warning about the side effects of a drug against Parkinson’s

warning about the side effects of a drug against Parkinson’s
warning about the side effects of a drug against Parkinson’s

THE ESSENTIAL

  • Parkinson’s disease drug causes addictive behaviors.
  • Sexual urges, violence or addiction to online games: many patients report serious side effects.
  • Two French patients have decided to take the GSK laboratory, manufacturer of the treatment, to court.

Their treatment turned their lives upside down. Two French patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease are suing the GSK laboratory. Both were taking Requip to relieve the symptoms of their condition. The drug, from the dopamine agonist family, triggered serious addictions to games or sex, as reported by the investigation unit of RadioFrance.

Parkinson’s disease: addictive behaviors linked to the drug Requip

This period of compulsive gambling occurred during the Covid period and as a result, there were no longer any sports competitions put online, tells Stéphane Grange to RadioFrance. All football championships were suspended, except the Belarusian championship. At 5 a.m., in my kitchen, I was betting on Belarusian matches. This is the kind of absurd situation we find ourselves in when we are under the influence of such a compulsion.” This fifty-year-old had never gambled before taking the treatment: in barely two years, he spent more than 40,000 euros on online betting. He also suffered from sexual urges. “I asked my partner to have sex every day, he confides. She took it badly, me too because she pushed me away, and she was right.” Some time later, he dared to speak about these symptoms to his neurologist. “She makes the direct link between Requip, her medication, and these impulse control disorders, underlines RadioFrance. It reduces the doses gradually to limit the withdrawal syndrome and anxiety that may occur when stopping treatment, because the latter should not be stopped suddenly and without medical supervision. Gradually, his obsessions disappear.” Because the treatment instructions mention these symptoms. It indicates that “cases of gambling addiction, compulsive buying and hypersexuality have been reported under dopaminergic treatment, particularly when used in high doses. but without specifying the frequency.

A medical study confirms the side effects of this treatment against Parkinson’s disease

However, according to the numerous testimonies collected by RadioFrance, these symptoms seem common. This echoes a study published in 2018, in Neurology. Jean-Christophe Corvol, professor of neurology at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital and his team presented the results of a large study on this drug. According to their findings, one in two patients develop impulse control disorders within five years of starting treatment with dopamine agonists. “I am not in the place of laboratories but we could at least report the figures from certain studies to properly inform the population”indicates Professor Corvol on public radio.

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Parkinson’s and side effects: legal actions against the GSK laboratory

In February 2024, Stéphane Grange launched legal proceedings against the GSK laboratory. The trial is scheduled to take place next November. At the same time, another patient decided to attack the laboratory because of the side effects of this treatment. Both hope that justice will recognize the laboratory’s responsibility.

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