The drug treated restless legs syndrome, but caused a gambling addiction. After accumulating debts, Brigitte sued her neurologist for lack of information.
184,000 euros in debt and two suicide attempts. When she started her treatment for restless legs syndrome, Brigitte Morue certainly did not expect to become addicted to gambling. She says her neurologist did not warn her of this common side effect. This March 10, two patients sued the specialist before the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Rouen (Eure).
250,000 euros for repairs
The treatment implicated by both patients is Sifrol (Pramipexole dihydrochloride), indicated in restless legs syndrome. The marketing authorization for this dopaminergic limits the maximum dose to 0.54 mg per day. But the neurologist that Brigitte and the other complainant consulted in 2008 prescribed them a daily dose of 0.70 mg. The leaflet does mention possible behavioral disorders induced by the drug, but the specialist does not discuss the subject with the two women.
For Brigitte, the vicious circle is taking place. She plays in casinos, steals money from her family, her employer… The debts accumulate to reach 184,000 euros. In 2011, the Rouen made two suicide attempts. The neurologist ends up interrupting the treatment. Today, he is being sued for exceeding the authorized dose. Brigitte claims 250,000 euros in damages. The judgment was reserved for next May.
Watch the report from France 3 Haute-Normandie:
Sifrol is not the only treatment to promote gambling addiction. It is the dopaminergic action of the drug that causes this side effect, alongside other behavioral disorders (compulsive shopping, compulsive eating, hypersexuality). The antiparkinsonian treatments are also concerned, a meta-analysis published last October in the JAMA Internal Medicine confirmed it.
Among them, the Requip was talked about in 2011. It made a patient from Nantes addicted to gambling… and sex. The man develops unbridled sexuality and exhibits himself on the Internet. But the leaflet does not mention such a side effect. After several suicide attempts, he files a lawsuit against the laboratory GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which he wins.
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