Piribedil and pathological gambling in six parkinsonian patients.
Impulse control disorders (ICD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) have attracted increasing interest. They are characterized by the inability to control the impulse to perform an act that can be detrimental to them or to others. Although dopamine agonists (DA), as a group, have been associated with impulse control disorders (ICD), piribedil has rarely been reported to cause them.


METHODS
Case reports of six parkinsonian patients on piribedil presenting pathological gambling (PG).


RESULTS
All of the patients presented ICD associated with piribedil use. Two of them received this medication as first treatment and four of them who had developed ICDs secondary to other DA that reappeared with piribedil.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite piribedil is commercially available in only a few countries, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of PG in patients with PD.
Unidad de Enfermedades y Trastornos de Movimiento de Parkinson, Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Federico E
FE
Micheli
Unidad de Enfermedades y Trastornos de Movimiento de Parkinson, Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Juan C
JC
Giugni
Unidad de Enfermedades y Trastornos de Movimiento de Parkinson, Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Micke E De Arco
ME
Espinosa
Unidad de Enfermedades y Trastornos de Movimiento de Parkinson, Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Daniela S
DS
Calvo
Unidad de Enfermedades y Trastornos de Movimiento de Parkinson, Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gabriela B
GB
Raina
D000368:Aged; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D010891:Piribedil / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D010891:Piribedil