Mirapex
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Mirapex is the brand name for the generic drug Pramipexole. This medication is known to have some of the same effects as dopamine, a chemical that occurs naturally in the body. Mirapex is often used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease as this condition is often associated with lowered levels of dopamine. It is also used in the treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
Mirapex should only be taken under the direct care of a physician as it can be life threatening if taken incorrectly. The drug can also cause certain side effects such as extreme drowsiness, nausea, sweating, hallucinations, feelings of being weak or tired, fast or uneven heartbeats and tremors, to name just a few.
Interestingly, while Mirapex has been shown effective for many in the treatment of Parkinson symptoms, the medication has also had another surprising effect. Mirapex, along with Requip, has been linked with compulsive behaviors. In fact, according to a recent Reuters report, drugs meant to treatment Parkinson’s can triple the odds that these patients will develop impulse control problems.
These problems can include gambling, binge eating, shopping sprees and even compulsive sexual behaviors. Researchers in the United States have found in a study of more than 3,000 people with Parkinson’s disease that these problems are caused by dopamins agonists, such as Mirapex and Requip.
In this study, researchers identified impulsive control disorders in as many as 13.6 percent of patients regularly taking a dopamine agonist. Of these individuals, 5 percent were struggling with impulsive gambling; 3.5 percent were experiencing compulsive sexual behavior; 5.7 percent found they had a problem with compulsive buying; and 4.3 percent had developed a binge-eating problem.
Even more frustrating for the patients involved in the study is that 4 percent of them were struggling with more than one of these disorders. In some cases, they may be dealing with more than two, causing some to weigh the risk of Parkinson symptoms against the problems associated with the compulsive disorders.
While additional research is needed on these medications, the findings can be disheartening for those suffering with Parkinson’s who may have otherwise found some relief in taking Mirapex.
And, while it is still a minority of those taking the medication who have reported compulsive disorder problems, the study is based on self-reporting and additional problems may exist in situations where the individual is uncomfortable in revealing the truth. Either way, Mirapex has shown that its ability as a dopamine agonist will do more than simply alleviate the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease.
