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ABSTRACT The compulsive use of dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) or dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS) is one of the behavioural disturbances reported in some patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and other disorders who are receiving DRT. We draw this phenomenon to the attention of the addiction field as a topic deserving of more systematic study. We outline: the clinical features, epidemiology and clinical correlates of the disorder; the unresolved issues in its definition and diagnosis; and its potential relevance to neurobiological models of psychostimulant addiction. We argue that compulsive DRT use may provide a useful model for drug addiction, while advancing our understanding of the neurobiology of addiction and improving the management of PD patients with the disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses aspects of the study by P. Ambermoon and colleagues on the side effects of the use of dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) for parkinson's disease patients. She says that the study have highlighted DRT compulsive use as medication side effects rather than dependence syndrome. She adds that compulsive DRT use may be the result of a genuine therapeutic need, it is somehow similar to psychostimulant dependence or addiction, and needs further study.