Filed in archive Sleep Disorders by Florence Cardinal on February 12, 2007

Do you suffer from restless leg syndrome? If you do, and you're on some of the medications prescribed for this disorder, better watch out you aren't bitten by the gambling bug.

According to Ivanhoe's Medical Breakthroughs:

Roughly 3 million U.S. adults are problem gamblers, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. Now, a new study reveals a type of medication used to treat restless legs syndrome could add to that number.

Researchers from the mayo clinic in Rochester, Minn., report a small number of patients became compulsive gamblers after starting treatment for restless legs syndrome, also known as RLS. The three patients were taking dopamine agonists, a class of medications used to treat restless legs syndrome and Parkinson's.

The two drugs mentioned in the article are (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip.) These drugs stimulate the emotion and reward part of the brain, and what greater reward than a big win at the poker table or Roulette wheel? The only problem is gamblers don't always win, and compulsive gamblers, in the long run, never win, as the people who frequent the Getting Past Gambling site will tell you.

A place to come and share experiences, to find support and strength, for those of us who are putting gambling behind us and finding new exciting and happier ways to live our lives.

Related Entries:

BEST CELEBRITY LEGS - 06 December 2006
Restless Legs Syndrome - 10 February 2007
Treatment for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) May Trigger Compu... - 13 February 2007
Restless Legs Caused by a Gene - 20 July 2007
First Generic Ropinirole, Approved by The FDA - 09 May 2008

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Permalink: Restless Legs and Gambling

Tags: restless ;egs restless legs syndrome RLS gambling drugs Parkinsons Mirapex Requip health restless+le

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Vote for Restless Legs and Gambling:

Currently 9.25/10
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Rating: 9.25 out of 4 vote(s) cast.

Response from: Home Office Furniture (05/31/07 1:17pm)

Dopamine agonists essentially mimic the behavior of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine helps the brain control movements, which is why patients with Parkinson's disease are prescribed dopamine agonists. Dopamine is also involved in the reward functions of the brain. The newest medications of this kind, pramipexole (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip), target the motivation, emotion, and reward centers of the brain. Researchers speculate the strong stimulation of those areas of the brain encourage patients to seek out pleasurable behaviors, like gambling.

Response from: narconon northern california (08/07/07 8:00am)

Don't know if it's a disorder or not but all people want easy winnings and when they start losing they find hope in the thing that got them there in the first place.

Response from: sujith (08/10/08 4:52am)

Don’t know what to conclude from all this. It’s just kind of evocative, that’s all. I imagine a perfectly nice person with Restless Legs Syndrome finally finding relief. After a week or so, this quiet, twitchy person suddenly has turned into a gambling, voracious sex machine. He or she goes to the doctor. The doctor says, “You have to give up the drug and stop being a gambling, voracious sex machine and go back to being a twitchy, uncomfortable person who can’t sleep.”
What would you do? And how long do you think it will take them to isolate what’s wrong with the RLS medicine and turn it into something really marketable?
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sujith

Drug Rehab

Response from: alcohol drug treatment (08/12/08 12:09am)

certainly gambling is a major problem in america as well as many addictions.

Response from: Trusted.MD Network

Requip (ropinirole hydrochloride) tablets - product of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) - are for the treatment of moderate to severe Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). © Brymo