Parkinson’s drugs may cause impulse control disorders

Written by Natalie Morton, Future Science Group

According to recent research, dopamine agonists and prodrugs taken to treat Parkinson’s disease may cause impulse control disorders in over half the patients they are prescribed to. Parkinson’s disease is often treated by drugs such as levodopa – a dopamine prodrug – or by dopamine agonists. Several of these treatments may cause impulse control disorders, such as gambling, sexual behaviors, or compulsive eating or shopping. Researchers at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, have demonstrated that over half of the patients taking dopamine agonists for Parkinson’s may be experiencing impulse control disorders as a side effect. In this study, published...

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