December 11. 2024
Welcome to The Climb, your weekly journey with Lifecycle Sherpa, where we explore Parkinson’s Disease, its symptoms, treatments, tips, techniques, and build a supportive and knowledgeable community.
This week’s trail leads us to… impulsive control disorder (ICD).
Question: What is it and why does it happen?
Answer: The inability to resist impulses and compulsions such as gambling, hypersexuality, excessive shopping and becoming obsessed and addicted to dopaminergic medications (such as Levadopa).
This occurs as a result of the Parkinson’s medications, but is only seen in less than 20% of patients. You are more at risk if you have had an addiction in the past.
Tips to address ICD:
- Reducing or stopping the medications, as directed by your doctor only.
- Medications (speak to your doctor for details)
- Speak to a Psychologist or Neuropsychologist
We always encourage feedback, as it helps us enhance our community. Feel free to reach out regarding future topics you want to learn about, or how we can improve your experience.
See you next week!