It is estimated that around 274,000 people in France suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The vast majority of them follow a treatment of dopaminergic drugs to compensate for their lack of the chemical messenger dopamine, a condition which causes many of the debilitating symptoms of the disease. But the drugs, and in particular dopamine agonists, can have alarming side effects, ranging from making compulsive purchases, daily gambling, the pursuit of sexual obsessions and, in one of the several cases detailed here, a murderous rampage against animals. As Rozenn Le Saint reports, some of the patients are unaware of the risks of the drugs, which can leave them and their families, the collateral victims, with huge debts and psycological trauma.
HenriHenri David, 75, has lived for 42 years with Parkinson’s disease. There is no known cure for the neurodegenerative illness which causes, among other symptoms, shaking, muscle rigidity and loss of balance, and can eventually lead to the development of a form of dementia. Over the years, David has tried out the whole range of dopaminergic drugs that are prescribed to Parkinson’s sufferers, to help alleviate his tremors and muscle stiffness. When his neurologist prescribed an increase in the amount of the drug he was taking, he began to dress as a woman.
