Man says Parkinson’s drug turned him into gay sex addict
A French man is suing pharmaceuticals giant Glaxo because he claims that a drug used to treat his Parkinson’s disease turned him into a gay sex addict.
Didier Jambart, a married father from Nantes, began taking Requip in 2003 but says his behaviour changed dramatically as a result.
His lawyers say he became addicted to gay sex and indulged in risky behavior which led to him being raped.
He is also said to have started cross-dressing, exposing himself on the internet and gambling.
Mr Jambart says his behaviour led to him losing the family’s savings and attempting suicide three times.
He stopped taking the drug in 2005 and his behaviour returned to normal.
However, he says that his addictions caused him psychological trauma and he was demoted at work.
He is seeking damages from Glaxo and from his neurologist, who he says did not warn him about the drug’s side effects.
Requip and other Parkinson’s drugs have been linked to obsessive and addictive behaviours before.
In November, Pete Shepherd, a former councillor from Hull, said he had become a gambling, sex-addicted cross dresser after taking Cabergoline for symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
He spent £400,000 on a luxury lifestyle and received a conditional discharge for a £45,000 eBay fraud in 2009 after a judge ruled that the drug had affected his ability to tell right from wrong.
Mr Shepherd stopped taking Cabergoline in 2008 and says his behaviour has returned to normal.
