PARKINSONS DRUG SEX AND GAMBLING
COMPULSIVE GAMBLING , SEX AND A PARKINSON'S DRUG
WHAT HAPPENS HERE MAY NOT STAY HERE ON PRAMIPEXOLE
You may want to stay away from Las Vegas if you take a certain Parkinson's drug. "People who had never seriously gambled before suddenly were losing thousands of dollars at casinos — sometimes more than $100,000. Men who had been content with once-a-week sex began having sex three and four times a day. Some began to overeat, gaining 50 pounds in just a few months."
"What did all these people have in common — besides their compulsive behavior? They were all taking a type of medicine, called dopamine agonists, to treat Parkinson's disease. Most of these people were taking one specific dopamine agonist: pramipexole (Mirapex)."
That according to a study from the Mayo Clinic in 2005. Parkinson's Drug Can Cause Compulsive Gambling Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that causes trembling, stiffness of the limbs, and impaired balance and coordination. It is the result of a loss of brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine. "People who have Parkinson's are deficient in dopamine. Dopamine agonists are a synthetic version of dopamine that bind to dopamine receptors in the brain. Pramipexole binds to one particular type of dopamine receptor — the dopamine receptor D3 — much more than to other dopamine receptors."
"These D3 receptors are highly concentrated in the area of the brain devoted to mood, behavior and rewards. It's exciting to think that future studies may reveal more about how the D3 portion of the brain may be associated with addictive behavior. Ultimately, such studies could lead the way to development of medications that curb addictive behavior in general." Parkinson Disease Treatments Show Risk for Developing Gambling Problems
Pramipexole is also used to treat restless leg syndrome but apparently the lower doses are not associated with the compulion problems. Back in 2003 another report mentioned the Parkinson's drug. Gambling Risk to Parkinson's Drug
