A UK man has been awarded compensation after being given medication that caused him to develop a gambling addiction. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Compensation awarded

A British man has received a £70,000 ($88,653) payout after he was prescribed medication which triggered a compulsive gambling addiction.

Philip Stevens, 66, from Hampshire, England, received the payout from his general practitioner after being prescribed Ropinirole for symptoms related to Multiple Sclerosis.

compulsive behavior around activities such as gambling, eating, shopping, or sex

One possible side-effect of the drug is an impulse control disorder. Patients are ordered to contact specialists if they display any of the symptoms, which include compulsive behavior around activities such as gambling, eating, shopping, or sex.

Compulsion to gamble

Stevens stopped working in 2015 after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease with a wide range of mental and physical symptoms. Stevens was prescribed Roprinirole to deal with one of the symptoms, a condition known as restless legs syndrome.

The lawsuit found that Stevens was not adequately warned of the possible side effects of the drug and soon began an expensive compulsive gambling habit that spiraled into an out-of-control addiction.

after taking the drug, he would wake up in the middle of the night to gamble

He had previously bet on horse racing, but only occasionally and for small amounts. After taking the drug, he would wake up in the middle of the night to gamble, using mobile apps to bet on anything that was available. He lost thousands of pounds on the habit and also developed compulsions around shopping and fishing trips.

Stevens said: “The things that I once enjoyed that became obsessions, such as fishing and horse racing, are now joyless because, with each one, a sense of guilt overcomes me. I am not the same person as I was pre-Ropinirole.”

Eventually, during a review in 2021, a specialist asked him if he was displaying any compulsive behavior. After Stevens brought up his gambling habit, he was advised to stop taking the drug immediately.

Withdrawal symptoms

Unfortunately for Stevens, in addition to not being warned of the drug’s side effects, he was also not warned or prepared for its withdrawal symptoms, which include major mood changes.

quickly developed psychosis and hallucinations

While his compulsive behavior stopped shortly after coming off the drug, he quickly developed psychosis and hallucinations, being unable to recognize his home or family. He even insisted that his children take DNA tests as he did not believe they were his children.

“On a positive level, my marriage has survived, and I am beginning to look forward more than backwards, and maybe one day I will believe that what happened to me was not my fault,” he said.

The case is not the first of its kind surrounding the drug and its potential to cause gambling disorders. Law firm Leigh Day, who was used by Stevens to win his settlement, also won a similar case last year to help a woman who had also developed compulsive shopping and betting habits when taking the drug.