Didier Jambart, a 51-year-old married father of two in Nantes, France, is taking GlaxoSmithKline to court Tuesday, seeking $610,000 in damages. He claims a prescription drug called Requip (ropinirole), manufactured by the British company, has turned him into a gay sex and gambling addict.
Jambart says that since he was prescribed the drug for Parkinson's Disease, he's tried to take his own life three times because he's addicted to Internet gambling, lost his family's savings, and stole to feed his habit.
When he wasn't gambling his life away, he was exposing himself on the Internet, cross-dressing, and “became a compulsive gay sex addict.” His lawyer told the media Jambart's behavior lead to Jambart being raped.
Since 2006, the drug's label has listed possible side effects as uncontrollable urges of any sort, but particularly gambling, and advises patients to tell their doctor if any unusual behavior should come up. Jambart apparently took the medication between 2003 and 2005.