In a poignant account, the widow of a man who suffered from Parkinson’s disease has revealed a dramatic transformation in her husband’s behavior, attributed to a prescribed medication. Jane Ryde shared her distressing experience, recounting how her husband became a ‘sex addict’ almost overnight after starting the drug Pramipexole.

According to Ryde, the medication, while alleviating the physical symptoms of his disease, resulted in unexpected and compulsive side effects. He began amassing pornography and repeatedly sought sexual encounters, at least three times a day. Alarmingly, the potential for such drastic changes was not adequately highlighted in the drug’s accompanying literature.

“He transformed into someone I didn’t recognize,” Ryde reflected. “He was a diligent and hard-working man before, and suddenly he exhibited compulsive behaviors, such as collecting pornographic material.”

Ryde explained that her husband’s inability to recognize the issue exacerbated the situation. Conversations about his behavior often escalated into arguments, prompting her to document the events in a diary to cope with the unsettling changes in their lives.

‘He was a hard-working man and he just became a sex addict I suppose – very compulsive behaviour collecting porn snippets and pornography.

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

‘…The consultant just told him it was unacceptable behaviour and that was the end of the matter as far as the consultant was concerned.’

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he began staying up until 1.30am – 2am surfing the internet.

When she went through his browsing history she discovered pornographic material ‘some of it professionally done; some of it home videos…it was just very upsetting.’

She protected their grown-up children from his changed behaviour adding: ‘I just acted as a buffer.

Jane Ryde said he began collecting pornography and demanded sex at least three times a day – compulsive side effects which carried no significant warning on leaflets accompanying the drug Pramipexole

She said that although it helped his disease symptoms, he would have been ‘horrified’ to discover what it was doing to him (stock image) 

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

She was not warned by doctors about impulse control disorders and was initially reassured by the drug’s accompanying leaflet which classed these as ‘uncommon’, affecting fewer than one per cent of patients.

A 2010 study, partly funded by the drug’s manufacturer, concluded that the figure was in fact around 17%. But the leaflet warning was never amended

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

They are also used to treat a range of other conditions, including Restless Legs Syndrome, pituitary gland tumours and certain mental health conditions.

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

She went on: ‘I ended up having to distance myself emotionally from him. It was a case of self-preservation on my part.

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

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

‘He died in 2021 and it was literally only a few weeks ago that I had a flash of a nice memory.

‘I cannot think of a nice memory that I have of my husband before Parkinsons or even with Parkinsons.’

Boehringer Ingelheim told the BBC it followed international guidelines in stating side-effect frequencies and its leaflets reflected the latest scientific knowledge.

It added: ‘Boehringer Ingelheim is aware of some people who have described experiencing impulse control disorders after being prescribed a dopamine agonist for their symptoms of Parkinson’s disease or Restless Legs Syndrome.

‘We recognise their courage in talking about these difficult issues and raising awareness.’

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it planned a ‘substantial’ review of all dopamine agonist drugs and would ‘rectify the disconnect’ in leaflet warnings.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said it will look at whether regulatory action is needed to ensure patients have all the information they need when 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 investigation, the BBC found this side effect can include behaviours such as sex and gambling addictions. 

It comes after earlier this year the wife of a solicitor who stole more than £600,000 from the elderly to spend on sex sprees and antiques blamed the Parkinson’s drugs he was taking after the case led to him and their son taking their own lives. 

Andrew Taylor plundered the extraordinary sum from the accounts of 13 pensioners whose affairs he was looking after, many of whom were in care homes or had dementia.

He then ‘frittered away’ the cash on adult webcams, sex workers and antiques, leaving one victim unable to pay for her funeral.

A court would later hear his actions were caused by the Parkinson’s medication Pramipexole, a type of dopamine agonist drug which can cause impulsive behaviours.