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Suffered From Levodopa Side Effects?

Levodopa is used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease including tremors (shaking), stiffness, and slowness of movement. Levodopa is also prescribed to treat herpes zoster (shingles) and restless leg syndrome. Mirapex, Permax and Requip, widely prescribed dopamine agonists in the same class as Levodopa, have been associated with gambling addiction and compulsive behaviors. Levodopa works by prompting the brain to naturally create dopamine. Levodopa is sold in the United States under the brand names Dopar and Larodopa. Although Levodopa prescribed by itself is not linked to gambling, an estimated 30 percent of Parkinson's patients are still prescribed dopamine agonists like Mirapex.

Parkinson's Drugs Study Results
  1. Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Calgary Report
    The average gambling losses of the patients involved was $112,000, stated Oksana Suchowersky, head of the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Suchowersky said 12 of 195 of her patients - only those on combination therapy - developed the pathological behavior.
  2. Toronto Western Hospital & Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke, National Institutes of Health Report
    An additional study, also by a Canadian doctor, found similar results.  Valerie Voon, a consultant at the Toronto Western Hospital and a researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, discovered pathological gambling in 10 of 297 patients.  She also identified five patients who developed hypersexuality and two others who became compulsive shoppers.  Based upon the study results, researchers estimated that between 6% to 16% of Parkinson's patients who are on combination therapy  (Levodopa plus another drug) develop gambling addictions.
If you or a loved one took Levodopa and suffered side effects, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified drug side effects attorney.
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From Blessing to Curse?

May 23, 2006 | Los Angeles Times
Faced with steady deterioration from Parkinson's disease, Jim Sweet leapt at the chance to try a new drug that promised to relieve the tremors brought on by the death of cells deep in his brain. Like older Parkinson's medicines, Mirapex could bolster the fading supply of a critical brain chemical called dopamine. It was a blessing for Sweet until something unusual started happening. First, he started buying things in EBay auctions: a camera, a leather reclining chair, a big-screen TV,...

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