A 66-year-old British man who became addicted to sports betting because of a drug whose side effects he did not know has forced his general practitioner to compensate him, his lawyers announced on Friday. Originally from the south of England, Philip Stevens was compensated to the tune of 70,000 pounds, or 84,000 euros, after an amicable agreement, said the same source in a press release.
The facts date back to 2017, when the sixty-year-old went to his doctor because of tremors in his left leg. The latter then diagnosed him with restless legs syndrome. Little known to the general public, it results in tingling and a need to move the legs, particularly at night, poisoning the lives of people who suffer from it.
His GP had prescribed Ropinirole, a medication used in particular against Parkinson’s disease, without mentioning the potential side effects, assured Philip Stevens. Among them, an impulse control disorder that can lead to irrepressible gambling or purchasing behavior.
“His gambling had become compulsive”
According to the law firm representing him, Philip Stevens “during the four years he took Ropinirole, spent thousands of pounds on online gambling sites”. Usually “cautious” in his sports betting, “his gambling had become compulsive”, maintains his counsel, for whom “he bet on everything he could and no longer cared at all about winning. He did not feel in control of his actions.”
Alongside sports betting, Philip Stevens began making “compulsive” purchases of clothing or fishing equipment. It was only in 2021, after a visit to a neurologist, that he stopped taking the drug. A new nightmare begins. Compulsive purchases are followed by hallucinations, paranoia and depression, caused by withdrawal.
“I am no longer the same person as before Ropinirole,” declared the person concerned, quoted in the press release from the law firm which represents him, which specifies that the financial agreement was concluded without the general practitioner recognizing his responsibility in the matter.