07.12.2005 @03:01 PM
Contributed by Simon
Edited by Simon
Habitual, compulsive gambling with losses up to $200,000 in six months appears to be a side effect of Parkinson's drugs called dopamine agonists.
According to the Mayo Clinic's J. Eric Ahlskog and M. Leann Dodd, who spearheaded the analysis, the excessive gambling behavior only occurs in a small number of patients given the drugs and can be stopped as suddenly as it started.
"It's a very rare side effect and reversible if you get off the drug, but you have to make the association," says Ahlskog, who calls it "a striking effect."
The gambling habits of eleven Parkinson's patients treated at the Mayo Clinic were discovered during routine clinic visits. Four had never gambled before starting dopamine agonist treatment.
"Most of the time, the patient came in for a routine exam and would sheepishly admit 'I've been gambling too much,' or family members would mention that their loved one had been gambling excessively, that this behavior was totally out of character for them, and that the gambling was causing problems in their lives," says Dodd.
The dopamine agonist drugs associated with pathological gambling appear to be those that target the D3 dopamine receptors, says Dodd. Located in the limbic system of the brain, these control the emotions and affect people's internal "reward system."
When this area of the brain is overstimulated, it can lead to more impulsive behaviors and produce a feeling of pleasure from even a previously undesirable activity, such as compulsive gambling or alcohol consumption.
gimme a break! :mj07: 
