1. Indication

2. Wonder drugs


3. Dopamine Hits


4. Big Pharma, Big Secret


5. Restless


6. Chasing Losses


16 February 2026


When Freddie's father Bill is detected with Parkinson's, his medication gives him a brand-new lease of life. He starts ticking things off his retiree pail list - taking a trip, skydiving, golf.


But then Freddie notices that his formerly sensible daddy has started acting uncommonly.


BBC Investigations reporter Noel Titheradge has actually invested more than a year speaking to people whose behaviour changed significantly after taking a classification of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists.


These drugs improve in the brain - they were prescribed more than 1.5 million times in the UK last year to treat Parkinson's illness and other motion disorders.


But they have well recognized negative effects - around 1 in 6 people who take them establish impulse control conditions, which can consist of hypersexuality, binge consuming, compulsive gambling and shopping.


If these side effects have been learnt about for decades, why weren't some clients and their families effectively warned or kept track of?