Shoplifting & Pramipexole

[Jessmmcg]

Has anyone experienced the urge to shoplift whilst being medicated pramipexole?

[Hidden]

Only when in Ann Summers

In all seriousness DA's can cause impulse control issues. When taking Mirapexin I used to get the urge to drive my car off the road/into a lorry/etc. It was quite disturbing even though I knew it was down to the drug.

IMHO, if the drug is working for you and the URGE is the only problem, then as long as you don't act on it I'd stick with it, HOWEVER, please tell someone close to you what is going on and have them keep an eye. DA's need a hell of a lot more supervision than we are advised by Drs.

Take care.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

It would be interesting to know if people who like living on the edge have higher than normal dopamine levels. Has anyone read anything about this? Re impulse control issues, there is a big difference in eating too much chocolate cake and having an urge to drive your car off the road. I'd talk to my doctor about this ASAP if I felt this way. You can always stop eating the cake; you can't put your car back on the road. I believe if urges are life-threatening, then the drug is not working properly for you. I'd take this side effect very seriously. Talk to someone very soon. Glad you felt confident enough to post this info. Take care! Burma

[Retren]

Jazzmm I had a shopping and put on an alarming amount of weightI informed my neurologist I was not taking it any longer I feared I was not going to get through the door .all these drugs seem to have side effects .I am still struggling to get the weight off never been more than 112 pounds my whole life and zoomed up to 150 in a very short time I have a very constricted diet due to this frightful condition and it rarely varies we all have different reactions to these medications. The shopping seems to have subsided also.

[Madlegs1]

Agree with the other posters- it is a well known side effect and is highlighted in the Patient info leaflet.

If you come off the drug , do so carefully and slowly- search on this site for how to do this.

There are alternatives-- I'm not sure if the Neupro patch, which is a slightly different makeup DA , is any better , but would help in the changeover.

Raffs- I have that urge to selfdestruct by lorry quite often (just on Oxycontin) but know a lorry driver who had that happen to him as a victim- wrecked his life- a complete nervous wreck with flash backs of the face of the perpetrator coming at him.

That thought keeps me from following through. As well as the thought of my family.

Keep strong - Everyone.

"The little chinks of sunlight light up the dark black clouds."

[Hidden]

I also had the urge to shoplift, it was terrible cz I just did it and it wasnt until I got caught that I thought I am never doing it again, I have to fight it now.

[Jessmmcg in reply to Hidden]

I'm the same. I've come off pramipexole, it's a life altering drug that has such a detrimental impact on life

[Izzybelle22]

In agreement with others, shop-lifting, gambling, and other compulsive behaviors you may not have had otherwise have been proven to be a side effect of dopamine agonists.

[Gmc54]

I agree with raffs who said there is not enough supervision on these tablets. I was on them for quite a while, and I overspent, even on a low dose, but realised what was happening, and came off them. You are so brave for admitting this openly, you are definitely not the only one who's life has changed in a negative way while taking them. My shopping habits have gone back to normal since I stopped taking them thank goodness. I now take Tramadol, (lowest dose) which helps with the symptoms of rls.

[DicCarlson]

Just came across this article - using NAC (N-acetylcysteine) to treat various neuro conditions including compulsive gambling and OCD. I am using it to decrease Glutamate (the excitable neurotransmitter) - often the cause of insomnia associated with RLS. There is a good time release product by Jarrow called NAC Sustain. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[LotteM in reply to DicCarlson]

Hm....🤔... interesting.

Although experience has taught me to be sceptic....

You "are using" it. What is your experience with it?

[DicCarlson in reply to LotteM]

I've taken regular NAC for sometime - recently switched to the Jarrow NAC Sustain. Seeking to mitigate the Glutamate over GABA imbalance - see this article for more on that reasoning contributing to the RLS Insomnia - even when the RLS symptoms are gone. hopkinsmedicine.org/news/me...

[LotteM in reply to DicCarlson]

And.....? How did it work for you?

Just curious. And I like the functioning of this forum. One can read (scientific) papers and news, but personal experiences highlighting individual variation is very valuable to me. I know I am not "the average person". No-one is! IMHO (I like that acronym, stole it from Raffs).

[DicCarlson in reply to LotteM]

I am only a few days into the Jarrow NAC - so the jury is still out. I might try and double up the dose once in the AM and another in PM. I am very attuned to the Glutamate - if I wake up and feel "wired" - I know it's Glutamate. I can take an Ibuprofen (200mg) - wait an hour and I can get back to sleep. Ibuprofen is a glutamate blocker. Here's a good article... bioconcepts.com.au/media/W1...

[terrilynn35 in reply to LotteM]

I have been taking NAC for a couple of months now and it's hard to say how well it's working because at the same time I was suffering for withdrawals from ropinirole and trazodone. I'm sleeping better now and tend to think the NAC is helping because I have less of the wired but tired feeling.