Parkinson's drugs may be addictive

Some people with Parkinson’s disease develop severe withdrawal symptoms when they try to taper off a widely used type of Parkinson’s drug, researchers report. The drugs, called dopamine agonists, include pramipexole, sold as Mirapex, and ropinirole, sold as Requip. They help control the movement problems caused by Parkinson’s, but may cause other troubles in some patients — including impulse control disorders, in which people compulsively eat, gamb le or shop.
Some patients who have tried to stop taking the drugs because of the compulsions quickly developed withdrawal symptoms like panic attacks, nausea, sweating, pain, fatigue, dizziness and drug cravings...