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FDA-Approved Drug Makes You Hypersexual and a Compulsive Gambler

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline has updated the package insert for its restless legs syndrome (RLS) drug Requip. According to the new insert, Requip may cause “pathological gambling” and “increased libido including hypersexuality.”

These side effects are reportedly a class-wide effect, which impact all the drugs belonging to the non-ergoline dopamine agonist class of drugs. Specifically, the insert reads:

“Impulse control symptoms, including compulsive behaviors such as pathological gambling and hypersexuality, have been reported in patients treated with dopaminergic agents.”

Another RLS drug, Mirapex (which is also used to treat Parkinson’s disease), has reported similar symptoms. The Mirapex package insert reads:

“Patients taking certain medicines to treat Parkinson’s disease or RLS, including Mirapex . . . have reported problems with gambling, compulsive eating, and increased sex drive.”

A 2005 study published in the Archives of Neurology also found that dozens of patients using Mirapex or similar drugs developed serious gambling addictions.

Hundreds of people have reportedly contacted lawyers about joining class-action lawsuits that allege Mirapex and Requip caused unusual side effects such as compulsive gambling, shopping, painting and eating. 

BrandWeekNRX.com August 14, 2007

Archives of Neurology July 11, 2005 (Free Full-Text Article)



Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

This is a classic example of the extreme and potent side effects that medications can have on you. Imagine taking a drug and suddenly gambling away your life savings or becoming inexplicably hypersexual. And, to add one more nail to the coffin, imagine suffering these side effects from drugs that are intended to “cure” a disease that’s been popularized because of disease mongering.

In disease mongering, a feeling or symptom that would normally be considered a normal part of life is labeled as a disease that requires a drug to treat it.

Social phobias, pre-hypertension, attention deficit disorder (ADD), high cholesterol and, of course, restless legs syndrome (RLS), are all examples of conditions that may have been subject to this advertising practice.

RLS, for instance, was once an obscure condition. It has gained much attention in the public's eye only after GlaxoSmithKline ran a commercial for their RLS drug Requip. GlaxoSmithKline spent $27 million to advertise Requip for the treatment of RLS in 2005. Perhaps as a result, 2006 sales increased from $97 million to $146 million.

As one reader put it, “This is killing a mosquito with a cannonball.”

In the case of Requip, the sad truth is that most people will NOT read the package insert to become informed about the side effects. A quick perusal of it, though, shows that a gambling addiction and hypersexuality are just the tip of the iceberg. How about this other, little publicized risk (the following is taken directly from Requip’s package insert):

“Patients treated with REQUIP have reported falling asleep while engaged in activities of daily living, including the operation of motor vehicles, which sometimes resulted in accidents… some perceived that they had no warning signs such as excessive drowsiness, and believed that they were alert immediately prior to the event. Some of these events have been reported as late as 1 year after initiation of treatment.”

Clearly, you are always better off turning to natural solutions for most any health problem you face (with one exception being an acute emergency trauma). If you decide to take a drug, the very least thing you should do to protect yourself is to READ the package insert so you know what you’re getting into.

If you follow the Take Control of Your Health Program, restless leg syndrome, and most nearly every other wacky disease that is improperly treated by conventional medicine, will improve if not completely abate without the use of expensive and dangerous medications. 




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Comment on This Article Community Comments (42)
 
 
Posted On Aug 20, 2007
What's scary to me is that Requip is a dopamine agonist. It tinkers with ones very brain chemistry! It is functionally the opposite of sometimes dangerous neuroleptics such as those used to treat schizophrenia (dopamine antagonists). The scary part is that dopamine antagonists cause permanent brain changes; I'm wondering if dopamine agonists do too. Yikes.

This is killing a mosquito with a cannonball.

 
ypsidixit
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 8/2007
ypsidixit  
 
 
 
Posted On Aug 17, 2007
Restless leg syndrome is quite often from a deficiency of the B vitamin Complex, and usually some trace minerals.  So it can definitely be treated with the correct diet for the person's nutritional type.

Mary

 
mmc88121
Moderator User Moderator User, Joined On 11/2006
mmc88121  
Replied

samurai
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 4/2007
samurai  
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

I commented on this commercial a month ago.  Can you believe it??  Another excuse for "see what you made me do".....



kkaaz_203
Novice User Novice User Joined On 9/2007
kkaaz_203  
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

I don't agree that in all cases taking vitamins will solve the issue.  My husband has had restleg syndrom for over 15 years and only medication will help it. I've tried all the "normal" stuff including doses of B including B12 and calcuium, etc. (I've had his hair analyed and no issues) Right now we started him on raw milk but I doubt it will help. What's interesting about the news on Mirapex which he has been on for 4 months is the painting symptom. He has been working daily for up to 10 hours a day on painting his car. Better find a new drug what happens when he finishes painting start gambling?


 
 
 
Posted On Aug 20, 2007
I read a "Folk Remedy" book a few years ago that said restless leg syndrome was caused by caffeine. Since I suffered from this annoying problem, I cut out the caffeine. No more RLS.  Then I read an article about it, and the only solutions offered were drugs. I wrote the author of the article and asked her why she didn't tell people that caffeine caused it. She wrote me back and said she knew about the caffeine connection, but that some people would just rather take drugs. Just another fifth columnist from the Culture of Deception.

 
Gracie G
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 2/2007
Gracie G  
Replied

craynewhope
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 3/2007
craynewhope  
 
Posted On Sep 05, 2007

The only caffeine my wife has had in the last three weeks was a small 3/4 times 1 inch piece of dark chocolate no soft drinks no coffie no tea. Yet last evening like most nights RLS kept her awake most of the night. We shy away from nearly all pharm drugs but still take a few I am 71 she 68 still very active. She takes the b vits what else will help. RLS is not a simple thing to those who have it. Shame on those who think it is. Being kept awake is not a small thing at all in my book and that every night. We follow the mostly veg diet. So don't try the too much meat angle. We take so many supplements we are supplement poor. We are directed by an close associate of Dr Mercola so do not assume the supplements are doing it.  While her knee joints need replacing now (loads of Glucosimine condroitin for years)  she still goes for walks and is active all day besides that. So where do we go from here? to a shrink?


 
 
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

Having had RLS in the past on a regular basis and knowing how the tensing of muscles feels before they release, Ifound taking magnesium and calcium tablets puts an end to it very quickly and then sleep occurs very soon after.  Also, having trouble getting to sleep?  Take a calcium and magnesium tablet, this takes care of the problem too.


 
Alan845
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 5/2007
Alan845  
Replied

craynewhope
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 3/2007
craynewhope  
 
Posted On Sep 05, 2007

Again no help. My wife takes 750 units twice a day of Cal Mag by Dynamic,for over a year now, this has not helped what next.


 
 
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

Restless legs in a REAL CONDITION! It's not made up and just because you don't have doesn't mean it didn't exist before you learned about it. If you don't have it, don't compare it to anything that you think it's like. If you don't have it, you don't know what it is; and to me the pontificating looks like an expression of ignorance in a place where compassion should be..... This is true no matter what credentials one claims to have.

I have SEVERE restless legs and took Requip. I had none of the mentioned serious side effects, however, the medication became less effective over time and I needed to take more and more of it. One of the things I didn't like about the Requip was that it often left me with a hung over feeling the next day. I should mention that I tried all the different holistic treatments; maybe for some people they work, but not for me.

After years of investigation my understanding of restless legs is this: it is caused by a mild form of sleep apnea. The restless is almost like a suffocation response. Drugs like Requip DO NOT help because they simply dull the symptoms so you can fall asleep. Caffeine doesn't cause the restless legs, it only seems to make the nervous system more sensitive to the symptoms. (In a similar way that an itch seems more intense if you're hopped up on caffeine.)

I would like to close by repeating just how horrible the symptoms can be. Please, avoid saying that it isn't real or in the imagination... or that it is the drug companies manufacturing a disease. IT'S REAL and it's horrible. I have had many nights of walking around till 3 am. Sometimes I walked around till the sun came up the next day, all the while I was wanting to just lay down and fall asleep.


 
Dog
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 9/2007
Dog  
Replied

etbsndc
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 8/2006
etbsndc  
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

Dog:  You have my sympathy.  Sleep deprivation can be devastating for sure.  If you think about it though, your comments about Requip still support the general fact that drugs are NOT the answer.  The drugs did nothing to help your body normalize--they do what they always do:  hide the problem while the real reason for the difficulty remains, festering and worsening.  (Probably in the most minute number of cases, some drug could prove helpful in the very short-term, perhaps to buy a person time while REALLY addressing the cause.)  If you think about it, your body was doing what it could to get you breathing again.  It sounds as though you are past all that; glad to hear it.



Philup
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
Philup  
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

Dog is right. If the ignorant people on this board had RLS they would be embarrassed at having made their comments. Having said that, drugs are not the answer. Nutritional deficiencies such as low magnesium can contribute somewhat. But the real cause is the same cause for other problems such as insomnia, sleep apnea and migraines etc. - STORED STRESS. EFT can help but some cases will require more work with things like biofeedback. See www.askwaltstollmd.com for more discussion and answers.



FirstChild
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
FirstChild  
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

I am most interested in where you found information about RLS being related to sleep apnea.  I mentioned my father with Parkinsons being put on Requip and unable to tolerate it because of the hallucinations he suffered from it.  He also has sleep apnea, which I feel is the crux of it all.  First came the blood pressure meds, then the years of disturbed sleep, then later the sleep apnea, now Parkinsons.  I have always felt the BP meds started this whole ball rolling because they probably depleted his electrolytes and interfered with his sleep.  Of course that's just a guess based on his history.   Could you tell me where I might find some research information linking the sleep apnea to the RLS?  



Philup
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
Philup  
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

I haven't heard any information saying the two are directly related. I know people who have them separately without the other. The stored stress manifests itself in different ways in different people (RLS, sleep apnea, digestive problems, etc.) It could coincidentally cause more than one "syndrome" in the same person. I encourage you to visit Dr. Stoll's site I listed and post questions, he really specializes in this area.



JeanS
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 7/2006
JeanS  
 
Posted On Sep 04, 2007

Dog,

What is your exercise routine?  Your condition does sound frustrating.  I for many years felt I had restless legs during the day and especially at night.  I found that once I began a rigorous exercise routine (it has to be intense) it went away.  I practice a 90 minute power yoga routine in a hot room.  All restlessness in my body purges with this exercise. I practiced 4 times per week to start.  Now, I need less to maintain body health. If I stop completely, I feel my muscles begin to get restless again, particularly large muscles like thighs.  I don't see many postings on exercise as a cure/treatment.  I assume you too have not tried this approach.  Worth a try.


 
 
 
 
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