Hello,

I am posting today as (sort-of) a last resort. Mom is ready to call it quits with dad. (husband of almost 30 yrs.) Mom is fed-up and I'm not sure that she will even listen to anything I might say to her or "evidence" I might present to her .. but I thought I would give it a try anyways..

Dad began a whole new medication regimen approximately four years ago. This coincides with when he began seeing a new psychiatrist. He began seeing this new psychiatrist (new for him) for his anxiety and depression.

The dr. prescribed for him (at the time) 450mgs of Effexor xr, Provigil 20mgs, Ambien 10 mgs and Mirapex 1 mg. (His ambien has just been changed, a month or so ago, to trazodone. Dad would (previously) get up after taking the ambien and proceed to try to operate machinery, etc.)

Apparently the Mirapex was supposed to counteract dad's severe RLS. I have read that this severe RLS is probably caused by the Effexor(?) (Not absolutely sure about that one..)

Anyway, after mom and I talked in-depth, I learned that dad began some unusual (compulsive?) behaviors several months after he began on the new medication program.

I am seriously convinced that this is not a coincidence. I believe that it is something in his current medication program that is "making" him the way he is today.

He began drinking on a nightly basis AFTER he started on his new medication program. Dad and mom used to just go out occasionally and have a few drinks. Now dad goes nightly .. without mom. Mom is just too disgusted/frustrated with the situation. Dad USED TO just drink several beers throughout an evening. Today, he drinks more than 12 beers nightly and many shots of Jaeger (6 or 8?).

Along with this comes the amount of money he spends to fund his drinking. It is a lot .. in my opinion. He averages (so mom says) anywhere from $50 to $90 nightly. This adds up in a hurry. He has almost maxed out mom's credit card.

Dad was always very social, nice to all in the past. But more recently .. in the past four years, he has become a terrible flirt. Mom is even finding other women's phone numbers in his cell phone. He claims that they are just "friends" .. of which I say baloney.

I have heard, first hand (from some of my friends) who happen to be at the bar while dad was there, that he is a absolutely terrible flirt and will "allow" women to hang all over him.

This (alone) would be a huge problem .. but he also basically has "decided" that he is done with working. He "just has to wait it out until he dies". Which is baloney. Dad is 52 and in all of our opinions has many years ahead of him. Dad claims that he just doesn't have it in him to work like he used to any more. Yet, he will do many, many things that he LIKES to do without a problem. He claims that he can't remember anything anymore and can't focus. (Of which I discovered with googling, the Mirapex and/or Effexor could be doing this to him?)

My question for you folks .. who have hopefully had much experience with Mirapex and it's problems .. is does this sound like a compulsiveness that Mirapex would cause? He takes 1 mg nightly for the RLS. I don't know if that is considered a large dose or not ..?

I am confused because I am also finding (on my searches) that Effexor can cause alcoholism .. and cause people to do things they never would have otherwise.

Maybe, for dad, the combination of Mirapex and Effexor are proving to be very damaging for himself and consequently effecting those that love him.

Mom (apparently) has voiced (somewhat) my same thinking to dad's dr. Dad's dr. maintains that it is NOT the medications that has made the change in dad. He says it is the alcohol. I think it's crazy because none of this began until after dad started this new drs. medication program.

Can I get some input from some of you educated people on this board .. ?

Any help, insight, anyone can give would be very much appreciated.

good luck

To add a question for pharmacist Comes .. when he is back, I had it mentioned to me on the regular "message board" area of this forum that even just "cutting back" on the mirapex may not help with dad's problems. Can you please give me your input on that? (I guess we were hoping it would!)

I know, I have a lot of questions ... thanks much for all of you and your time.