Parkinson’s Drugs Side Effects linked to Compulsive Gambling and Sex
Published: April 14th, 2009 • Comments: 12
New research suggests that approximately 18% of patients treated with therapeutic doses of dopamine agonists to treat Parkinson’s disease could suffer compulsive behavior side effects, such as gambling and hypersexuality.
Dopamine agonists are powerful drugs that are used to control tremors associated with Parkinson’s Disease. The class of drugs include medications such as Requip (ropinirole), Mirapex (pramipexole), Dostinex (cabergoline), Parlodel (bromocriptine), Apokyn (apomorphine), Neurpro (rotigotine) and Permax (pergolide).
Researchers evaluated data for 267 patients treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, including 38 patients who were taking therapeutic doses of dopamine agonists. Seven of these 38 users developed a compulsive syndrome, with two starting pathologic gambling, two becoming hypersexual and three developing both conditions.
The compulsive behaviors were not seen among those who were not treated with dopamine agonists, or 28 patients who were taking the drugs at doses that were not in the therapeutic range.
The Parkinson’s drug side effects tended to resolve when the drugs were stopped or doses of the medications were decreased. However, some of the patients required extended psychiatric treatment, lost substantial sums of money and suffered damage to their family and reputation by the hypersexual and compulsive gambling behaviors.
Several hundred dopamine agonist lawsuits are currently pending throughout the United States on behalf of users who have suffered damages caused by these compulsive behaviors.
Many of the cases have been consolidated in a Multidistrict Litigation, or MDL, in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, where the first trial last year involving a Mirapex lawsuit resulted in an $8.2 million jury award.
Comment by Peter on 17 April 2009:
I have pd and i was a gambler before i was diagnosed with pd but since i have taken my medication i cannot control my gambling , i try very hard not to gamble but it is as if there is a fight going on in my head for and against gambling with the gambling always winning.This then leads to depression and rows at home . The drug i was on was mirapexin but after talks with my consultant this was changed to ropinirole but as things are the same i wonder is it the drugs or am i just an addictive lost cause gambler
Comment by Maria on 20 April 2009:
Hello Peter,
No you are not a lost cause gambler. I encourage you to seek assistance from a sympathetic doctor who may be able to help with the medication. As you can see from the article there is a noted connection between some dopamine agonists and compulsive behaviours… so you are not alone. Please seek assistance. Regards Maria in Australia.
Comment by doug on 22 April 2009:
I’ve been on requip for about seven years and it has cost me thousands
For the last 6 years I’ve been addicted to lottery scratch offs, about 80 dollars a day. Last year I had to take care of my dad, 93 and I relocated to ft lauderdale for six months. I discovered the casino and slots and gambled away my inheritance. I’m 60 and have the horneyness of a school boy. I see escorts weekly and visit porn on the website. I’m depressed and I can’t control these behaviors.
Comment by Annabeth on 25 April 2009:
I was on Requip 2 months and blew through $10,000. I was never really a gambler before. I became suicidal, and ended up in a psyche ward. No one seems interested in my case as I did not lose enough. To me Ten grand in two months is alot. Requip nearly cost me my life, my marriage, and now I have even worse Restless Legs.
Comment by Sandra on 25 April 2009:
Mirapex HAS to be the drug from hell. Starting in 2004 I went totally nuts on Ebay. I must have spent WELL over $100K I had always been a saver! I was so ashamed and didn’t know what was wrong with me! In abojt 2006 a friend happened to be at my house and said “What is all of this stuff. You know there was this article about Parkinsons medications causing compulsive behavior”
Comment by Alison on 8 May 2009:
Maria
I am wondering if you have had any effects of a dopamine agonist, as I am also in Australia. Also are you aware of any discussion sites in Australia for people who have suffered as a result of these medications? Regards Alison
Comment by Philip on 6 June 2009:
I have rls symptoms + balance problems heavy feet. I WALK LIKE A DRUNK WHEN SOBER! Started out as stubbing my toe as I walked did not think much on it. I grew worse, felt like my socks were to tight and tingling in my feet. I would turn to walk and my feet did not follow. I learned to think about what I was attempting to do. No more of just stepping over a curb or walking up and down stairs without thinking first. Things that were natural before became difficult. Of course I went to my gp he said we will figure this out I just need to get you to the right specialist.
After many mri’s and visits to specialist that check my blood flow in feet and legs, cardiologists and nuerologists I was told there are some things we just do not know. Well after all of this I described my symptoms again to my gp he said that sounds like restless leg syndrome. He suggested a starter set of requip! I was at last getting some relief from my discomfort in my legs. I was soon on 1 mg a day. I was thinking I was making progress but still had the rls symptoms, heavy legs and tingling in my feet (discomfort to put it mildly) I went to second nuerologist to get a second opinion and he said that the nuerologist that I saw before was a very reputable and respected and he pretty much agreed with her, THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE DO NOT KNOW!
That is certainly not what I wanted to here but I know there are people alot worse off than me and you just have to play the hand that life deals you. He went on to say I had two options.
1. Get test that I would have to pay(because your insurance will not) and if after all these test if they found out what caused my problem they would name it after me! I did not think this was funny either!
2 Go to another specialist and he or she is a nuerologist specialist that deals with movement disorders. More doctors!
I said what about requip? He said RESTLESS LEG DISORDER WHAT IS THAT? WE DO NOT KNOW THAT IS EITHER~~BUT IF IT HELPS HERE IS A PRESCRIPTION FOR 3 MONTHS FOR 90 PILLS A MONTH 1MG.
I did contact the specialists office he referred me to and was told that I needed to fill out a questionere and then they decide if they want to see you? Well at that time I had a life a Job and mother that was in the early stages of ahlzhimers. I started taking the requip and went on as best I could with my life.
Little did I know where I was headed! REQUIP HELL ON EARHT! This is early 2007 by October I got my gp to up my dosage to 120 1mg a month.
I lost my mind! Gambling which I rarely did was controling and ruining my life. Started out with scratchers and lottery tickets. I started going to the casino which I rarely did and if I did it was 25 cent slots. I would go blow 40-50 bucks and that was it. Enough fun you never win at these things anyway and left feeling foolish for even going. Quickly I was playing dollar poker machine and easily going through 3-4-5-6- hundred a trip. In 2007 I had one 1099 from a trip to Laughlin on my birthday and we played golf most of the three day trip. I won 1200.00 ON MY BIRTHDAY APRIL 1ST! (i know I have heard all the April Fool Jokes)
2008 I still have not added up all my winnings and losses! I have a dresser full of 1099’s and reciepts from cashing checks at casinos and have gone through at least 350k! WOW! I got 70k from IRA in January and that was quickly gone! Took out a 1st mortgage of 75k in March that did not last till the middle of April!! WOW! I gambled on line that started in October 2008 In early 2009 I spent over 10k on line at one casino. I was a mad man out of control.
I saw an ad about Requip being linked to compusive gambling and started investigating the DRUG! After coming out of the fog I weaned myself off the drug just before Memorial Day.
I have not had the urge to gamble and I have not spent a penny on gambling since I stopped using! More importantly I realized that I was not the evil person I had become. It was the DRUG!
I went to my gp and told him of my gambling problem and he asked me if I had compusive behavior before and I said no but I am not taking Requip any more! He said I should go see my nuerologist about a drug to replace the Requip and he was not that familiar with the side effects?
I went to see the Nuerologist today told him the same story and he put me on GABABENTIN 300MG one pill 90 minutes before bedtime, I may increase by 300mg every week if needed a max of 1200 mg a night 5 refills. He said we just try this and then come back in and evaluate.
I should add that one of the questions on the doctors form is this visit part on any liltigation. I answered I am looking into sueing REQUIP! After some time he came to the lobby to get me and said you have not been her for awhile and did not come for your follow-up. This is true I said. A short time into my visit his associate opened the door and said “The attorney said no way” My doctor looked at me and said REAL ESTATE??
I am sorry for rambling on but this is the first time I have written down my experience! For me REQUIP WAS HELL ON EARTH!!!!!
I will never fully recover from my experience!
But I have my mind back! My legs still ach and I have balance problems just as before.
What is described as RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME has become an all encompassing term for people with far greater issues than RLS!
Well I feel better after writing this! I hope that in some way whoever reads this gets some insight to the perils involved with REQUIP!
I would lke to hear from anyone who has suggestions or comments!
GOD BLESS!
Comment by Marc on 23 June 2009:
My brother and i have tried a total of 4 agonist type P.D> drugs and the results were catastrophique for all of these meds. Overstimulation combined with severe impulse control problems were prevelent in all agonist drug treatments which caused a Jeckil and Hide change in our personalities. STAY AWAY FROM THE CRACK COCAINE PARKINSONS DISEASE DRUGS CALLED AGONIST. EVENTIUALLY THEY WILL BE REMOVED FROM MARKETABILITY AND BECOME UNPRESCRIBABLE DUE TO THERE ADDICTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE SIDE EFFCTS. THIS WILL HAPPEN SONNER THAN LATER I HOPE
Comment by ROGER on 8 September 2009:
HAS ANY ONE HEARD THE RUMORS OF A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST GLAXO SMITH AND KLINE THE IDIOTS THAT DID NOT WARN MY DR’S ABOUT THE COMPUSIVE BEHAVIOUR . MY COMPUSIONS WERE DRINKING ALCAHOL AND GAMBLING AND BEING VERY IMPULSIVE ABOUT EVERY THING I WAS DOING. LOSING MY JOB HOME
WIFE AND BEING THROWN IN PRISON 13 TIMES IN THREE YEARS. UNTILL FINALLY THE FDA FORCED THE TO GIVE A WARNING ON THERE TV COMERCIAL. I GOT OFF OF REQUIP 08/12/07. AND THE DRINKING AND GAMBLING URGES STOPPED THE NEXT DAY.A LAWYER TOLD ME MY LOSSES WAS ONLY WORTH 500,000 DOLLARS
IT TAKES ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR THEM TOO SUE A DRUG COMPANY THEY WOULD LOSE MONEY ON AN INDIVIDUAL CASE UNLESS YOU LOSE MILLIONS GAMBLING WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR A CLASS ACTION SUIT .SURELY THEIR MUST BE A WAY TO MAKE THE MAKERS OF REQUIP AND MIRAPEX PAY FOR THE DAMAGES OF THE AVERAGE PERSON .WE CAN ‘T AFFORD TO LOSE WE NEVER HAD IT IN THE FIRST PLACE .MANY OF THE MILLIONAIRES THAT LOSS MILLIONS STILL HAVE A FEW MILLLION LEFT .NOT ME !!! I’M ONLY LEFT WITH A BAD REPUTATION CRIMINAL CHARGES INCLUDING LOSING MY DRIVING PRIVALEGES FOR THREE YEARS AND A TON OF FINES AND LAWYER FEES I HAVE PAID OUT OF MY BACK PAY FROM SS .
Comment by Deborah on 18 September 2009:
I have been researching this for a few days now, it scares me
to think that this drug is still on the market and more so that I am still taking it. I have Rls, I cannot even begin to say how much money I have lost on gambling. I to use to go and spend $50. and was happy.
I now spend hundreds and cannot seem to control the urge. I can’t explain how many times I have told myself that I will never go back but I always do. I have maxed out most credit cards with cash advances..I have dreams almost every night about gambling, winning…this addiction has taken over my life. I am now struggling to pay bills since my credit cards are so high.. I think daily on how I am going to pull out of this mess that I have myself in. is there a class action lawsuit? Can anyone help us out of this hell nightmare that this so called “medicine” has done to us……
Comment by Sandra on 29 October 2009:
I have parkinsons and take Requip I have accumulated debts of £25000 .Can I sue Glaxo Smith. I also have RLS but after many years of sleepness nights I found out I was enimec and iron has cured. I had research ,myself the doctors were useless!
r
Comment by sharon on 21 January 2010:
Does anyone know of a class action suit against the makers of Requip? I too now have problems which I haver never had before.