When a Restless Legs Drug Triggered a Gambling Crisis
A personal essay details how the restless legs medication pramipexole, a dopamine agonist, can provoke impulse-control disorders including compulsive gambling. The author, once a professor and novelist, describes years of addiction and financial ruin, followed by a dramatic improvement only after stopping the drug. The piece cites Mayo Clinic Proceedings data showing a 6–17% risk among users and argues that patients and many doctors remain unaware of this danger, with broader implications for treatment, regulation, and support.
