The Global Story: The medications that can trigger sex and gambling addictions
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 12 April 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A BBC investigation has heard from hundreds of people who say they developed sex and gambling addictions after taking a category of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists. Millions of people in the US and around the world have been prescribed these medications, which are used to treat various illnesses, from Parkinson’s to depression. But they have well-established side effects: around 1 in 6 people who take them develop impulse control disorders. Noel Titheradge, investigations correspondent, shares the story of one American woman who developed hypersexuality after she took a dopamine agonist drug. Like many of the patients Noel has spoken to, she says she was not warned that her medication could dramatically change her personality. Noel’s investigation is also a BBC podcast series. Search for ‘Shadow World: Impulsive’. If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Viv Jones Executive producer: Bridget Harney Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: A mixture of pills. Credit: Lauren Hurley/PA Wire
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | If American politics is leaving you with a lot of questions, you're not alone. |
| 0:12.3 | On America's, we chat through what's really going on. |
| 0:15.3 | Make sense of what's happening in the US, with new podcast episodes arriving throughout the week. |
| 0:20.6 | America's. Listen on BBC Science. |
| 0:23.9 | Hey there, I'm Asma Khalid. |
| 0:26.0 | And I'm Tristan Redmond, and we're here with a bonus episode for you from the Global Story podcast. |
| 0:31.2 | The world order is shifting. Old alliances are fraying and new ones are emerging. |
| 0:37.3 | Some of this turbulence can be traced to decisions made in the United States. But the U.S. isn't just a cause of the upheaval. Its politics are also a symptom of it. |
| 0:48.0 | Every day we focus on one story, looking at how America and the world shape each other. |
| 0:53.3 | So we hope you enjoy this episode. |
| 0:55.2 | And to find more of our show, just search for The Global Story, wherever you get your BBC podcast. |
| 1:02.8 | Today we've got a special BBC investigation for you all. |
| 1:06.6 | It's a really, really fascinating story. |
| 1:09.0 | But I also want to note that this episode talks about sex and there's a mention of suicide. |
| 1:13.5 | So please take care while listening. |
| 1:15.2 | And if you have little ones around, you might want to listen to this at a different moment. |
| 1:20.2 | When Charlene was 42 years old, living in Massachusetts, she began taking this new medicine to help her with mild depression. |
| 1:28.0 | The drug worked. |
| 1:28.9 | Her mood improved. |
| 1:30.6 | But after taking it for a while, her behavior also started to change dramatically. |
| 1:36.1 | I had this kind of insatiable sex drive all of a sudden. |
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