I saw that there are three lawsuits alleging that Mirapex causes compulsive gambling in some people:
Joe Neglia was a retired government intelligence worker with Parkinson’s disease when he suddenly developed what he calls a gambling habit from hell. . .After losing thousands of dollars playing slot machines . . . Neglia stumbled across an Internet report linking a popular Parkinson’s drug he used with compulsive gambling. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, this must be it,”’ he said. Three days after stopping the drug, Mirapex, “all desire to gamble just went away completely. I felt like I had my brain back.” — from Associated Press, July 12, 2005.
Do “dopamine agonists” — a class of drug used to stimulate dopamine receptors and treat Parkinson’s disease — also stimulate compulsive gambling? That’s the crux of three lawsuits, filed in Minnesota federal court against Boehringer Ingelheim, the maker of Mirapex.
Source: Law Blog - WSJ.com : Claim: Parkinson's Drug Causes Gambling Addiction. Discuss.
Allow me to save you the trouble of reading the inevitable stories about these lawsuits that will be written by the "reform" movement. Here they are, condensed for your convenience:
Blah blah, personal responsibility. Junk science, blah blah, Trial Lawyers, Inc. Grumble, trial bar, loser pays. Blah blah, Benedictin, blah, useful drug. Mel Weiss, grumble, extortionate settlement, blah. Tort tax, loud noises, FDA approval, blah, preemption.
Fortunately you have never taken Mirapex or have been closely associated with anyone that has. I don't know Joe Neglia and cannot speak to his condition. I too was prescribed Mirapex. Mine for restless leg syndrome. Whether you believe it has adverse effects on an individual is or is not important to you. However I was on Mirapex for about 10 years and my life turned into a living hell. I don't care what you believe or how much you minimize it's effect on a person. I can assure you the drug creates a situation in one's brain that the individual cannot rationalize. You know you're your doing wrong but the effects of the medication circumvents your rational thinking process. Until you've experienced it you can't possibly understand it. It's impossible to explain the feeling of hopelessness or despair that this drug causes.I too have ceased taking the medication and the desire to gamble was gone in about 6 weeks. Prior to the gambling compulsion I developed I never gambled a single time in my life. I can assure you, the drug, in some cases, produces exactly the same condition as described.
Posted by: Bruce Moore | April 23, 2009 at 08:51 AM