Monday, April 03, 2006

Feel good?

A recent report suggests a Parkinson's drug can lead to patients being turned into obsessive pleasure seekers - with one saying it caused her to start an affair, quit her religion and become a compulsive gambler. Another was fired from his job for trolling for dates on the Internet while at work. The reason ... the boosting of levels of dopamine (the feel good chemical) in the brain.
One company Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which sells Permax, a dopamine agonist, has told physicians: "As with other dopamine agonists, compulsive self-rewarding behavior (e.g., pathologic gambling) and libido increase have been reported in patients."

Does this then make it the "feel good" drug or a "feel bad" drug? And how would you feel as a patient - realising there was a problem over which you had no control - and which people kept telling you was "your responsibility" and "deal with it". Word is there is a good likelihood of class action.

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