1. Warning Signs

2. Wonder drugs


3. Dopamine Hits


4. Big Pharma, Big Secret


5. Restless


6. Chasing Losses


16 February 2026


When Freddie's papa Bill is detected with Parkinson's, his medication gives him a new lease of life. He starts ticking things off his retiree bucket list - taking a trip, sky diving, golf.


But then Freddie notifications that his formerly sensible dad has actually started behaving uncommonly.


BBC Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge has invested more than a year talking to individuals whose behaviour changed significantly after taking a category of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists.


These drugs boost dopamine activity in the brain - they were recommended more than 1.5 million times in the UK last year to deal with Parkinson's disease and other motion .


But they have well established side impacts - around 1 in 6 people who take them develop impulse control conditions, which can include hypersexuality, binge eating, compulsive betting and shopping.


If these adverse effects have been understood about for years, why weren't some patients and their families appropriately alerted or kept an eye on?