Credit score: Pixabay/CC0 Public Area
Getting a headache and feeling sick are frequent side-effects for a lot of medicines. Indulging in dangerous sexual habits or pathological playing—not so frequent.
However a BBC investigation has highlighted that some drug therapies for stressed leg syndrome and Parkinson’s illness can result in such dangerous habits.
Greater than 150,000 individuals within the UK reside with Parkinson’s—a degenerative situation that impacts the mind. The principle a part of their mind that’s broken is the realm that produces dopamine, a chemical messenger that regulates motion. Much less dopamine within the mind can result in signs reminiscent of tremors, muscle stiffness, gradual actions and issues with stability.
One other motion dysfunction is stressed legs syndrome (RLS), which impacts between 5% and 10% of individuals within the UK, US and Europe. Twice as many ladies as males have RLS amongst these aged over 35.
Individuals with RLS really feel they should uncontrollably transfer their legs, and should expertise a crawling, creeping or tingling sensation in them. Often, the signs are worse at night time when dopamine ranges are typically decrease. Though the precise reason behind RLS is unknown, it has been linked to genes, underlying well being circumstances, and an imbalance of dopamine.
One of many foremost therapies for motion issues is a gaggle of medicine referred to as dopamine-receptor agonists, which embrace cabergoline, ropinirole, bromocriptine and pramipexole. Dopamine-receptor agonists improve the degrees of dopamine within the mind and assist regulate motion.
Dopamine is called the “happy” hormone as a result of it’s a part of the mind’s reward system. When individuals do one thing enjoyable or pleasurable, dopamine is launched of their mind. However utilizing dopamine-receptor agonist medication can elevate these emotions, resulting in impulsive habits.
Whereas frequent side-effects embrace complications, feeling sick and sleepiness, these medication are additionally linked with the extra uncommon side-effect of impulse-control issues. These embrace dangerous sexual habits (hypersexuality), pathological playing, compulsive procuring, and binge consuming. Hypersexuality encompasses habits reminiscent of a stronger-than-usual urge to have sexual exercise, or being unable to withstand performing a sexual act which may be dangerous.
Earlier reported instances embrace a 53-year-old girl taking ropinirole and exhibiting impulsive habits reminiscent of accessing web pornography, utilizing intercourse chat rooms, assembly strangers for sexual activity, and compulsive procuring. One other case highlighted a 32-year-old man who, after taking ropinirole, began binge consuming and playing compulsively, such that he misplaced his life financial savings.
When the drug was first being prescribed within the early 2000s, it was thought that impulse-control issues had been a uncommon side-effect related to these medication. However in 2007, a UK Medicines and Healthcare Merchandise Regulatory Company (MHRA) public evaluation report suggested that “health care professionals should warn patients that compulsive behavior with dopamine agonists may be dose-related.”
Between 6% and 17% of individuals with RLS who take dopamine agonists develop some type of impulse-control dysfunction, whereas as much as 20% of individuals dwelling with Parkinson’s could expertise impulse management issues.
However the true figures could also be even greater, as many some sufferers could not affiliate modifications in habits with their medicine, or could also be too embarrassed to report it. Case reviews present that in most cases, impulsive habits stops when the drug is stopped.
Lawsuits
There have been a number of particular person and class-action lawsuits towards pharmaceutical corporations together with GlaxoSmithKline, which produces ReQuip (ropinirole), and Pfizer, which makes Cabaser (cabergoline). Sufferers taking motion towards these corporations claimed they had been unaware of those impulsive habits side-effects.
For instance, in 2012, a French courtroom ordered GlaxoSmithKline to pay £160,000 in damages to Didier Jambart, after he skilled “devastating-side effects” when taking the agency’s Parkinson’s drug Requip. And in 2014, an Australian federal courtroom authorized a settlement towards Pfizer for a class-action lawsuit relating to its Parkinson’s drug, Cabaser. 150 sufferers claimed they didn’t have warning of potential side-effects—together with elevated playing, intercourse dependancy and different high-risk actions—of taking Cabaser.
It’s now clearer within the affected person data leaflets given with all prescribed medicine for motion issues that impulsive habits can happen in some sufferers.
In 2023, the MHRA suggested there had been elevated reviews of pathological playing with a drug referred to as aripiprazole. This antipsychotic drug, used within the therapy of schizophrenia and mania, partly acts as a dopamine-receptor agonist.
Any drug that will increase dopamine ranges may theoretically be linked to impulse management issues, and you will need to preserve monitoring sufferers and their habits in such instances.
Not everybody will expertise side-effects. Earlier than you start any course of therapy, your physician or pharmacist ought to clarify the potential side-effects—however additionally it is vital to learn the knowledge leaflet with any medication. And for those who expertise any impulsive behaviors with these medicines, converse to your physician or pharmacist instantly.
Supplied by
The Dialog
This text is republished from The Dialog below a Artistic Commons license. Learn the unique article.
Quotation:
Therapy for Parkinson’s illness and stressed leg syndrome is linked with dangerous habits (2025, March 17)
retrieved 17 March 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-03-treatment-parkinson-disease-restless-leg.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Aside from any honest dealing for the aim of personal research or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is offered for data functions solely.
