[olsen]

Parkinson's Disease Itself Does Not Increase Risk of Gambling, Shopping Addiction, Study Finds

"These results provide further evidence that impulse control disorders that occur in people with Parkinson's disease are related to the exposure to the dopamine-related drugs, not just the disease itself," Weintraub said. "More long-term studies are needed to determine if the 20 percent of people who have some symptoms of these disorders are more likely to develop impulse control disorders once they start treatment for Parkinson's."


The study was supported by the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative, a public-private partnership funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and funding partners including Abbott, Biogen Idec., F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., GE Healthcare, Genentech and Pfizer Inc.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0107161355.htm

[ol'cs]

But we all know that very few people remain untreated with anti-PD drugs, because we must attempt to optimize our functional abilities. I think that most of us take the l-dopa route, and / or , a host of other anti parkinson medications that can really mess with ones sanity, inducing behavioural disorders such as OC disorder, and many other things like anxiety, depression, PTSD, because one tends to trade in today for tomorrow. So PD itself doesn't cause the strange behaviours, which the drugs induce. I can believe that, but what the hell are you going to do, at present? These drugs offer most of us at least partial alleviation of the symptoms of PD.

[Conductor71]

Originally Posted by ol'cs

But we all know that very few people remain untreated with anti-PD drugs, because we must attempt to optimize our functional abilities. I think that most of us take the l-dopa route, and / or , a host of other anti parkinson medications that can really mess with ones sanity, inducing behavioural disorders such as OC disorder, and many other things like anxiety, depression, PTSD, because one tends to trade in today for tomorrow. So PD itself doesn't cause the strange behaviours, which the drugs induce. I can believe that, but what the hell are you going to do, at present? These drugs offer most of us at least partial alleviation of the symptoms of PD.

Thank you for this. I find it really offensive that anyone would even hypothesize this let alone fund it. Most studies conclude that the behaviors stop once the agonist is stopped or meds are reduced.

So the blame lies with the already defective patient? Looks like they will never admit that the gold standard treatment comes along with gold standard physical dependence and behavioral issues. If they really wanted to help or advance science they might start that the oral formulation is less than ideal and examine the many ways it affects other systems.

Common sense dictates that with a levodopa dump in the brain there will a lot of dopamine rich sites still intact in our brains that are then overloaded causing behavior and metabolic changes. No one needs an MD to see that as as likely problem.

Laura

[olsen]

I found the information in this article reassuring. During the duration of my husband's hospitalization 2 years ago and for a long time afterward, I and my immediate family believed the bizarre behaviors my husband exhibited were just due to the disease process exacerbated by an infection , and did feel it was due to a "faulty patient". Upon further research, I concluded that a combination of stress from an upper respiratory infection accompanied by drugs was responsible. Specifically, a drug that affects the acetylcholine system adversely impacts my husband, and the antibiotic he was placed on, Levaquin, does affect that system. Without questioning whether the reaction he experienced was the expected "normal" for someone with PD who experiences a severe upper respiratory infection, I never would have discovered the connection between the antibiotic and the behaviors.

[girija]

Thank you Madelyn for posting this new study. I think these types of studies which might seem like rediscovering of a wheel are in fact very much needed.

When I look back at my life with PD, it is clear that I developed OCD while I was on Mirapex. I was a classic case of DA-induced OCD, shopped like crazy, addicted to computer and work. My personality and behavior changed dramatically. I made decisions that were uncharacteristic of me. At that time, I did not even consider that it was drug-induced. My husband and a couple of my friends noticed these changes, but they believed that it was my way of dealing with PD. If there were conclusive studies such as the ones posted here, my friends/family would have intervened, I would have gone off Mirapex and would have spared my family from going through Hell.

The point I am trying to make is studies such as this could save a newly diagnosed patient on Mirapex from going through what I experienced. This is one level of usefulness of this study.

The second benefit I see is a scientific one and might answer a few questions about what happens in PD. Why does Mirapex (DA type drug) induce far more dramatic behavioral changes in certain PWP than Requip (also a DA type drug) would. We do know that it is because of differences in receptors they bind to. Are these receptors altered in PwP due to PD? Is there a pattern among the OCD-prone PwP? Once we understand the subtle differences of how Mirapex/requip work, may be these drugs could be used for better as well as for treating other disorders>!>

The way I see it is, I may not benefit from these studies, but they could make life a little easier for other PwPs.

[NorCalGal]

After being diagnosed with PD, I met my boyfriend a year later. I joked he has turned me into a "smoking, drinking, gambling wontan woman" You telling me now its just the drugs??