Paula,

Most neuro's use to think the same thing, that somehow obsessive behaviour was a prior problem. My credibility came into question making it harder to get the help I desperately needed. .

I had never experienced hallucinations and delusions even in the 60's trying the odd recreational drug. I thought birds were flying into my roof and the outside door was opening and closing. I had never peed in a bowl in my bedroom because I couldn't walk. I had never froze for hours at a time wondering why I was still sane and why I was not in a hospital. I had never lost 25 pounds in three weeks. My own GP doctor did not recognize me. It sure helped my case getting disability benefits. My own children thought I was dying.

The fact that I did a 48 hour stint on E-bay, a website I had never visited before and started bidding for the oddest things was unusual for me. I now own English riding boots.......was that for the horse I was going to buy down the road? I bought a leather fringe jacket and a fringe vest along with a full length fringe wool skirt....Annie Oakley here I come! Seven vintage night gowns, one was so vintage the thing ripped when I put it on (cotton can go rotten), nine sets of high thread count cotton sheets (thank god I managed to cancel 2 sets).........and I could go on. It was not just E-bay, I bought from Sears, Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, bookstores, drugstores and from many other on-line websites. It was fun going to my mailbox every day.

Mirapex chemically messed with my brain and once I stopped taking it the on-line buying stopped immediately. I couldn't even look at a flier without feeling sick to my stomach, now I am simply dis-interested.

I left my former, David, because I was too sick to be in a relationship. Hard choice but I intrinsically knew that I needed to figure out what was going on and try and get better. David, who is still a dear friend came to visit me while this was going on and found me asleep at my kitchen table with my face in a bowl of ice cream. When he woke me I did not know where I was or what was going on (he cried when he left). I managed to stumble off to bed only to find myself later that night in my bathroom in complete darkness, coming too, knowing that I had a fall. That is all I remember but I must have hit my kidneys because I had serious blood in my urine for one week and lessor for the next two weeks.

I have babbled on enough but it is important to me that people understand that drugs affect everyone differently and it was a known fact that Mirapex caused problems in a certain percent of people. I kept telling my neuro and his health team what was going on. I was told I could lower my dose from 9 Mirapex a day to 8. I am sure being involved with a Clinical Drug Trial had something to do with that decision. He also said maybe you are getting worse. An under statement not lost on me.

Bonnie

Sorry for the snip but couldn't resist this one. Maybe they're on mirapex. hehehehe!

Seriously though, this drug did a number on me. Being relatively healthy all my life, I never for one minute thought that my irresponsible behaviour was connected with the drug. Bellyaches and headaches were the extent of any drug induced side effects that I ever had experience with. Imagine my surprise in 2003 when the Stacey report came out. Imagine my further surprise when my gambling obsession disappeared after stopping the drug.

Should the drug company pay for my 2 years in hell and the next 5 of suffering dealing with the repercussions of having taken the devil drug.......Hell Yeah!!!!!!!!

I'm not a non-entity and deserve the life I would have had if not for Mirapex. My suffering is as real as anyone else's, including the lawyers, CEO and shareholders of the drug companies.

Just because i think that the drug companies should not be responsible for an individual's self destructive behavior, that i've never been under the spell of mirapex, I complained years ago when we were actively discussing this on this forum. Mirapex turned me into a zombie, but instead of blaming all of my problems on Mirapex, i just STOPPED TAKING IT. What about free will? What about restraint? It's that old excuse "the devil made me do it".
Sorry, but if you take a drug that shows obvious bad side effects, there is nobody putting you in a headlock to take the damned poison. And if you can't control your behavior, then why should you be given millions of dollars for living beyond your means?
Sorry, but gambling and other compulsions is a personality disorder. Millions of people have ****** away their future and expect others to give them more to support their obsessions. Our society is the most litigious on earth. There are reasons why doctors and lawyers are the real bandits here. Sure, just ignore the doctors warnings and if you need more money, just blame a drug company for all your ills and sue them.
Big bad drug companies. Come on. Everybody is responsible for their own behavior.

Geez Bonnie, it's amazing how we all dealt with things while on this brain drug. When I was on MIrapex, I liked it, felt better and it kept me from going on Sinemet for several years. I did go on the computer at about the same time that I went on mirapex.

This led to traveling with money I didn't have and meeting many pwp -and I still haven't stopped. It was completely out of character for me as a married teacher, cheerleader mom, et al...Was Mirapex involved? It's too difficult to sort out. I was dealt a hand that changed me forever by meeting mjf online and having the delightful experience of "coming out of the closet" and talking about it to him many nights online, as he had just come out too. Please don't view this as boasting or I won't be able to relate anything about it in context with our topics; it's very important in trying to figure things out because it was a majorly POSITIVE EXPERIENCE that has enabled me to cope and stay well. I didn't miss a beat when I retired, instead went on to something I liked better.

Mirapex had also just come out - brand new. 1998. I didn't notice mental changes from going off mirapex. So did the positive emotions, the giggling, belly laughing, wit, surpises and friendship with MJF and gang override anything that mirapex could have done? I was lucky - the need for something to fill a need or compulsion that may have arisen from MIrapex came to me in another form by pure chance....

But my family didn't survive as an unit and we are still trying to work out relationships.

So when I read about 8.2 million being granted. it's not that i don't believe you...I do...and because i am now so advanced, my compassion for my fellow pwp grows daily. I've seen friends get into catastrophic situations with gambling and shopping.

Its natural for a company to fight for itself. I would like to know what medical researchers who are supposed to be curing us are really doing to help us. Putting mirapex out of business back then would have cost me six years before taking sinemet. That means by now I would quite possibly have had to have a DBS, as it is unlikely that sinemet is going to do it for six more years for me. But one never knows.

Going after those who have harmed us will keep us angry and alive awhile and it must be done. I just hope the awards are not so unreasonable as to cause public opinion to go against the patients who were the victims, or to keep other meds from being developed.

Bonnie - you went thru hell - and i'm sorry that it happened.
paula

The point is, I DID NOT realize it was the drug. I DID stop it as soon as I found out there was a connection between the drug and the behaviour. The behaviour happened slowly with titration. I was on Mirapex for 3 years, 2 of which were hellish. I'm sure there are many out there, just like me.

A british billionaire recently remarked "if you say "good morning" at 5 minutes after noon in the US, you will be sued".
ON the other hand, we have a tort system that allows the "Little guy" to extract justice from the riich and elite.
I have a hard time believing that the makers of Mirapex did not have a clue about this behavior even when it was in trials. After all isn't that what trials are for?? I bet you the cost of litigation was measured against the possible profits. AFter all, these folks are in the business to make money and they are not dummies.
I think punitive damages are out of control. The law should reimburse you for monies lost and a percentage for pain and suffering beyond that. It should not however, be viewed as "winning the lottery". Thats my .02 cents worth.

Charlie

Charlie

1- The companies knew and deliberately made a decision to keep quiet.
2- The patients, as some here have noted, did not know until it was too late if at all.
3- Compensatory damages should reflect the damage. Punitive damages, however, are to make sure it doesn't happen again. A thousand dollar fine gets my attention. It takes far more to do the same with these behemoths. These companies have more money than most countries. And the only way to get the stockholders (the owners) to demand responsible behavior from their employees (managers) is to cause them financial pain. Punitive means punishment. Not a slap on the wrist, but a "I'll not do that again" response.

Well, I think the question of free will is a good one. I personally hang on to the notion that my brain isn't completely addled, no matter what meds I've been on....BUT ol' cs, it isn't always that easy to just 'quit' mirapex. I was hospitalized in the emergency room the first time I tried to switch over to another med. Finally now after months of panick attacks and scarey episodes, I think I am finally clear of it but it took all my courage and will, and resources that I know others don't have.

Sure, some money to compensate for whatever would be nice but mainly I would like to see these companies be held accountable.

Got more to say - Bonnie, you are a laff riot - you should see my collection of wire, er....things. Oh, and the yarn.... but horrified that you had to go thru that....lindylanka - so nice to hear from you and thank you for your moving contribution to the conversation today. I have been thinking of your words all day...

ol'cs,

I DID QUIT TAKING IT as soon as I realized it was definitely the Mirapex causing all the problems, and I DID IT IN NINE DAYS. That is the emergency plan set out by the Mayo Clinic, cut a third every three days.

As far as expecting restitution for all my loses, I am not suing or joining a class action suit because my dear, I just don't have the strength or will. So I will suck it up as they say. For those who demand to be compensated for their lives being destroyed I say thanks from me. What I contribute is by being verbal, as I'm sure you are noticing.

Bonnie

Paula,

Thanks for recognizing the difference, that for some it was and is a good drug and has helped them have a better life: whereas for others it had the opposite affect. I respect your opinion and am interested in both sides. Thanks for your compassion.

Bonnie