More than 100 people suffering from Parkinson’s disease have filed a class action lawsuit two Australian drug companies over allegations that their medications caused compulsive gambling and pornography addictions.
The plaintiffs claim that Pfizer Australia’s Cabaser and Aspen Pharmacare’s Permax — both drugs that mimic the effects of dopamine in the brain — led to their risk-taking behaviors, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
A study published last month of more than 3,000 people with Parkinson’s found that around 14% of patients taking such dopamine agonist drug treatments suffer from impulse control disorders such as pathological gambling and binge eating — more than twice the population-wide average.
To hear the story of one woman’s battle between Parkinson’s and slot machines, listen to this precautionary tale from WNYC’s Radiolab. Skip ahead to the seventh minute of the clip below: