David Standaert of the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham told ABC News when the lawsuit was filed. "There are plenty of reports of people developing side effects from Parkinson's drugs, such as hypersexuality, gambling and excessive shopping," Dr. But the drugs have side effects that, while rare, can be serious.
Requip belongs to a class of drugs called dopamine agonists that relieve Parkinson's symptoms - such as shaking, stiffness, slowness and trouble balancing - by activating dopamine receptors. Parkinson's disease destroys neurons deep within the brain that release the "feel-good" neurotransmitter dopamine. "It's been a seven-year battle with our limited means for recognition of the fact that GSK lied to us and shattered our lives." "It's a great day," Jambart, who was accompanied by his wife during the emotional ruling, told the French Press Agency. He said he was raped after starting the drug in 2003 and attempted suicide eight times. He said he also became addicted to gay sex and risky sexual encounters. 29, 2012 - A French man who claimed a Parkinson's drug turned him into a gambling and gay sex addict has been awarded 197,000 euros in damages, the French Press Agency reported.ĭidier Jambart, 52, of Nantes, France, sued the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline in 2011, claiming the drug, Requip, caused him to lose 82,000 euros gambling on the Internet.