The BBC investigation found that side effects of a family of drugs used to treat Parkinson's, Restless Legs Syndrome, and other conditions have led to huge debts, broken marriages, criminality, and suicide. More than 350 affected people contacted the BBC during the year-long probe. According to one study cited as the largest of its kind, one in six Parkinson's patients taking the drugs are affected by impulse control disorders.
However, side effects are described as 'uncommon' in leaflets for one of the drugs, suggesting they only affect fewer than one in a hundred patients. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has begun reviewing warnings for all eight of these medications, known as dopamine agonist drugs. A UK health watchdog is investigating warnings that drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease can cause side effects such as gambling and sex addictions.
The MHRA said it would examine if more steps are needed to ensure patients have enough information when prescribed the drug, used to treat Parkinson's disease. Boehringer Ingelheim, the developer of Pramipexole, said the regulator had approved its leaflets and that it was committed to improving patient safety. Neither Boehringer Ingelheim nor the MHRA were able to say how long the error had existed for, but the BBC has discovered its inclusion in a leaflet from 2021, meaning patients have been misled for at least five years.
Dopamine agonists are also used to treat Restless Leg Syndrome and have been linked to the sex and gambling side effects.