parkinsons

Whenever we take a new drug, we’re concerned about possible side effects. One of the most unusual side effects ever discovered has been found with high doses of drugs for Parkinson’s disease?they caused people to become compulsive gamblers. Two patients each lost $60,000 in only three months.

Dr. Mark Stacy says, “In the same week I saw two patients with major and new gambling problems?and it was after I increased their medication.” He researched the medical records of 1884 patients and found nine who had developed gambling addictions that led to financial hardship. All the patients were taking levodopa, which increases dopamine in the brain. But their new gambling habits seemed to be associated with another drug they were also taking.
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Researchers have discovered that Ecstasy is an excellent treatment for Parkinson’s disease, despite the fact that in the past, the drug was condemned for causing it. New animal studies show Ecstasy can dramatically reduce Parkinson?s uncontrollable arm and leg movements.
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Three former co-workers of Michael J. Fox all have Parkinson’s disease, causing speculation that the disease may have an environmental cause. Nobody knows what causes Parkinson’s disease. Scientists look for disease clusters, hoping this will help them turn up clues that can help with the search for a cure.

Fox and the three other people with Parkinson’s disease were among 125 people who in the late 1970s worked on a Canadian television show called Leo & Me. Four cases among 125 people — especially young people — is highly suspicious. Each year Parkinson’s strikes only about 1 in 10,000 people, nearly always much older people than the sitcom cast and crew.
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