-day period (62.1 mg/day). Of patients who received a dose greater than 24 mg/day, reported symptoms included adverse events commonly reported during dopaminergic therapy (nausea, dizziness), as well as visual hallucinations, hyperhidrosis, claustrophobia, chorea, palpitations, asthenia, and nightmares. Additional symptoms reported in cases of overdose included vomiting, increased coughing, fatigue, syncope, vasovagal syncope, dyskinesia, agitation, chest pain, orthostatic hypotension, somnolence, and confusional state.
Before you take anything new
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This page is built from the openFDA record of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approved labelling for this product, effective 6 July 2026. Label text has been shortened and reformatted for readability; safety wording has not been altered in meaning. FDA labelling describes products approved in the United States — brand names, strengths, formulations and approved uses may differ in your country. Always read the leaflet that comes with your own pack. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the FDA. Retrieved 2026-07-30.