The NHS has paid out tens of thousands to a man who developed an “uncontrollable” gambling problem after he was given a common Parkinson’s drug, The Independent can reveal.
Philip Stevens, a 66-year-old from Hampshire, has received £70,000 [$89,370] from his GP following a lawsuit after he was given the drug Ropinirole, which led him to develop impulse control disorder that saw him spend thousands on gambling websites and expensive clothes.
The NHS lists impulse control disorder as a potential side effect of the drug. Patients are advised to contact a specialist nurse if they start “binge eating, gambling or shopping uncontrollably or having an unusually high sex drive”.
