Chicago, ILMirapex, a medication widely prescribed for Parkinson's, has become associated with compulsive gambling, a behavior that was was once described variously as a vice, a temptation, a human failing. But we now have a pretty good idea that certain meds can drive you to it, too.
Take the story of Betty, who recently wrote into a debt blog with this heart-wrenching story:
"I get $729 a month from [Social Security]. That is my only income. I have never been so undisciplined in my life as the last 7 years with each year getting worse. I am on mirapex (sic) for my Parkinsons and even though I know shopping, and gambling are 2 of the many problems associated with this drug I still convince myself its OK for me to do it because somebody wins and another dollar or more is needed to win or buy something."
Betty explains that thanks to Mirapex and compulsive gambling, she was at the time of writing $31,000 in debt to credit cards and a personal loan. Betty wondered aloud who might lend her $25,000 dollars unsecured.
"Capital one did… I told my husband of my problem and he cried."
Betty is 68 and her husband is 82. Both are well beyond their peak earning years, and while Betty does not disclose her husband's financial status, his reaction to Betty's admission speaks volumes about the reality of Mirapex side effects in this case.
"Do we have to get a divorce if I file bankruptcy?" she asks. "Or how can I make sure they can't take our house without a divorce? My medical bills average out to $300 a month."
The Mirapex compulsive behavior victim indicated that she also ran up a balance of $8,700 on another credit card.
Mirapex, a dopamine agonist, was approved in 1997 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's. Among the various side effects linked to Mirapex is compulsive behavior. In similar fashion to the restless leg syndrome (RLS) Mirapex is designed to treat, the mind appears to descend into an uncontrollable restlessness that can only be satiated by behaviors like gambling and shopping. Some patients have been reduced to more serious and socially vilified behaviors such as compulsive sexual behavior.
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