"If you experience an increase in gambling, sexual, or other urges,

[SeattleGirl]

please tell you doctor."

Two of the possible side effects of a new drug for Restless Leg Syndrome. Increased gambling and sexual urges????? :crazy:

[WCGreen]

1. Well, you have to do something with all the pent up restlessness...

I mean, come on...

[SeattleGirl]

3. You do have a point there.

Shoulda thunk of it my own self.....

[w8liftinglady]

2. lol..how about alcohol-to-mouth syndrome

[SeattleGirl]

5. Nah, that one wasn't mentioned specifically. But they DID mention

"other" urges, so that might cover it. :P

[LeftyMom]

4. Coming the the water supply in a Silver State near you...

Sounds like it causes something like manic episodes. Not good.

[SeattleGirl]

6. I didn't think of that.

You might be right. That's kinda scary.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. My dear SeattleGirl...

Yikes!

You don't need any of those!

:scared:

[SeattleGirl]

8. I'll tell you, if I had RLS, which I don't, I try the other medication

that's been out there for awhile; "increased urges" were not part of the side effects of that one!

[some guy]

9. Doctor, Doctor

I'll bet $10.00 I can f*ck you senseless.
































:rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

10. Back away from the pills!

:rofl:

[idgiehkt]

11. that is really strange.

I wonder if the urges are related somehow, like if they come from the same part of the brain or something. :shrug:

It is a bizarre side effect.

Speaking of side effects, a funny bit from a comedienne I like named Sommore, called Side Effects (strong language, about 2 min. long)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0AaSGedwAA

[SeattleGirl]

12. OMG! That was hysterical!!!!

I had never heard of her. Damn, she's funny!!! :rofl:

[idgiehkt]

27. she's great

I think she has a degree in physics, I don't know how she got into stand-up, but she's great at it. She tells a funny political I've ever heard, here...obviously a dem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBdscFw7ZQ

[SeattleGirl]

28. Thank you, idgie!

I love a good laugh!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. ...

:spray::rofl:
Thanks for the laugh!

[Nevernose]

30. It all falls under "addiction" n/t

n/t

[idgiehkt]

31. yeah, but why would a pill for restless leg syndrome trigger

addiction/compulsion?

[pitohui]

34. why would a drug for parkinson's trigger gambling addiction? yet it provably does

we're in deep waters here, we just don't have enough science yet

[idgiehkt]

39. I'm not saying it doesn't

I'm asking why, in a neurological sense. I'm fascinated by that. I know well that the two are addictions and many times occur in the same person. I guess it may cause anxiety (fear) which is at the root of all addictions.

[Nevernose]

35. Okay, I get the irony.

But the most effective anti-tobacco drug is Zyban, an antidepressant and anti-anxiety drug. And Ritalin, and anti-anxiety, anti hyperactive drug in children, mimics the effects of amphetamines in adults. And marijuana, the most effective anti-muscular dystrophy drug yet discovered, is generally known for it it's mellow, anti-anxiety, pro-munchy qualities.

I think there's obviously something about that particular trigger we either haven't figured out or haven't mastered yet.

[Drum]

13. Restless leg indeed! nt

[SeattleGirl]

15. .......

:spray: :rofl:

[TOhioLiberal]

16. Sounds like it can stimulate...

...addictive behaviors. :shrug:

[SeattleGirl]

19. That's what I thought, too. However, I really had to double check to

make sure that this was a REAL commercial. I have never heard of these types of side effects!

[pitohui]

17. people have lost their family's life savings over this

it is not funny, maybe you can sweat it w.out taking the restless legs drug, but the real bitch is parkinson's -- very very common for the parkinson's drug to cause you to gamble away everything

[SeattleGirl]

21. Is that right? I hadn't heard that before.

Wonder what's in those drugs to cause this? That's pretty scary.

Edited to add: I am absolutely not making fun of gambling (or any other) addiction. My dad was an alcoholic and compulsive gambler, so I know what that can do to a family.

[pitohui]

32. no believe me i don't think anyone thinks you're making fun of anyone

i think the great mystery of gambling is that there is no chemical involved, so it is a "pure" expression of addiction

it is very hard to understand, no one really knows the answer and with indisputable proof now that some drugs cause gambling in particular...well...we're on a trail but don't have the answer yet


it is easy to say "well with pot there's this receptor" "with meth there's this receptor" but with gambling there is no chemical it's an activity, so it's a mystery

when we crack this mystery we are a long way on the trail toward solving ALL addictions in my view

[SeattleGirl]

33. I think you are right, pitohui.

And I hope that day comes soon. Think of how many people, with so many different addictions, could be helped?

[pitohui]

38. absolutely it will transform society EOM

,

[pagerbear]

18. My dad took an RLS drug that caused incontinence

[pitohui]

20. better incontinence than gambling addiction

one is embarrassing, the other not just embarrasses but takes everything anyone in your family ever earned

[SeattleGirl]

22. I don't recall if that was one of the side effects mentioned for this drug.

I wasn't listening that closely until the gambling/sexual urge thing was said.

[Seashell Eyes]

23. Restless leg syndrome? WTF?

Everything seems to be a syndrome now. :crazy:

[SeattleGirl]

25. Yeah, it does, but that doesn't mean that they aren't real.

I was thinking about this a moment ago, and while I do think that drug companies "push" drugs on a lot of people who don't need them, but I also think that with medical advances have allowed doctors and researchers to identify more things.

[KitchenWitch]

61. I HAVE RLS - not a funny thing - or a fake "syndrome"

It is very real. I do not take anything for it, but if it gets any worse, I am considering it.

[Seashell Eyes]

66. Sorry

I didn't realize it was real.

[KitchenWitch]

67. It is okay.

I am very tired, and probably took that a little too personally.

I have had it since I was a teenager (long before they had any drugs to treat it, and also before they would even diagnose it - I was told it was all in my head). All the women in my mom's side of the family have it.

When it gets really bad for me, my arms start to get the creepy crawlies (that is enough to drive a person certifiably insane - both the arms and legs going... :banghead: )

[Oeditpus Rex]

24. Apparently there's a new malady

Restless Third Leg Syndrome.

[SeattleGirl]

26. Keyboard!!!!

:spray: :rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

29. The reason they mention gambling

is you've got something to prop you up after eight hours at the craps table.

[SPKrazy]

36. why? does the doctor look good and like to gamble?

:shrug:



:rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

37. :snerk"

:spray:

[SPKrazy]

40. he he he

hi seattle sis!

:hug:

[SeattleGirl]

42. Hi Arkansas bro!

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

43. that pic in your sig line

i can't see it well enough but it looks pretty, what is it

[SeattleGirl]

47. It's a yin/yang mandella.

I love it too.

[Ptah]

41. Urge. hmmmm

Several years after reading about Divine Right's adventures in The Last Whole Earth Catalog, I pulled into a shopping center and saw a Volkswagon bus with the license plate URGE. Of course I had to wait around for the owner to return to his vehicle and when he arrived I went up to him and asked "Are you DR?" "No" he said with a smile, "He went on a trip".

:hippie:

[SeattleGirl]

44. Far out!

:hippie:

[leftofthedial]

45. where can I get some of this drug?

I have a couple of hours between 2 and 4 AM when I'm not busy.

[SeattleGirl]

46. Please see your doctor immediately......

:7

[lildreamer316]

48. I KNOW!! I was laughing SO hard I had to rewind the DVR to make sure I heard right.

It's a side effect of the lovely medication.
What.
The.
Fuck.

[SeattleGirl]

49. I swear, I have NEVAH heard of those side effects before!

:wow:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

50. Then you must be a Republican?

no one else hit this yet?

[ForrestGump]

51. I don't gamble

But I sure got a shaky leg, baby.....






Two out of three ain't bad. :D

[distantearlywarning]

52. I just saw this commercial for the first time last night!

Husband and I had a 15 minute discussion about why a medication might cause gambling and sexual urges. No solid conclusions were reached. :shrug:

Personally, as someone who experiences something occasionally that I think is probably RLS, I'll keep my creepy-crawly legs and also our life savings. I think that's a good trade-off.

Hubby on the other hand suggested that perhaps it might be worth risking the gambling thing if I experienced the promised increased sexual urges. :evilgrin:

[Blue Diadem]

53. OMG you heard the same commercial I did!

I was just falling asleep when I heard that. I kinda/sorta shouted out.."Did I just hear that?" which woke up my sleeping DH. Heard what? HUH? snooooorrre..

Pretty strange side effects aren't they? Thanks for reminding me what I heard..now I'm off to ask DH if he remembers my big mouth waking him up.

[meegbear]

54. I was gonna do a post on that when I heard that ...

what the fuck is in that stuff?

[MissMillie]

55. I wonder how this drug differs from the old one

I couldn't take the old one (I think it was called cinamet) because it was known to interact w/ another med I was taking at the time (apparently causing psychotic episodes!!!).

Now I'm not on any meds, and my legs are as creepy-crawly as ever. When I see my doc for my physical this year, I'll have to ask.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

56. Yeah, I saw that

Laughed for an hour

"Side effects may include increased gambling"

"It may cause you to fall asleep during routine activities, such as driving"

[LaraMN]

57. My husband was on that stuff!

They are liars!!!
:rofl:

[Tyler Durden]

58. JEEZ...check this guy's pulse.

Or just walk around the house in that SKIRT with no SKIVVIES.

I mean REALLY now...every person here sporting a "Y" chromosome already has one of those side effects sans drugs.

[ThomCat]

59. Hell, you'd think they'd market it just for those side effects.

:P

[KitchenWitch]

60. I saw that the other day

and went :wtf:

[supernova]

62. Now why would a drug meant to stop one compulsion

(RLS) trigger other compulsions (gambling and sex) Though the sex one might not be a bad side effect.

[Javaman]

63. so there I was in the porno movie house, betting on who

would cum first, all the while trying to suppress my urge to eat bucket loads of chili peppers.

[AngryAmish]

64. Those are known side effects of RLS drugs

As stated above people have gambled away their life savings. The drug company is being sued for that.

Why does it happen? It screws with your brain chemistry which allows you to appreciate risk and suppress bad behavior.

[liontamer]

65. the same chemical is used in movement systems, and decision making systems

a drug affecting one would likely affect the other. If the drug impairs your ability to make decisions, your doctor would try to switch you to one that didn't harm you in the same way.