Share

Parkinsons drug super-sexes

accreditation

About one in five patients taking a therapeutic dose of a dopamine agonist, a class of drugs used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, may develop compulsive gambling or hyper sexuality, according to a study of patients treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

By contrast, these behaviours were not seen in untreated patients, those taking less than a therapeutic dose of a dopamine agonist, or patients receiving treatment with carbidopa/levodopa alone.

"Physicians who care for patients taking these drugs should recognise the potential of the drugs to induce pathologic syndromes that sometimes masquerade as primary psychiatric disease," Dr J. Michael Bostwick and co-authors caution in the current issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Their study was designed to more accurately determine the prevalence of this treatment complication than previous studies have by limiting their study patients to the seven counties surrounding their clinic. Included were 267 patients treated between 2004 and 2006.

What the study found
Sixty-six were taking a dopamine agonist, but only 38 were using doses in the therapeutic range (pramipexole two milligrams per day or more, or ropinirole six milligrams per day or more); 178 were taking carbidopa/levodopa without a dopamine agonist, and 23 were untreated.

Six men and one woman, ages 46 to 80, developed a compulsive syndrome, in some cases as early as one month after reaching the maintenance dose of the dopamine agonist.

Five started pathologic gambling and five became hypersexual (both disorders developed in three of the patients). Other compulsive behaviours were noted as well.

The behaviours, which often went unabated for years, resolved after dose reduction or treatment discontinuation. Two patients received extended psychiatric care before the link to their Parkinson's disease treatment was noted.

Problems could affect life
The only patients in the group to develop these syndromes were the ones taking therapeutic dopamine agonist doses, showing an occurrence rate in this group of 18.4%. Bostwick and associates suggest that this is still likely to be an underestimate because these problems may often not be reported or recognised.

"The problems can be life-changing events, with gambling depleting family finances or hyper sexuality threatening marriage and reputation," the authors emphasise.

"Physicians treating Parkinson's disease with dopamine agonists should obviously warn the patients, spouses, and families of such risks because they may not recognise the relationship to the drug until disastrous consequences have occurred." 

Read more:
Sex, gambling, Parkinson's link

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE