Shopping, gambling, sex? and Parkinson's disease

Compulsive behavior and parkinsonism

When we hear the word parkinsonism, we can think of shaking, slow movement ... Much less behavioral problems. And yet. A study showed that 13.6% of all Parkinson's patients, compulsive behavior (1). The most common addictions include shopping au premier rank of addictions, on trouve le shopping (5.7%), gambling (5%), food (4.3%) and sex (3.5%).

The culprits are drugs?

According to the abovementioned study, dopamine agonists increase the risk of compulsive behavior with two to three and a half times increase. This phenomenon can also occur with L-Dopa. However, you should have no fear, as long as the prescribed dose of this drug were strictly follow.

Should this class of drugs but then immediately be banned? However, because this phenomenon remains all in all quite limited if the patient takes the prescribed dose.

Dopamine and sensitivity to pleasure

Parkinson's disease is caused by a deficiency of dopamine (a chemical in the brains). To compensate for this loss, the neurologist may include prescribing dopamine agonists. Problem: this treatment tends to increase the sensitivity to pleasure. This applies particularly to young Parkinson's patients (under 50 years). But greater sensitivity of course means more enjoyment pleasure. Hence the temptation can be to their own drugs are increasing dose. Purpose: extra sexual pleasure. This leads to an unbridled lust pursuit, which the door wide open for all kinds of addictions.

Avoid compulsive behavior

Yet it is possible to break this vicious circle. For example, there neuroleptics attenuate these sensations without the symptoms of Parkinson's worse. Help from a psychiatrist can be helpful. But to avoid it so far, there is only one way: by scrupulously respected neurologist prescribed drug dosages. And the slightest urge to increase the dose: immediately talk to him about.

(1) Weintraub D, Koester J, Potenza MN, Siderowf AD, Stacy M, Voon V Whetteckey J, Wunderlich GR, Lang AE. Impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease: a cross-sectional study of 3090 patient. Arch Neurol. May 2010, 67 (5) :589-95.