1. Indication

2. Wonder drugs


3. Dopamine 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 gives him a brand-new lease of life. He starts ticking things off his retiree pail list - travelling, skydiving, golf.


But then Freddie notifications that his previously practical dad has begun acting abnormally.


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


These drugs improve dopamine activity in the brain - they were prescribed more than 1.5 million times in the UK in 2015 to treat Parkinson's disease and other movement conditions.


But they have well established negative effects - around 1 in 6 individuals who take them control disorders, which can include hypersexuality, binge consuming, compulsive betting and shopping.


If these negative effects have been understood about for years, why weren't some clients and their families correctly cautioned or monitored?