£500k debt: Author blames RLS medication for addiction

Children's author Sally Gardiner experienced a devastating shopping addiction, leading to over £500,000 in debt. This compulsive behavior, which included lavish spending sprees and the purchase of unnecessary items, began after she was prescribed dopamine agonist drugs for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in her early 40s. The medication provided initial relief for her debilitating RLS symptoms and chronic sleeplessness, but Gardiner now believes it triggered her addiction. She recounts lying to friends, selling her home, and even hiring an interior designer for her new, smaller flat, all while unaware of the drug's potential side effects.

Gardiner's story is one of many highlighting the severe side effects of dopamine agonist drugs. These medications, which boost dopamine activity, are prescribed for conditions like RLS and Parkinson's. However, hundreds of patients and their families have reported devastating consequences, including immense debt, broken relationships, and even suicide, often without making the connection to their medication until years later. Unlike guidelines for Parkinson's patients, there are no specific NICE guidelines for RLS patients, who are predominantly women, leading Gardiner to label it a "health scandal where women are sidelined."

While Gardiner did not develop hypersexual urges, she did publish an erotic novel under a pseudonym, questioning if she would have done so without the medication. She only realized the cause after her daughter shared a BBC podcast series about impulsive behaviors linked to these drugs. Although she has reduced her dosage and remains on the medication as it is the only effective treatment for her RLS, she lives with the daily struggle of monitoring her behavior and the long-term consequences of her past spending.