TWENTY women have come forward to reveal how common medicines led to dangerous and impulsive sexual behaviours.
They say they were never warned about the devastating side effects of dopamine agonist drugs, taken by potentially hundreds of thousands of Brits.
Some women told the BBC they were compelled to engage in risky sexual behaviour, like flashing in public, and had no idea what was driving it.
Others claim they felt compelled to gamble or shop with no history of such activities.
One accumulated debts of more than £150,000.
These drugs are primarily used to treat Parkinson’s disease, which around 145,000 people in the UK.
They’re also used to treat restless leg syndrome (RLS), which affects up to three million Brits.
Not everyone with Parkinson’s or RLS takes dopamine agonist drugs, but they are a common treatment option for many people.
A report by drugs firm GSK confirms a link between these medications and “deviant” sexual behaviour, including incidents like a sexual assault on a child.
Yet, there was no mention of this in the patient leaflets.
The UK medicines watchdog says there’s a general warning about increased libido and harmful behaviour.
GSK says a risk of “altered” sexual interest is also referred to in the leaflets.
What is restless leg syndrome?
RESTLESS Legs Syndrome (RLS), also called Willis-Ekbom disease, is a condition that causes an irresistible urge to move your legs.
It often comes with a crawling or creeping sensation in your feet, calves, and thighs, usually worse in the evening or at night.
Some people also feel it in their arms.
Around 2 to 3 million people in the UK are affected by RLS.
While the exact cause isn’t always clear, it’s believed that low dopamine levels play a key role.
In some cases, RLS is linked to conditions like iron deficiency, kidney disease, or pregnancy.
The symptoms can vary from mild to severe, with severe cases causing significant distress and sleep disruptions.
Treatment for RLS may include lifestyle changes, such as improving sleep habits and regular exercise, as well as iron supplements if iron deficiency is a factor.
In more severe cases, medication may be prescribed to help regulate dopamine levels and relieve symptoms.
Source: NHS CHOICES
Like many women, Claire first developed RLS during her pregnancies.
The relentless need to move was often accompanied by sleeplessness and a crawling sensation under her skin.
The condition persisted after giving birth and she was prescribed the dopamine agonist drug Ropinirole, manufactured by GSK.
It initially worked wonders for her RLS, she said, but after a year or so she began feeling unprecedented sexual urges.
“The only way I could describe it is it was just deviant”, she explained.
She said the medication made her act in ways she never would have before, even engaging in risky sexual encounters in dangerous places.
Claire recalls leaving her house at dawn to seek out sex, wearing a see-through top and jacket.
She says she would flash her chest at any man she could find.
She did this often, in riskier spots, even though she had a partner.
Claire had no idea the drug was to blame until years later – when she stopped taking it and the urges disappeared.
Organising phone sex with strangers
Sarah was in her 50s when she was prescribed another dopamine agonist drug made by a different manufacturer.
“Previously I’d have had no interest if Brad Pitt walked in the room naked,” she said.
“But it turned me into this raging woman who kept taking sexual addiction further.”
Sarah started selling used underwear and explicit videos online, while also organising phone sex with strangers.
She also developed a compulsive shopping habit, accumulating £30,000 in debt.
To cope with the effects of the dopamine agonist, she turned to painkillers and sleeping pills and eventually landed in rehab.
This led to losing her driving license and her job.
What is Parkinson's disease?
PARKINSON'S is a progressive neurological condition.
It causes symptoms like tremors (shaking), slow movements, and muscle stiffness.
It can also lead to problems with balance, memory, sleep, and mood, such as depression and anxiety.
People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine in their brain because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working.
Around 145,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK.
It’s the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.
Symptoms start to appear when the brain can’t make enough dopamine to control movement properly.
This usually happens around the age of 50, but some people might see the first signs in their 40s.
There are over 40 symptoms, but the three main ones are:
- A tremor (shaking)
- Slowness of movement
- Rigidity (muscle stiffness)
There are several different treatments, therapies and support available to help manage the condition.
Dopamine agonists are a common treatment option.
Source: Parkinson’s UK
Impulsive behaviours, such as gambling and heightened sex drive, have long been listed as side effects of dopamine agonist drugs.
These affect an estimated six per cent to 17 per cent of RLS patients, according to NICE.
The NHS defines a “common” side effect as one that impacts just one per cent of users.
The drugs mimic dopamine, a brain chemical that helps control movement and pleasure.
But agonist drugs can over-stimulate these feelings and under-stimulate the appreciation of consequences – leading to impulsive behaviour.
In 2011, four Parkinson’s disease patients took legal action against GSK, claiming Ropinirole caused gambling debts and ruined relationships.
They argued that, despite studies linking the drug to these behaviours since 2000, GSK didn’t add warnings until 2007.
The case was settled, but GSK denied any responsibility.
Torturing cats
Serious side effects have been reported worldwide, particularly in relation to the use of drugs for Parkinson’s disease
In France, a man won damages after Ropinirole triggered compulsive homosexual urges, while another man with no criminal record started torturing cats.
In the US, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine warns the drugs should only be used short-term, like in end-of-life care.
Dr Guy Leschziner, a consultant neurologist, said the drugs still play an important role but he believes that drug companies, health authorities and doctors need to better warn patients of these side effects.
“Not everybody knows the kinds of really quite dramatic changes that can occur,” he explained.
In a statement, GSK told the BBC Ropinirole had been prescribed for more than 17 million treatments and undergone “extensive clinical trials”.
It added the drug had proven to be effective and had a “well-characterised safety profile”.
“As with all medicines, [it] has potential side effects and these are clearly stated in the prescribing information,” it said.
‘Altered or increased sexual interest’
In response to its 2003 research linking the drug to “deviant” sexual behaviour, GSK told the new organisation that it shared the findings with health authorities.
This led to updates in the prescribing information, which now lists “altered or increased sexual interest” and “behaviour of significant concern” as side effects.
The current patient information leaflet for Ropinirole mentions changes in sexual interest five times, mostly warning that such feelings could become “abnormally high,” “excessive,” or “increase[d].”
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said that while a specific reference to “deviant” sexual behaviour is not included in warnings, such impulses vary and a general warning about activities which may be harmful is included.
It also stressed the importance of healthcare professionals explaining the potential risks to patients, highlighting that not everyone experiences these side effects.
The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment.
