Q. Mirapex is a medicine prescribed for Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome (RLS). I read online that this medication can promote compulsive behaviors such as shopping, porn, sex, gambling or eating. Some of these compulsions have resulted in divorce or bankruptcy.
I myself developed a compulsion for buying trinkets on eBay, to the tune of $10,000 on my credit card. I no longer want these things, and evidently no one else does either! Garage-sale prices won’t move them, so they sit in tubs in my garage, a cruel reminder of when I was out of control.
Warn people that if a new compulsion crops up, they should check with the pharmacist or doctor to find out if it could be caused by medication.
A. Most people can’t imagine that a drug could cause someone to go on a shopping binge or engage in behavior such as compulsive eating or sex. Nevertheless, this has been documented as a side effect of medicines such as Mirapex and Requip. The official prescribing information for such drugs notes that patients and their families should be warned about the possibility of intense, uncontrollable urges.
