Requip Claim Center

Requip is a drug manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline that is prescribed for patients with Parkinson’s Disease or with restless leg syndrome (RLS). It is classed with a group of medications known as dopamine agonists. Requip and similar drugs simulate the activity of dopamine in the brain, acting as a neurotransmitter – a method through which one area of the brain communicates with another.

Dopamine seems to function as an on-off switch for various human behaviors. People with excessive amounts of it are prone to addictive behavior, whereas people with abnormally low amounts of dopamine are unable to act on mental impulses or commands. Parkinson’s Disease patients all show low dopamine levels, which is why Requip and similar drugs are prescribed for it. Requip also has shown to be effective at reducing the symptoms of RLS.

There is strong evidence that Requip can also contribute to compulsive behavior. The most frequent compulsion is uncontrolled shopping, followed by compulsive gambling. Also in the category of potential Requip side effects are compulsive sexual activity and binge eating. This particular group of side effects have led to several Requip lawsuits and will lead to several more.

In 2006 a retired doctor with Parkinson’s Disease filed a Requip lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline and several Las Vegas casinos claiming that Requip had turned him into a compulsive gambler and that the casinos had done nothing to stop him from losing several million dollars. The suit cited a Mayo Clinic study and several others that indicate compulsive behavior is heightened among users of Requip and similar drugs; and further, that such behavior is lessened or ceases when the drug is discontinued.

In June of 2008 the first of three class action lawsuits opened in a federal District Court in Minnesota. The cases involve more than 200 plaintiffs and will probably lay the groundwork for future Requip lawsuits and legal actions against companies manufacturing similar drugs.

Probably the most compelling piece of evidence is a study that looked at over 3,000 users of Requip and other dopamine agonists and measured the impact of the drugs on compulsive behavior. The study showed an increase in compulsive activity in 13% of the cases examined. Requip lawsuits brought in the future will certainly cite this study along with the experiences of the plaintiff or plaintiffs.

Only lawyers experienced in Requip cases have the necessary knowledge to evaluate and litigate these complex cases.

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline has updated the package insert for its restless legs syndrome (RLS) drug Requip. According to the new insert, Requip may cause “pathological gambling” and “increased libido including hypersexuality.”

These side effects are reportedly a class-wide effect, which impact all the drugs belonging to the non-ergoline dopamine agonist class of drugs. Specifically, the insert reads:

“Impulse control symptoms, including compulsive behaviors such as pathological gambling and hypersexuality, have been reported in patients treated with dopaminergic agents.”

Another RLS drug, Mirapex (which is also used to treat Parkinson’s disease), has reported similar symptoms. The Mirapex package insert reads:

“Patients taking certain medicines to treat Parkinson’s disease or RLS, including Mirapex . . . have reported problems with gambling, compulsive eating, and increased sex drive.”

A 2005 study published in the Archives of Neurology also found that dozens of patients using Mirapex or similar drugs developed serious gambling addictions.

Hundreds of people have reportedly contacted lawyers about joining class-action lawsuits that allege Mirapex and Requip caused unusual side effects such as compulsive gambling, shopping, painting and eating.

Download Requip Package Insert