A First Case of Compulsive Amnestic Sleep-Related Shopping Induced by Pramipexole Therapy of Restless Legs Syndrome.
- 1Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
- 3Department of Neurology, Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Abstract
Dopamine receptor agonists (DAs) such as pramipexole/ropinirole are recognized treatments for restless legs syndrome (RLS) and Parkinson's disease (PD). It is well established that these medications can cause impulse control disorders (ICDs) during wakefulness, side effects with serious and potentially life-altering consequences. Impulse control disorders are recurrent difficult-to-resist behaviors that can be harmful to the patient or others around them. Common examples include pathologic gambling and compulsive sexual behaviors, eating, and shopping. We present the case of a patient with RLS who developed pathologic nocturnal sleep-related shopping, without recalling the events, which resolved after discontinuing pramipexole. This case illustrates the devastating consequences that unrecognized medically-induced ICDs can have on patients' lives and the importance of counseling patients about ICDs during wake and sleep prior to starting DA therapy.
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BibTeX
@article{todd2026first,
title = {{A First Case of Compulsive Amnestic Sleep-Related Shopping Induced by Pramipexole Therapy of Restless Legs Syndrome.}},
author = {Michael Todd and Carlos H Schenck and Erin Golden and Ranji Varghese},
journal = {Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1055/s-0046-1829640},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904291},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A First Case of Compulsive Amnestic Sleep-Related Shopping Induced by Pramipexole Therapy of Restless Legs Syndrome.
AU - Michael Todd
AU - Carlos H Schenck
AU - Erin Golden
AU - Ranji Varghese
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
DO - 10.1055/s-0046-1829640
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904291
AB - Dopamine receptor agonists (DAs) such as pramipexole/ropinirole are recognized treatments for restless legs syndrome (RLS) and Parkinson's disease (PD). It is well established that these medications can cause impulse control disorders (ICDs) during wakefulness, side effects with serious and potentially life-altering consequences. Impulse control disorders are recurrent difficult-to-resist behaviors that can be harmful to the patient or others around them. Common examples include pathologic gambling and compulsive sexual behaviors, eating, and shopping. We present the case of a patient with RLS who developed pathologic nocturnal sleep-related shopping, without recalling the events, which resolved after discontinuing pramipexole. This case illustrates the devastating consequences that unrecognized medically-induced ICDs can have on patients' lives and the importance of counseling patients about ICDs during wake and sleep prior to starting DA therapy.
SN - 1984-0659
SN - 1984-0063
ER -