$1000 On NightKicker To Show
Posted on | March 26, 2007 at 5:50 pm | 4 Comments
One of the many odd ailments that afflicts me from time to time is Restless Legs Syndrome. I think it’s hereditary, as other members of my family have the same problem. I’ve been to the doctor about it before, and was prescribed some sort of antidepressant or something, which didn’t help at all and just made me feel ill. Basically, they said there was nothing that could be done.
I just saw on the news today that they’ve had some success treating RLS with drugs that promote dopamine production (commonly used for Parkinson’s Disease), including a new one called rotigotine that is administered by way of a transdermal patch. It has been approved for use in Europe, and is expected to be approved by the FDA shortly for use in the USA.
However, the drug seems to have an unusual side effect in some people. It turns them into gambling addicts. I am not making this up. I hereby apologize to all the compulsive gamblers I’ve inadvertently slurred all these years by suggesting it’s not a real disease. If one can take a neurological drug that causes one to become a gambler, that does say to me there’s some physiological component to the compulsion.
I’ve never been much of a gambler (as in both “haven’t gambled much” and “haven’t gambled well much”), though I have been known to engage in the occasional poker game and to buy some PowerBall tickets when the pot is high. (And sometimes when it’s not high.) I’m a loser, and I really shouldn’t engage in those activities. I did enter the office pool for the NCAA tournament, and since I know nothing about college basketball, I used my friend Steve’s system for filling out my bracket. And for awhile, I actually did very well and was number one. I’ve dropped down to 5th place now and the future doesn’t look so rosy (thanks to those North Carolina losers). But there was no money involved in this pool (just bragging rights for the winner) and it’s doubtful I would’ve entered if there had been.
But what if things were different? If I go on this treatment, does that mean I do have to start worrying about losing all my money gambling? Will I suddenly start playing online poker every night until 3am? Will I challenge my friends to perform odd tasks? (”Pilto, I’ll give you $50 if you can go two days without repeating a story or rant.”) Will I make bets with my girlfriend about the outcome of this week’s American Idol? Will I spend all my comic book and CD money on PowerBall and lotto tickets? Will I join my gambling addict co-workers on their monthly ride up to Central City or Blackhawk and play Blackjack? Will I hang out down at the racetrack and wear a hat? It could be the start of a whole new lifestyle for me, and something about it does kind of sound appealing.
So basically, this treatment probably ends up costing people a lot more than just the cost of the drug, especially, if they’re a bad gambler. Would it be worth it to be rid of this disturbing ailment? What’s the price of a good night’s sleep?
I guess it could be worse. The drug could turn me into a compulsive whiner or a hypochondriac.
Latre.
Comments
4 Responses to “$1000 On NightKicker To Show”
March 26th, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
Don’t bet against Sanjaya, whatever you do…
March 26th, 2007 @ 9:46 pm
You wrote, “I have been known to engage in the occasional poker game and to buy some PowerBall tickets when the pot is high.”
Are those last few words the right ones in the right order?
March 26th, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Are those last few words the right ones in the right order?
Okay, maybe I should’ve said “jackpot”, but you get the idea.
March 28th, 2007 @ 10:01 am
Rotigotine sounds like something that should be served with Pomodoro sauce. I’d live with the RLS personally, at least it’s not Jake Leg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_ginger).