1. Warning Signs

2. Wonder drugs


3. Hits


4. Big Pharma, Big Secret


5. Restless


6. Chasing Losses


16 February 2026


When Freddie's daddy Bill is diagnosed with Parkinson's, his medication offers him a brand-new lease of life. He begins ticking things off his retired person bucket list - travelling, skydiving, golf.


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


BBC Investigations reporter Noel Titheradge has actually spent more than a year speaking with people whose behaviour altered radically after taking a category of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists.


These drugs improve dopamine activity in the brain - they were recommended 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 side effects - around 1 in 6 individuals who take them establish impulse control conditions, which can include hypersexuality, binge consuming, compulsive gambling and shopping.


If these adverse effects have been understood about for decades, why weren't some clients and their families properly alerted or kept track of?