All I can say is I think PD meds leave much to be desired.  At least these
PWP felt well enough to go gambling.  What they needed was some luck like my
sister-in-law's daughter has.  It is absolutely phenomenal.
----- Original Message -----
From: "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2005 11:49 PM
Subject: Studies and Lawsuits Point Accusing Fingers at the Parkinson’s
Drug, MIRAPEX, that Has Been Linked to Compulsive Gambling


> Studies and Lawsuits Point Accusing Fingers at the Parkinson’s Drug,
> MIRAPEX,
> that Has Been Linked to Compulsive Gambling
> Date Published: December 29, 2005
> Source: Newsinferno News Staff
> It is admittedly an odd connection but there seems to be no real doubt
> that
> MIRAPEX, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD), is also
> responsible
> for turning some of the patients who used it into gambling addicts.
> In July, a Mayo Clinic study published in the Archives of Neurology that
> identified 11 Parkinson’s patients who developed a gambling habit while
> taking MIRAPEX or similar drugs between 2002 and 2004. Since the study was
> released, 14 additional Mayo patients have been diagnosed with the problem
> according to lead author Dr. M Leann Dodd, a psychiatrist at the Clinic.
> Previously, in August 2003 in the journal Neurology, Drs. E.
> Driver-Dunckley,
> J. Samanta, and M. Stacey published an article entitled “Pathological
> gambling associated with dopamine agonist therapy in Parkinson’s disease.”
> That study found extreme cases of compulsive gambling in nine (of 1,884)
> patients using pramipexole (8 or 1.5%)) and pergolide (1 or 0.3%). Both
> results were well above the overall incidence rate of all PD patients of
> 0.05%. Both drugs that showed an increased risk were dopamine agonists
> (DA).
> The Mayo Clinic study also analyzed the findings in five prior studies
> (including the 2003 Driver-Dunckley study) and confirmed that: “All of the
> commonly prescribed dopamine agonists have been associated with
> pathological
> gambling” with pramipexole being “disproportionately represented in both
> our
> series (82% of our patients) and in prior reports (59%).”
> MIRAPEX (pramipexole dihydrochloride) is in the dopamine agonist class of
> drugs and is believed to work by mimicking the action of dopamine in the
> brain to help control the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Dopamine also
> affects brain processes that control emotional responses and a person's
> ability to experience pleasure and pain. It is thought to play a role in
> addictive behavior.
> Unfortunately, this is another drug whose benefits come with a very high
> price
> tag for some patients. The ones who become addicted to gambling often wind
> up
> losing their life savings, fall deeply into debt, and even jeopardize or
> destroy their marriages or other personal or family relationships.
> In the past, the victims of this harsh side-effect had no idea what had
> come
> over them. Their brain was literally taken over and their gambling became
> constant and compulsive. Simply stated, they were out of control and had
> no
> idea why. For these people, the situation was frightening and
> inexplicable.
> As a result of this completely bizarre and damaging side-effect, many
> MIRAPEX
> users suffered long periods of debilitating and destructive behavior
> during
> which they were unaware that the drug was causing the problem and that it
> would cease if they discontinued taking it.
> MIRAPEX is manufactured by German-based Boehringer Ingelheim
> Pharmaceuticals,
> the world's biggest family-owned drug company, in cooperation with New
> York-based Pfizer, the world's largest drugmaker. Its sales for 2004
> topped
> $200 million in the U.S. alone.
> .Boehringer Ingelheim lists "compulsive behaviors (including sexual and
> pathological gambling)" as a possible side effect associated with taking
> MIRAPEX. That seven-word phrase on page 17 of a 21-page highly technical
> document is all the warning that is given concerning the potentially
> detrimental side-effect.
> While Boehringer-Ingelheim has repeatedly claimed there is no scientific
> evidence upon which to base the conclusion that MIRAPEX causes addictive
> or
> compulsive behavior, the multiple reputable studies on the subject would
> seem
> to indicate otherwise. In addition, the company revised its package insert
> to
> include the warning with respect to “compulsive behavior” despite its
> denial
> of the connection
> Currently, two major lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer have
> been commenced in federal court in California and in Superior Court in
> Ontario, Canada. They allege a number of addictive behaviors associated
> with
> MIRAPEX including gambling, shopping, having sex, eating, and engaging in
> other compulsive conduct.
> It is likely that additional lawsuits will be commenced in the near future
> since the problem is as widespread as the locations of people who took
> MIRAPEX.
> Jerrold Parker, managing partner of Parker & Waichman, a law firm with
> considerable experience in pharmaceutical and medical malpractice
> litigation
> nationwide, told us that: “It is difficult to imagine how the
> manufacturers
> of MIRAPEX can maintain there is no scientific evidence to support the
> addiction link when several studies leave little doubt of the connection.
> In
> addition, it is rather amazing that when the manufacturers finally decided
> to
> add a warning regarding compulsive conduct to the product insert they
> chose
> to hide it in the middle of 21 pages of technical data.”
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to:
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn
>

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn