This post from yesterday made the point that that most medications are toxins that often have serious side effects, but that the risk of those side effects has to be weighed against the benefit that patients derive from the medications. However, the side effect noted in this article is, might we say, a bit difficult to weigh:

A Mayo Clinic study published Monday in July?s Archives of Neurology describes 11 other Parkinson?s patients who developed the unusual problem [of becoming compulsive gamblers] while taking Mirapex or similar drugs between 2002 and 2004. Doctors have since identified 14 additional Mayo patients with the problem, . . .