Sex, Shopping & Gambling - Out of Control
From 2 Parkies in a Pod: a Parkinson's Podcast by Dave Clark & Kuhan
March 7, 2026 · 49 min · Season 1 · Episode 59
About this episode
The episode discusses the impulsive behaviors triggered by dopamine agonists in Parkinson's patients, featuring insights from investigative reporter Noel Titheradge.
Sex, Shopping & Gambling - Out of Control This week on 2 Parkies in a Pod, we uncover the darker side of dopamine agonists — a group of Parkinson’s drugs that, for some people, have triggered devastating impulsive behaviours. Sudden, overwhelming sexual urges, out-of-control gambling and compulsive shopping that’s cost families tens of thousands of pounds. We speak to BBC Investigative Reporter Noel Titheradge, who spent a year investigating the link between these medications and impulse control disorders. His documentary 'Impulsive’ for the BBC’s Radio 4 Shadow World series exposed stories that are hard to ignore. You’l also hear from: Ellie, who lost more than £50k to online gambling Steve, who became addicted to adult webcam sites and spent £40k A solicitor who stole £600k from clients to fund a secret double life How common are these side effects? Are patients warned clearly enough? And should drug companies be doing more? If you or someone you love has been affected, help is available. 📞 Parkinson’s UK free confidential helpline: 0808 800 0303 📧 hello@parkinsons.org.uk Parkinson’s UK Impulsive Control Disorders…
People in this episode
Hosts: Dave Clark, Kuhan
Guest: Noel Titheradge
Topics covered
- dopamine agonists
- impulsive behaviors
- Parkinson's disease
- gambling addiction
- sexual urges
- compulsive shopping
Keywords
- dopamine agonists
- impulse control disorders
- gambling addiction
- Parkinson's disease
- compulsive behavior
- Noel Titheradge
- BBC
- Parkinson’s UK
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC, Parkinson’s UK, BBC Radio 4
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