BBC Report Highlights Links Between Depression Drugs and Gambling Addiction

The fast-paced world of today has resulted in rapid developments, with humans sometimes finding themselves unable to keep up. As a result, many have been experiencing mental health issues, varying from minor ones to more serious ones. While there is medicine available, studies show that some of it could have serious side effects, including excessive gambling.

In the latest episode of its The Global Story series, BBC explored the matter.

Dopamine Agonists Could Have Serious Side Effects

The drugs in question are called dopamine agonists. As their name suggests, these drugs mimic dopamine, effectively activating dopamine receptors in the brain.

Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge, who has been investigating the unwanted side effects of dopamine agonists, said that one of the first cases he became familiar with was that of a French man who was suing a pharmaceutical company after it didn’t warn him about the risks associated with the dopamine agonists he had been prescribed.

Titheradge said that the drugs the man was taking caused him to develop hypersexuality, which ruined his relationship. To top it all off, the man also developed a compulsive gambling behavior and lost huge sums of money.

This case sparked Titheradge’s interest in the matter, causing him to investigate it further. He learned that dopamine agonists are a family of drugs and that they are being developed by multiple companies. The primary use is relieving Parkinson’s symptoms, but dopamine agonists could also be prescribed to people experiencing depression.

Over the course of his study, Titheradge has been in contact with some 350 people who’ve experienced side effects after taking such drugs. Many of them started to experience hypersexuality and/or compulsive gambling urges that led them to lose huge sums of money.

One of the most common things everyone said, however, was that they were not warned of these potential side effects.

Massachusetts Woman’s Life Changed Entirely Due to the Drugs

Titheradge referred to the story of a 52-year-old Massachusetts woman by the name of Sharlene, who started taking dopamine agonists in 2016 due to her recurring depression. During the first few months of taking these drugs, Sharlene didn’t feel any side effects, which Titheradge said was common.

However, several months later, Sharlene developed what she called an “insatiable sexual urge” and started seeking out men wherever she went. In addition to that, she started to drive more aggressively and spend unreasonable sums of money on shopping. Once the money ran out, she started shoplifting, which eventually caused her to recognize that something was wrong with her and contact her psychiatrist.

Luckily, Sharlene stopped taking the drug, but the things she did while under its influence continued to haunt her.

Many Believe That the Warnings Should Be Communicated More Clearly

Titheradge explained that the side effects manifest as broad self-destructive behavior, such as excessive spending or gambling.

Titheradge noted that the reason there isn’t enough awareness about the risks of such prescription drugs is that dopamine agonists were once seen as a miracle drug for Parkinson’s, since they didn’t have the side effects of other medications. At the time, such drugs weren’t sufficiently studied.

In the early 2000s, however, researchers became aware that roughly 1 in 6 people taking dopamine agonists experienced side effects. Other academics claimed that a staggering 1 in 3 people were affected.

Titheradge explained that Parkinson’s sufferers still find such drugs life-changing, which is why they are still on the market. He said that warnings eventually appeared in the drug leaflets. Unfortunately, many of the people who experienced side effects believe that they were not sufficiently warned about the extent to which they could be affected. Some said that the warnings’ wording was unclear, while others noted that their doctors had brushed off the side effects.

As a result, there were a few clinical negligence lawsuits. However, pharmaceutical companies continue to insist that the warnings clearly state the risks. Although one academic said that dopamine agonists should have black box warnings, like cigarettes, the proposal has been rejected in the US.