Impulsive: 5. Restless

Impulsive: 5. Restless

From Shadow World by BBC Radio 4

February 13, 2026 · 14 min · Season 7 · Episode 5

About this episode

Lisa shares her experience with Restless Legs Syndrome and the impact of medication on her life and relationships.

Lisa has Restless Legs Syndrome - it feels like her legs are on fire and they keep moving around. It’s affecting her sleep, so she’s pleased to hear that there’s a treatment: a commonly used Parkinson’s medication called Pramipexole. The prescriber doesn’t mention any side effects. But Lisa’s dosage of Pramipexole keeps increasing as her symptoms keep returning, and she starts behaving in ways that feel out of character. After an argument with her husband, she starts an affair with a man she meets online. Soon she’s meeting strangers for sex. And even while her personality’s changing, her condition keeps getting worse… Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor. Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production

People in this episode

Host: Noel Titheradge

Guest: Lisa

Topics covered

  • Restless Legs Syndrome
  • medication side effects
  • personal relationships
  • affairs
  • mental health
  • sleep disorders

Keywords

  • Restless Legs Syndrome
  • Pramipexole
  • sleep
  • affair
  • medication
  • side effects
  • mental health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC Radio 4, BBC News Long Form Audio

Products: Pramipexole

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