Apparently over 20 people have developed this costly "side effect".

The drugs act on the dopamine receptor. Dopamine is one of several neurotransmitters.

The drug targets dopamine receptors in a brain region associated with emotions that include pleasure and reward-seeking behavior.

This info. comes from Mayo's and Chicago's Rush Hospitals.

I heard the same thing on the way to work this morning, and I smiled.

I was treated for Parkinson's Disease with Mirapex in 1999-2001. I was a unique patient because I was so young and Mirapex was best thought to be used by young, early patients. It was a very new drug. My neurologist did keep asking me if I was experiencing **any** compulsive behavior. The behavior was being reported then. I did not have any gambling issues.

I don't find this odd since MIrapex is a dopamine agonist. It is simply the old pleasure/reward system. NIcotine drives it, cocaine drives it, and gambling drives it. Agonists affect each of us differently depending on our neurochemistry. The behavior wasn't reported as being widespread, just a "lucky" few. (pardon the gambling pun).

I am so grateful to have left the Parkinson's world behind, and to be reminded of it.

Keep on, keepin' on

My dad in law has had early onset Parkinson's since he was 46. He's had it 20 years!

His is not a "normal" course for the disease which makes me wonder if maybe he has a pathogen that caused the substantia nigra to quit producing the cells needed??

Maybe the bugs have sequestered in his brain in just that location?

On odd thing i once heard w/rt to parkinson's disease and schizohphrenia, had to do with one or more meds. for these diseases.

It was this:

First,Parkinson's patients who took parkinson's meds.(?) manifested slightly(?)signs and/or symptoms either of a schizoid character structure, or schizophrenia, although the instructor did not state what KIND of schizophrenia, and he did not mention the word "schizoid"; there are several, if not more of the schizophrenias.

Secondly, he said something along the lines that schizophrenics taking parkinson's meds exhibited one or more sign(s) and symptom(s) of parkinson's disease.

This brings to mind a former White House, high level governmental official who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and that official's physical countenance and emotional life(affect)in response to decisions made that resulted in the apparently needless deaths of many, including swat team members, upon a raid, involving a lot of law enforcement, including tanks.

When appearing and speaking in the media
two things jumped out at me were, first, umkempt hair,the way the clothes fitted loosely about the official's body, together giving a gestalt of 'personal neglect.'

Secondly and the thing by which i was actually alarmed, was the apparent FLATNESS of emotion that was inconsistent with the speech about the carnage the official's orders resulted in-- neither enthusiastic,sad, or upset about anything, just plain flat. To me the flatness didn't even reach the level of "neutral," or even impartiality. Fatigue,due to lack of sleep,I did note,but...given the horrid results of the invasion, i'd think otherwise, given the inferno in which many persished.

My point is that the apparent lack of affect,and neglect of person may have been manifestations of the effects of the meds. that the official had to be on; maybe even resulting in the official receiving the new last name of 'sterno.'