Parkinson's Medication Linked to Gambling - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

7/12/05

Parkinson's Medication Linked to Gambling

Some Parkinson's patients have developed an unexpected side effect from their medication... compulsive gambling.

A study at the Mayo Clinic finds a small percentage of Parkinson's patients who say they had never gambled before developed excessive gambling behaviors while taking a medication called "dopamine agonists." They say some patients had never gambled before, but reported losing thousands of dollars after starting the medication.

The good news: stopping the drug stopped the behavior. Doctors say patients should be aware of this potential side effect and to let their neurologist know if they have experienced sudden behavior changes.

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