Gambling In Parkinson's Disease

Main Category: Parkinson's Disease
Also Included In: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 21 Apr 2006 - 18:00 PDT

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Parkinson's disease patients who gamble and take dopamine agonists to treat their symptoms are at higher risk for becoming compulsive gamblers, according to researchers from Canada. In a survey of over 180 patients, approximately 6 percent of those taking a dopamine agonist, either alone or in combination with levodopa (another symptomatic treatment), were compulsive gamblers, versus no patient on levodopa alone. Those who developed this compulsive behavior were all recreational gamblers before starting the dopamine agonist treatment.

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American Academy of Neurology 58th Annual Meeting

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 19,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, and stroke.

Contact: Robin Stinnett
rstinnett@aan.com
American Academy of Neurology

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