Cruising for sex, gambling debts: Medicines for movement disorders led to uncontrollable urges, allege UK women

Twenty women who approached BBC described their experiences on dopamine agonist drug Ropinarole, experiences that left them 'mortified'.

Patients in the UK who took prescription drugs for movement disorders by pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and other manufacturers have alleged that they were not informed about the serious side-effects of the drugs that led them to carry out risky and deviant sexual behaviour.

An investigative report by the BBC reveals that GSK learnt of the link between dopamine agonist drug Ropinirole (used for treating movement disorders including restless leg syndrome) and what it described as "deviant" sexual tendencies decades back in 2003, and even cited the case of a man on Parkinson's medication who had sexually assaulted a child.

However, despite years having passed, there currently no explicit reference to these side effects of the drug in patient leaflets, and the UK drug regulator only has a general warning about increased libido and risky behaviours, BBC reported.

Twenty women who approached the broadcaster described their experiences on Ropinarole, experiences that left them 'mortified'.

While some had uncontrollable sexual urges that led them to cruise for sex despite having partners, others began selling used underwear and sex videos online. One woman reported racking up gambling debts of 80,000 while on dopamine agonist drugs, while another reported having uncontrollable shopping sprees.

Notably, all of the women who approached the BBC told the broadcaster that they were not only not informed about the very serious side-effects of dopamine agonist drugs such as Ropinirole, but that they also failed to review the impact that these drugs had on patients' bodies and minds.

The BBC report stated that such cases are not unique to the UK and serious side effects have been previously recorded in other countries as well, particularly with regard to the use of Parkinson's medication.

For instance, a father of two was awarded damages in France after alleging that Ropinirole had given him compulsive homosexual urges. Another man in France, with no criminal record, began torturing cats on similar medication.

The report also notes that in the US, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends usage of such drugs in short-term treatment, such as end-of-life care.

An underreported problem

The BBC, which reviewed the GSK report from 2003, found two cases cited in the report: that of a 63-year-old man sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl, and that of a 45-year-old man who carried out 'uncontrolled acts of exhibitionism and indecent behaviour'.

However, the broadcaster noted that the prevalence rates of sexually 'deviant' behaviour when under the influence of these drugs remains unknown. They are also likely to be underreported, the publication quoted a professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of Cambridge as saying.

Given this fact, and the fact that RLS is believed to affect one in 20 adults with women twice as likely to suffer as men, Professor Valerie Voon from Cambridge also advocated for explicit warnings about these drugs by the NHS.

What does GSK have to say?

When the broadcaster contacted the pharma giant about its findings, GSK said that Ropinirole had undergone extensive clinical trials, and a well-characterised safety profile, and that it has been prescribed for more than 17 million treatments.

"As with all medicines, [it] has potential side effects and these are clearly stated in the prescribing information," GSK said.

The pharma giant also said that it had shared the findings of its 2003 research with health authorities and had also updated prescribing information: currently Ropinirole lists "altered or increased sexual interest" and "behaviour of significant concern" as potential side effects. BBC also found that the current patient information leaflet for the drugs mentions changes in sexual interest on five occasions, and warns that the frequency and strength of such feelings may be 'abormally high' or 'excessively increase[d]'.

The UK's drug regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), meanwhile, said that while there was no specific reference to "deviant" sexual behaviour in warnings, there exists a general warning about such activities as impulses may vary. Doctors, too, should be responsible in explaining side effects to patients, it added.