Parkinson’s sufferer was turned into porn-collecting sex addict by prescribed drug, his horrified widow reveals

The widow of a man with Parkinson’s disease has told how her husband became a ‘sex addict’ overnight because of one of his prescription drugs.

Jane Ryde said he began collecting pornography and solicited sex at least three times a day; these were compulsive side effects that carried no significant warning in the leaflets supplied with the drug Pramipexole.

Although it helped her symptoms, she said she would be ‘horrified’ if she discovered what it was doing to her.

‘Overnight he turned into someone I didn’t recognize,’ he said.

‘He was a hard-working man and I think he became addicted to sex; very compulsive behavior collecting porn snippets and pornography.

‘He couldn’t see what the problem was. I tried to talk to him about it and it ended in arguments, so I decided to keep a diary of everything that was going on.

‘…The consultant has just told him that this is unacceptable behavior and that’s where the matter ends as far as the consultant is concerned.’

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he began surfing the internet between 1.30am and 2am.

When he examined her browsing history, he discovered pornographic material; Some of these were professionally done; some home videos…it was very sad’.

She shielded her adult children from their changing behavior, adding: ‘I was just a buffer.

She would be “horrified” if she found out what he was doing to her, even though it was helping her symptoms (stock image)

‘I didn’t want people to know what he was going through, what I had to go through. “I didn’t think it was fair to him.”

He was not warned by doctors about impulse control disorders and was initially relieved that the leaflet accompanying the drug classified them as ‘uncommon’, affecting less than 1 per cent of patients.

A 2010 study funded in part by the drug’s manufacturer concluded that the figure was actually around 17 percent. But the leaflet warning was never changed

Pramipexole, developed by pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, is among a family of eight drugs known as dopamine agonists, which were prescribed more than 1.5 million times to Parkinson’s patients in the UK last year.

They are also used to treat a number of other conditions, including restless legs syndrome, pituitary gland tumors, and some mental health conditions.

Mrs Ryde said she never considered getting her husband off drugs, adding: ‘I’m not a pharmacologist. ‘He was on a full mix of medications and towards the end was taking 12 tablets a day.’

She continued: ‘I eventually had to move away from him emotionally. This was a case of self-preservation on my part.

‘…If [drug manufacturers] If they knew about these problems they should have done something sooner.

‘I can’t believe one in six is ​​an unusual side effect and I think it’s scandalous and irresponsible that people have to go through this blind situation and suddenly have it handed to them in front of the person they’re trying to look after and help care for.

‘He died in 2021 and a beautiful memory came to my mind just a few weeks ago.

‘I can’t think of a fond memory of my husband before Parkinson’s or even when he had Parkinson’s.’

Boehringer Ingelheim told the BBC that it followed international guidelines when stating the frequency of side effects and that its brochures reflected the latest scientific information.

He added: ‘Boehringer Ingelheim is aware of some people who describe experiencing impulse control disorders after being prescribed a dopamine agonist for symptoms of Parkinson’s disease or restless legs syndrome.

‘We recognize their courage in speaking out and raising awareness about these difficult issues.’

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has said it is planning a ‘significant’ review of all dopamine agonist medicines and will ‘correct the disconnect’ in leaflet warnings.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it would look at whether regulatory action is necessary to ensure patients have all the information they need when being prescribed dopamine agonists.

The US-based Parkinson’s Foundation says on its website that one in six people taking dopamine agonists will experience impulse control disorders.

As part of its research, the BBC found that this side effect may include behaviors such as sex and gambling addiction.

The wife of a solicitor who stole more than £600,000 from elderly people to spend on sex entertainment and antiques earlier this year blamed the Parkinson’s medication he was taking after the case resulted in him and his sons taking their own lives.

Andrew Taylor looted extraordinary sums from the accounts of 13 pensioners whose affairs he handled, many of whom were in care homes or suffering from dementia.

He then ‘wasted’ the money on adult webcams, sex workers and antiques, leaving one victim unable to pay funeral costs.

The court would later hear that his actions were caused by the Parkinson’s drug Pramipexole, a type of dopamine agonist that can cause impulsive behaviour.