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20 women came forward to share their stories of how Ropinirole led them to engage in behaviours they couldn’t control, which ultimately ruined their lives.
Patients claim they weren’t warned about Ropinirole’s high-risk behaviours. (Representative Image)
A drug commonly prescribed for Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome (RLS) has been linked to serious side effects, including sexual behaviours and gambling addiction. Many patients who were given Ropinirole claimed that they weren’t warned about its high-risk behaviours. Recently, 20 women came forward to share their stories of how Ropinirole led them to engage in behaviours they couldn’t control, which ultimately ruined their lives. Some of them were drawn to risky sexual activities, while others found themselves addicted to gambling. One woman, unaware of the drug’s influence, accumulated over £150,000 (approximately Rs 1 Crore) in debts.
A woman named Claire spoke to the BBC and revealed that she developed RLS during pregnancy and was given the drug after giving birth. Initially, it worked well, but after a year, she began experiencing unusual sexual urges. She recalled wearing a transparent top and jacket while exposing herself to strangers. Claire said these behaviours became routine and felt uncontrollable. Shockingly, the urges vanished after she stopped taking the medication, but she feels “shame” and is “mortified” by the risks.
She said, “The only way I could describe it is it was just deviant. 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.”
In her 50s, Sarah was prescribed a dopamine agonist drug from a different manufacturer and soon experienced severe changes in her behaviour. Before taking the medication, she had no previous interest in such things but suddenly became obsessed with sexual activities. Sarah began selling used underwear and explicit videos and even got engaged in phone s** with strangers. Alongside this, she developed a shopping addiction, leading to £30,000 (approximately Rs 33 Lakh) in debt. To manage the side effects, she started taking painkillers and sleeping pills but ended up in rehab. As a result, she lost both her driving licence and her job.
Several women shared that taking Ropinirole for a long time made their restless leg syndrome (RLS) worse. As their symptoms increased, doctors raised their dosage, which in turn made their behaviours even stronger. This process is called augmentation. Dr Guy Leschziner, a neurologist, shared that these drugs are still important for treatment. However, he believes that pharmaceutical companies, healthcare officials and doctors should inform patients about the serious side effects, as many people are unaware of the extreme changes these medications can cause.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
