diff --git a/bitter/utils.py b/bitter/utils.py
index 02f9368..a4123b1 100644
--- a/bitter/utils.py
+++ b/bitter/utils.py
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ def user_download_batch(wq, batch):
         try:
             user_ids.append(int(elem))
         except ValueError:
-            screen_names.append(elem)
+            screen_names.append(elem.lower())
     print('Downloading: {} - {}'.format(user_ids, screen_names))
     users = wq.users.lookup(user_id=",".join(user_ids), screen_name=",".join(screen_names))
     found_ids = []
@@ -526,7 +526,7 @@ def user_download_batch(wq, batch):
         if uid in user_ids:
             found_ids.append(uid)
             yield (uid, user)
-        uname = user['screen_name']
+        uname = user['screen_name'].lower()
         if uname in screen_names:
             found_names.append(uname)
             yield (uname, user)
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d7bcf5b..7f8aa98 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1,17 +1,14 @@
-import pip
 from setuptools import setup
-from pip.req import parse_requirements
 
-# parse_requirements() returns generator of pip.req.InstallRequirement objects
-# pip 6 introduces the *required* session argument
-try:
-    install_reqs = parse_requirements("requirements.txt", session=pip.download.PipSession())
-    py2_reqs = parse_requirements("requirements-py2.txt", session=pip.download.PipSession())
-    test_reqs = parse_requirements("test-requirements.txt", session=pip.download.PipSession())
-except AttributeError:
-    install_reqs = parse_requirements("requirements.txt")
-    py2_reqs = parse_requirements("requirements-py2.txt")
-    test_reqs = parse_requirements("test-requirements.txt")
+def parse_requirements(filename):
+    """ load requirements from a pip requirements file """
+    with open(filename, 'r') as f:
+        lineiter = list(line.strip() for line in f)
+    return [line for line in lineiter if line and not line.startswith("#")]
+
+install_reqs = parse_requirements("requirements.txt")
+test_reqs = parse_requirements("test-requirements.txt")
+extra_reqs = parse_requirements("extra-requirements.txt")
 
 import sys
 import os