Parkinson's Disease Patients Not The Only Ones With Addiction Problems with Agonists

We learned two new tidbits of insight about gambling and people that use dopamine agonists.  First, we learned that gambling addictions may appear in people taking dopamine agonists for restless leg syndrome. Just like in Parkinson's disease, it seems to be occuring in a small minority of people with restless leg syndrome.   Second, the Archives of Neurology published some statistics this week that show some of the characteristics and traits of people who are more likely to develop a gambling addiction.  One of the psychological characteristics is called "novelty seeking," which means craving new and thrilling experiences.  

" . . . patients with Parkinson's disease who developed pathological gambling when receiving dopamine agonists had a younger age at Parkinson's disease onset, higher novelty-seeking scores, a personal or immediate family history of alcohol use disorders and impaired planning on an impulsivity scale," the authors write. "A robust association was found with medication-induced mania [a psychiatric disorder involving excessive physical and mental activity and impulsive behavior]."

So we are learning little pieces of this puzzle.  Remember that there are reliable strategies for addressing compulsive behavior, and your neurologist is the place to start.  For most people the relief they can offer will be swift.