Parkinson’s disease sufferer becomes gambling addict as side effect of his medication

One of Britain’s youngest Parkinson’s disease sufferers blew £20,000 in three months after his medication made him addicted to gambling.

Primary school teacher Richard Wenmouth, 28, got hooked on online casinos just days after being prescribed the drug Mirapexin to control his muscle spasms.

He joined 20 online gambling websites and opened dozens of accounts with bookies.



In one day he blew £2,600 after emptying his and fiancee Karen’s joint account betting on online roulette.

His gambling finally stopped after Karen, 42, tried to withdraw some cash and discovered there was just £4.70 in their account.

The couple are now considering legal action against the makers of Mirapexin, which is known to cause compulsive behaviour as a rare side-effect.

Full story here.