Prescription Drugs Trigger Compulsive Shopping

0:00On May 2nd, best-selling children's author Sally Gardner blew through more than 500,000 pounds in a compulsive shopping frenzy, all, triggered by prescription drugs for her restless legs syndrome. These dopamine agonists meant to boost brain chemicals, instead fueled wild impulses, at her peak, with 2.5 million books sold, and a Carnegie metal under her belt, she splurged on stuff like a 3,000 pound bathtub. There are, in multiples of the same items, like 5 pairs of identical shoes, and 10 dog beds for her pup. She hid the buys from friends, lied about them, and piled up debts that forced her to sell her Northland and townhouse for a smaller flat. Even after that, the urges kept drumming on, leading to tens of thousands more on an interior designer. A worried friend hit up shops begging staff not to sell her anything. Gardner thought she was losing her mind, with no clue the meds were hijacking her brains reward system, chasing that dopamine rush over and over.

1:00These drugs treat restless legs and Parkinson's, but carry risks of out-of-control behaviors, like gambling, shopping sprees, or hyper-sexuality. Wrecking finances and relationships for many patients. The BBC spotlighted hundreds of similar stories, including a Parkinson's widow whose husband turned into a compulsive sex addict overnight on. Staying up to 130 or 2 a.m., surfing porn, with doctors brushing it off as unacceptable. Now the UK's drug regulators are reviewing warnings on these meds. Gardner figured it out years later, from a podcast. Cut her dose but stays on them since nothing else works, fighting the polls every day. It's a stark reminder that even lifesaving pills can flip your world upside down.