Yes! I am sooooo weary of this association. For starters, it does cause problems in some people to varying degrees, but what these "research" studies fail to mention is that the environment has to be wired to make this happen in the first place AND that the drug alters the plasticity of the brain itself, so people on agonists end up with too much dopamine in a key area of the brain. This all factors into the mix, but most studies do not bother to mention these nuances. Further, it pretty much is the agonist, people generally "normalize" off the meds.

Also, take into consideration that there are now increasing studies on patients with Restless Leg Syndrome treated with agonists who are experiencing the same thing, so it is not levodopa; though that would for sure exacerbate the whole thing.

Further, what they don't reveal is that the drug itself can be addictive. Last year, a doctor, actually published that clinically people were experiencing withdrawal symptoms (we knew this for some time already) and have now identified a distinct experience known as DAWS Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome.

I can link to references but a quick search of the archives here should yield most of it for you.

Laura