Hypersexuality and other impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease
Nelis, E.A.; Berendse, H.W.; van den Heuvel, O.A.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 160: A9359
2016
ISSN/ISBN: 1876-8784 PMID: 26732226 Document Number: 689323
Impulse control disorders (ICD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) pose a therapeutic challenge. This article provides a description of the symptoms and management strategies of ICD in PD. We present two men aged 52 and 69 with ICD, especially hypersexuality, in response to dopaminergic medication. In the first case the symptoms of hypersexuality and gambling decreased after reducing the dose of the dopamine-agonist. In the second case the hypersexuality symptoms decreased after addition of naltrexon. It is important to recognize the symptoms of ICD in PD because of the large impact on social and relational functioning. It is of great importance to repeatedly ask the patient and their partner about these symptoms, since feelings of shame and guild hamper spontaneous report. The first step of treatment consists of reducing the dose of dopaminergic medication and/or to switch from dopamine-agonist to levodopa. Although the research on effective treatment options has been limited so far, treatment alternatives from the addiction field seem promising.