I have several compulsive disorders: Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder, Binge Eating Disorder, and Compulsive Shopping. My other disorders
include Bipolar Disorder 1, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety
Disorder, PTSD, and more. Although, of the three compulsive disorders,
Compulsive Shopping hasn’t been given an actual Mental Illness disorder
designation, it is heading in that direction.
I remember back in 2008 when I realized I had a problem. I
spent over $5,000.00 in one month. Most everything I bought was for my new
granddaughter, but it wasn’t necessary or required. I just went in the stores,
went to my happy place, and resurfaced as I left the store, wondering how I
could have spent so much and why did I have so many packages and bags?
A blog post, Compulsive
Shopping Symptoms and Secrets sums up the emotional aspects of why we shop:
COMPULSIVE SHOPPING
SYMPTOMS
•
Compulsive
shopaholics who shop when they are feeling emotional distress
•
Trophy shopaholics
who are always shopping for the perfect item
•
Shopaholics who want
the image of being a big spender and love flashy items
•
Bargain seekers who
purchase items they don’t need because they are on sale
•
Bulimic shoppers who
get caught in a vicious cycle of buying and returning
•
Collectors who don’t
feel complete unless they have one item in each color or every piece of a set.
•
When they are feeling
“out of sorts, shop for a ” pick-me-up.”
The blog posts goes on to identify some of the emotional
symptoms identifying compulsive shopping:
•
Spending more than
they can afford
•
Shopping as a
reaction to feeling angry or depressed
•
Shopping as a way to
feel less guilty about a previous shopping spree
•
Harming relationships
due to spending or shopping too much
•
Losing control of the
shopping behavior
Fast forward to this year, 2016. I have attempted to keep my
compulsive shopping in check, although I still had my moments. However, this
year, it went over the top out of control. My husband I moved an hour north of
where we used to live in Tampa, FL, to an airport community. It was beautiful
and so serene, calming, and relaxing. Everyone had the same interest; nearly
every home had a hanger with a plane or three. The runway went right down the
middle of the community with our roads as taxiways. I’ve developed five gardens
so far in the back yard, and we have visitors such as deer, turkeys, Sand Hill
Cranes, Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, rabbits, and more.
We did have to spend quite a bit of money getting the house
prepared to move in as it was a foreclosure that sat empty for five years. It
needed everything from air conditioning units; to appliances; to a septic tank
lift station, to a hanger door. And so much more, this post could turn into a
laundry list of repairs.
It took a LOT of money.
So, my husband’s idea was to put us on a budget to repay all
the expenses incurred, as well as provide various categories for future
spending with limits for each month. It
was something I just couldn’t grasp. I tried, every month, every week, every day,
but I still was spending my budget in the first week, and moving money around
to compensate for the rest of the month’s shopping sprees.
It even got to the point that one weekend, my husband wanted
to Baker Act me into a psychiatric hospital to see if something seriously
drastic could be done. Even if it just kept me from spending for a few days. It
was a last ditch effort to stop my compulsive shopping and a way to save my
husband’s own sanity.
Instead we had a very long, heart to heart talk about my
feelings of being controlled by him and the budget, my feelings of not being
worthy as I am a disabled Veteran and am unable to work outside of the home.
What my purpose in life versus what my husband’s idea of my life purpose
differed. I wanted to contribute more money to our income, but my husband felt
that my mental health was more important, and I didn’t need to work, he’d
rather I didn’t, and he preferred that I take care of the house, the pets, the
gardens, and relax.
I just couldn’t do that.
So, he accompanied me to my next Therapist appointment and
we talked to him and asked him to help. And, he has, but I got even more help
from my psychiatrist today. I told him about the compulsive shopping and he
immediately focused on dopamine
agonists. It was first prescribed at the end of February 2016 for
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS.)
It has been discovered to have a very nasty side effect. It
increases and causes compulsive activities.
Dopamine agonists were
first released to the public in 1997. An ABC News article titled Strange Side Effects
Surprise Patients, published July 15, 2008, stated the following:
Dopamine
agonists, which mimic the brain chemical known as dopamine.
Dopamine works
in the brain's movement and coordination centers, and it is also involved in
the brain's pleasure response by reinforcing behaviors that provide enjoyment
-- including drinking, drugs, sex and gambling.
The article went on to say that the makers of these dopamine
agonists have been putting warnings in their medication documentation,
but did not realize that it had gotten this out of hand, as stated in the ABC
News article:
Scientists have
recently begun to quantify the behavioral changes associated with dopamine
agonist drugs. In a study presented in late June at the International Congress
of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders conference in Chicago, more than
13 percent of 3,090 Parkinson's patients had a problem with compulsive
gambling, buying, sex or binge-eating.
People who were
taking dopamine agonists had a two- to three-times greater chance of having one
of the four impulse-control disorders.
A two to three chance? How about those who already have
compulsive disorders? I can attest the chance of affliction is much higher and
the effects are so much stronger.
What are dopamine agonists?
According to the Parkinson's Disease Clinic and Research Center:
There are two commonly prescribed oral dopamine agonists in the United States:PramipexoleRopinirole
- Apomorphine, a subcutaneously administered dopamine agonist, was approved for use in the United States in 2004. The dopamine agonists differ in several respects, including
- chemical structure
- duration of action
- side effects
- Bromocriptine and the recently withdrawn pergolide are ergot derivatives and may rarely cause retroperitoneal, pulmonary, and pericardial fibrosis, and cardiac valvulopathies. Pramipexole and ropinirole have half-lives 6-12 hours and are therefore taken 2-3 times daily.
- Pramipexole and ropinirole
- Pramipexole and ropinirole are not ergot compounds. Large clinical trials comparing these medications to levodopa showed that they can be used in early Parkinson's disease and reduce the severity of symptoms. Over the years, differences in the effects of the dopamine agonists have emerged. One side effect is daytime sleepiness and "sleep attacks." Although this may occur with all of the dopamine agonists (and levodopa), it was first appreciated in people treated with pramipexole.
- Apomorphine
- Apomorphineis indicated in patients who experience "off states"refractory to modifications of oral medications such as increasing the dose or frequency of dopaminergic medications or introducting a COMT inhibitor. It has a rapid onset of action, usually within 10-20 minutes but the duration of action is short, lasting for only about an hour. Apomorphine is only available from specialty pharmacies. Because nausea occurs in the vast majority of patients, pretreatment with trimethobenzamide (Tygan®) is required. Initial titration and observation for side effects (syncope, hypotension) must occur in the physician's office.
In January 2014, the Addiction.com website wrote
an article that provides some helpful information about what to do if you’ve
been taking dopamine agonists.
If you’re a patient
taking a dopamine agonist, the options are unfortunately limited. It’s worth
noting that the incidence of these side effects is quite low, but there is
still a chance you’ll develop them. If you’re experiencing symptoms of
compulsive behavior after starting on a dopamine agonist, the best thing to do is
to contact your doctor about it as soon as possible. Compulsive gambling, sex
and shopping all have the potential to financially ruin patients or obliterate
romantic relationships, so the importance of reducing their impact can’t be
overstated. In the event of negative consequences, your physician may be able
to suggest an alternative treatment. Do what you can to better your health!
As for my mental health, my psychiatrist took me off the
medication immediately. I am now taking supplements to treat my Restless Leg
Syndrome (RLS): Potassium and Magnesium. It will take approximately two weeks
for the effects of the drug to leave my system.
I no longer have this dark cloud hovering over me,
questioning every purchase or thought of purchase. I have a better future to
look forward to with my husband and our plan to get out of debt.
Have a blessed and happy day.
Vicki
