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1. Warning Signs


10 February 2026


Early in 2025, BBC Investigations Correspondent Noel Titheradge published his first story about a category of prescription drug with uncommon adverse effects.


People who take dopamine agonist drugs for conditions like Parkinson's disease or Restless Legs Syndrome frequently report impulse control conditions - problems with gaming, compulsive eating or shopping, or hypersexuality.


He wasn't expecting the action. After that first short article was published more than 200 us - that's me, they said, that's my partner, that's my father.


So Noel began digging.