Problematic gambling on dopamine agonists: Not such a rarity

Excessive gambling is recognized with dopamine agonist therapy, but the prevalence is unknown. We assessed the prevalence of excess gambling by specific prospective enquiry in Parkinson's disease patients attending six West Scotland movement disorder clinics. Of 388 patients taking anti-Parkinson medication, 17 (4.4%) developed pathological gambling, all of whom were prescribed dopamine agonists. Thus, 8% of patients taking dopamine agonists had pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is not uncommon, and patients should be made aware of this potential adverse effect. (C) 2006 Movement Disorder Society.