Newly Uncovered Documents Show Widely Prescribed Drug Is Linked to ‘Deviant’ Sexual Behavior
A recent report from the BBC reveals that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been aware for over twenty years that dopamine agonist drugs, such as Ropinirole, can lead to unusual sexual urges and other erratic behaviors in patients, yet the company has not provided explicit warnings in drug pamphlets. These drugs, commonly prescribed for movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease, mimic dopamine, a naturally occurring pleasure hormone, but can overstimulate feelings of pleasure while inhibiting a sense of consequences.
Patients have reported various impulsive behaviors associated with the medication, including sexual misconduct and compulsive gambling. For instance,a man with Parkinson’s sexually assaulted a child while under the influence of the drug,while a woman experienced compulsive flashing and risky sexual encounters.Others have developed severe gambling addictions, leading to notable financial losses.
Estimates suggest that between 6% and 17% of patients on dopamine agonists may experience these impulsive behaviors. GSK acknowledges that their pamphlets mention altered sexual proclivities but have been criticized for failing to provide clear warnings about the potential for “deviant” behavior. The increasing use of Ropinirole, with over 780,000 patients in the U.S. as of 2022, raises concerns about awareness and patient safety regarding these side effects.
A type of drug used to treat patients with movement disorders appears to cause unusual sexual urges and other erratic behaviors, while pharmaceutical firm GSK has known about the side effects for over two decades without explicitly warning patients, according to a news report from the United Kingdom.
A Monday report from the BBC revealed that the British news outlet obtained documents from GSK showing the company knew of “deviant” sexual behavior associated with dopamine agonist drugs like Ropinirole.
Yet the company does not make explicit warnings about the behaviors clear on drug pamphlets, according to the BBC, which said they only generally warn about heightened libido and possible harmful behavior.
The drugs work by mimicking dopamine, a pleasure hormone natural to the body, but can run the risk of overstimulating that feeling while downplaying the sense of consequences one experiences.
GSK told the outlet that the pamphlets do mention a risk of “altered” sexual proclivities.
Some patients may therefore witness unusual and impulsive behavior.
One such instance involved a 63-year-old man who was taking dopamine agonist drugs to manage his Parkinson’s disease but sexually assaulted a seven-year-old girl while on the substance.
The BBC referenced cases of women inexplicably drawn to risky sexual behavior or other destructive habits like online shopping and gambling, even though they did not have histories of such behaviors.
One woman, identified only as Claire, was prescribed Ropinirole after she developed restless leg syndrome during her pregnancies.
While the medicine at first helped her manage the condition, she started experiencing sexual urges one year after she began taking the substance.
“The only way I could describe it is it was just deviant,” she told the BBC.
Claire said she would leave her house early in the morning, wearing a see-through top and jacket while flashing men on the street, according to the outlet.
She did that despite having a partner, increasingly venturing into more dangerous areas.
“There remains an element in your head that knows what you’re doing is wrong, but it affects you to the point that you don’t know you’re doing it,” she noted.
Claire realized years later that the Ropinirole was causing the behavior, which stopped “almost immediately” after she ceased taking the substance.
In the case of the man with Parkinson’s who assaulted the young girl, his “libido problem subsequently resolved” after the dosage was decreased.
Another case involved a 45-year-old man who experienced “uncontrolled acts of exhibitionism and indecent behavior.”
A woman named Sue described developing compulsive gambling behavior that caused her to rack up the equivalent of $103,000 in debt.
“The effect on my family was horrific — it was life-changing money to lose,” she said. “But at the time I didn’t know it was no fault of my own.”
Between 6 percent and 17 percent of patients on dopamine agonist drugs experience impulsive behaviors like increased sex drives and desires for gambling, according to the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
There were over 780,000 patients taking Ropinirole in the United States as of 2022, according to ClinCalc.
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