Award-winning children's author Sally Gardner has disclosed that prescription medications triggered a compulsive shopping addiction, causing her to spend over £500,000 on luxury items. The Carnegie Medal winner, who has sold 2.5 million books, was prescribed dopamine agonist drugs for Restless Legs Syndrome, which she says led to reckless spending on items such as a £3,000 bathtub, designer prints, and multiple identical purchases.
At the height of her success, Gardner initially believed her lavish spending was due to her newfound financial prosperity. 'Suddenly, I am in a different place, and for the first time in my life, earning really well,' she told the BBC podcast Ready to Talk. However, her spending quickly spiraled out of control. She began hiding purchases, lying to friends, and accumulating debts that eventually forced her to sell her north London townhouse and move into a smaller flat.
Gardner described feeling as though she had lost control of her actions. 'I had no idea what had happened to me. It was like, "Who are you? What are you doing?"' Even after realizing the severity, the compulsive behavior persisted, with tens of thousands spent on an interior designer. A concerned friend even went from shop to shop asking staff not to sell her anything.
Gardner believed she was 'going mad,' unaware that her medication could cause such side effects. Dopamine agonist drugs, commonly used for Parkinson's disease and Restless Legs Syndrome, boost dopamine activity in the brain but are linked to impulsive behaviors like compulsive shopping, gambling, and hypersexuality. Some patients have incurred massive debts or suffered broken relationships.
Gardner repeatedly bought identical items, including five pairs of the same shoes and ten dog beds for her Yorkshire Terrier, chasing a dopamine hit. 'You buy one thing and you get a dopamine hit from it and want that feeling again and again,' she explained.
Her case is among hundreds highlighted by the BBC, with patients or their families describing devastating consequences. Many did not connect their behavior to the drugs until it was too late. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is now reviewing the issue.
Gardner only realized the cause years later after listening to a BBC podcast. She feels her life was 'hijacked' by the medication. She has since reduced her dosage but remains on the drugs as they are the only effective treatment, and she continues to battle the urges daily.
Earlier this year, the widow of a Parkinson's sufferer described how her husband was transformed into a 'sex addict' overnight by the drug Pramipexole. Jane Ryde said he began collecting pornography and demanding sex at least three times a day, with no significant warning on the medication's leaflet. She noted that while the drug helped his disease symptoms, he would have been 'horrified' to learn of its effects. 'He changed overnight into someone I didn't recognise,' she said. 'He was a hard-working man and he just became a sex addict I suppose - very compulsive behaviour collecting porn snippets and pornography.' The consultant dismissed the behavior as unacceptable without addressing the drug's side effects.
