Neupro Side Effect--Gambling?

[badnights]

Keeping in mind what you already know - that your husband is not himself at this time - please if you haven't already done so, move as much money as you can into accounts he can't access. Please forgive me for mentioning it again if you keep separate finances or it;s otherwise not relevant to you.

I work with a lady whose husband has Parkinson's and she is now working at this job and their kids are working instead of going to university, because pramipexole gave him impulse control disorder and he gambled their savings away.

I wish you and your son the best of luck, nerves of steel, and never-ending compassion as you speak with your husband.

[ViewsAskew]

Hi - hoping to hear from you soon, brevik...we're all thinking of you.

[brevik]

First, thank you for posting so much information and your "own stories" because walking in someone's shoes proves valuable when dealing with the unknown. My last post, my friend saw my husband's car at the bowling alley where the gaming machines are located. I believe it was last Wednesday. Ok, here is what has happened.
Thursday afternoon: Husband seemed to have this kind of weird look on his face, very hard to describe. Said he was going somewhere. Had strong intuition so I got in the car and looked at the 3 main gaming places. First two were a bust. Then I parked my car in the lot looking for him to enter but I decided to go back home. As I drove around the corner, he was leaving the building and got in the car. I think I shocked the sh** out of him. I asked him to roll down the window and told him we needed to go see another doctor and didn't mention a name. He shouted at me, "well, I'm still going to the casino on Friday." Where did that come from? Crazy. I chose not to go home on Thursday night which is very unlike me.
Friday: He went to his appointment without me in IA, went to the casino, tried to get more Neupro (his drug of choice LOL) from the neurologist. While he was gone, I came home, packed a suitcase, and took all the cash, check books, savings accounts, credit card statements. I also saw the director of our Behavioral Health office, contacted his physician (who would not see me because he had not prescribed Neupro), and talked to our friend who is a retired doctor. I also talked with both sons. Eventually, I returned home and he was mad to say the least. We had a lengthy talk.
Saturday: I could not stop crying. Very emotional time. Explained my motives. He admitted that he has an issue and it was getting out of hand. This was difficult for him. I was beyond depressed. I didn't even want to talk which is highly unusual. LOL Told him he had an appointment with neurologist on June 20th.
Sunday: A rather depressing day but a relief because everything was out in the open. I explained about dopamine agonists, augmentation, impulse control center (thanks for all the links!) Still on 4mg of neupro.
Monday: Got a call from the neurologist that he wanted to see us on June 15th and to bring all the neupro with us. Trust issues are definitely on the table and told him he has lied so much that he has to build it back. Dr. said he had to cut to 2 mg. Horrible night where he was up almost all night and I was up with him for 4 hours. Strong stuff. Coming off it is not good.
Tuesday: Going through the motions and the 2mg again. Had a better night's sleep. Shows signs of OCD also.
Wednesday: Very quiet hour ride to neurologist. I am dealing with sadness and anger over this. At least out in the open. Dr. just came back from a conference where RLS was highlighted and he attended all the presentations etc. Handed over all the neupro. Husband has exhausted all the regular meds. Had a blood test checking iron levels and waiting for results. No neupro Wednesday. Hardly slept. Leg pains and movements. Finally took a clonzepan and slept for a little. Twitching body. Explained he was detoxing from 4 years of Neupro leaving his system. Hated to see him like this. All over the place.
Thursday: He took his first pill of Methadone this morning. Can't believe he is on this but thanks to reading articles, discussion boards, and other RLS patients using it, I understand it is not a dopamine agonist but an opiate and rather unconventional. He only get one prescription per month. We will monitor this closely. He feels ashamed about our neighbor who is our pharmacist knowing he has a script for Methadone. He is embarrassed but I mentioned, "Hey, they don't discuss meds with others and if you were so embarrassed or concerned, why in the hell have you been gaming at local places that you would NEVER go into before." I know I was a little snarky, but I am human. He has high energy and while this is going on, he has gone through lots of tubs in our basement that are filled with old, old papers etc. Always a cleaner, he has vacuumed our home on all 3 floors. He would probably mow our lawn again but it is too hot and the grass is short. All part of a learning curve, right?

So there you have it. God bless you for your comments, advice, and life experiences. We will take it one day at a time. We are too invested in each other to give up but told him I would rather live alone than what we have been going through lately. The lies just are killers!!! Also, not a believer in fate or luck really but do feel small "God winks" every once in a while and the fact that I left my home and caught him leaving the alley and seeing him get in the car was truly unbelievable!!!

Thanks again.

[Rustsmith]

brevik, thank your for the update. We have all been more than a little concerned considering the potential that you faced for the situation to escalate out of control. Your marriage vows probably included the traditional "for better or for worse" phrase and you have definitely just survived one of the "for worse" challenges that were sent your way. From here, everything is up and hopefully you will both look back on this experience as something that has brought you even closer together.

I hope that you have also learned from reading our discussions how lucky you are to have a doctor who is willing to prescribe methadone. And how fortunate that he was able to attend the Sleep conference in Denver over the weekend where the experts were all making presentations on RLS. We have so many members coming in right now who are having problems finding a doctor who will prescribe an opiate due to the recent government guidelines. You are indeed fortunate to have him for a doctor.

Once things calm down a bit more, please suggest to your husband that he take a look at our discussions. It takes a while to accept the idea of taking methadone (I have just been on it for 90 days, so I know). If he could see the number of us who are in the same position that he is in, it would help speed his acceptance. He also needs to find out what it would have been like to get off of Neupro if his doctor had not taken this step. That will also increase his appreciation of his doctor. If you would feel uncomfortable with him seeing this discussion thread but want him to become involved here, let us know and we can work something out.

[jul2873]

Brevik, your strength throughout this ordeal is very inspiring. I hope so much that your husband can get this horrible RLS under control and that you can forgive him. I really admire you.

Mary

[ViewsAskew]

So glad to hear from you. And, while I can only imagine how it felt and that it didn't feel good most of the time, I'm glad it worked out as well as it did. You are both on your way to a new way of relating to each other.

Concerning the methadone, it might help you to watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCNI_UCj7SI

[Polar Bear]

brevik - Well done. You have made big progress here, to have everything out it the open.
Your husband has a difficult road ahead and is fortunate to have a wife who has taken time to learn about this disease and who will be able to support and encourage. It won't be easy for your either. This could be a really good turning point for both of you.

[brevik]

Thanks for your comments. Does anyone know how long it will take to get Neupro out of a person's system? He has been on it for four years at 4mg.

[Rustsmith]

The half life for Neupro is 5 to 7 hrs, so the drug should be out of his system in a day or two after he removes the last patch. However, since he was on it for so long and he was probably augmented, it is going to take a while for his body to regain the ability to produce a "normal" amount of dopamine on its own. The time that it takes to return to baseline conditions varies from person to person, but often is somewhere between one and two weeks. Getting the Neupro out of his system should help to resolve the compulsive behavior pretty quickly. Returning to a more normal sleep cycle is going to take a while, but the methadone will help with that.

[debbluebird]

Please don't worry about the Methadone. When I augmented on a DA, I was eventually given methadone. I took it for over five years without any problems. I stayed at the same dose. My problem is I live at high altitude and have stopped it. This should not be an issue for him. I'm thinking of restarting it anyway. It saved my life.

[stjohnh]

My minor compulsive behavior, buying unneeded stuff on Amazon, resolved in less than 48 hours after stopping neupro.

Happily, I didn't buy expensive stuff, and I was somewhat aware that my buying pattern had changed while on neupro. Being aware that my buying was influenced by neupro didn't make me able to stop until I got off the neupro.

[brevik]

Once again, your answers and comments are so very helpful. He was on 4mg on Sunday, 2mg on Monday and Tuesday, and nothing after that. I feel reassured about the Methadone after your comments. My emotions are up and down: angry, sad, loving, hurt, empathetic, astounded, not trusting, deflated, relieved, and tired. I made an appointment with a counselor. Hopefully he will too so that he can deal with his issues.

Our youngest son is here and his personality is close to mine. He has a calming effect on both of us. Our three adult kids are so blown away by this video gaming machine gambling. They repeat that they just can't believe their dad would be involved in this because it is so unlike him. Our oldest son who has his 8 year coin for being clean and sober visits with his family next weekend and will offer many insights and advice for his dad.

If anyone else can share their thoughts about this, I welcome them. Thanks again.

[stjohnh]

Wonderful that you have a supportive family.

[ViewsAskew]

Our three adult kids are so blown away by this video gaming machine gambling. They repeat that they just can't believe their dad would be involved in this because it is so unlike him.

Seems to me that it wasn't him at all. While this person looked like him, it wasn't him.

Brain chemistry has a huge impact on our personality and when we change it, it can change us in ways we'd never imagine. Think of people who've been in accidents and have injured their brains of had part of the brain removed for some reason. They can literally become "new" people - with completely new skills and temperaments.

The good news with your husband is that this is like a switch - it's not permanent.

In the last year, I went through quite a bit in my life. Late this winter, I realized I was depressed - I wasn't leaving my couch, taking showers, or doing any of the things I normally did. Everything was gray - no color in anything. I needed to get through the semester and wasn't helping my students or following through with anything. I decided to try an antidepressant. Within a couple weeks, I felt as if a switch had been turned on - all I wanted to do was eat. I'd wake up in the night and all I could think about was food. After I was feeling a bit better, I slowly stopped the drug because it was like I was a different person - one without ANY control over what she ate! Within a few weeks of stopping it, I was back to myself.

I'm not saying he's not responsible for his actions - but those lines get very blurry when something is acting upon us, something that has such a strong hold that we either seem not to be able to control it or that has changed us so much that we see it differently than we did. He certainly did not ask for this to happen. And, it likely happened gradually enough that he couldn't really stop it or see it for what is was.

Compassion, I'd think, might go a long way in this situation.

[Rustsmith]

I think that he is very lucky to have a wife who:

1) recognized the signs early enough to intervene before too much damage was done,
2) had the initiative to go online, find this resource, and learn what needed to be done,
3) develop a very detailed plan,
4) who had the resources and love to marshal all of her friends and family and strength to see this through to the point that you have reached, and
5) who had the love and compassion for her husband to be able to realize he needed to be forgiven.

You both still have a long way to go, but it should all be downhill compared to last weekend. You cannot realize the value of the knowledge you gained both from the experience with your son and from what you learned both here and from his doctor.

Finally, I cannot say to strongly enough that you need to realize what a treasure that you have in his doctor. Far too many times we hear from our members whose doctors do not have the knowledge and skill that your doctor has shown. In fact, most of us had to go through several doctors before we found one similar to yours. Without your doctor's support, you would not have been able to pull this off.