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Children’s author Sally Gardiner’s life took an unexpected turn as her career flourished, marked by skyrocketing book sales and prestigious literary honors. However, alongside her professional success came a troubling pattern of compulsive spending. Initially, those around her believed her costly purchases—ranging from a £3,000 bathtub to artwork by Peter Blake and frequent visits to high-end boutiques in Paris—were simply indulgences afforded by her newfound wealth. But Sally soon found herself overwhelmed by debt, forced to downsize her home, and caught in a relentless cycle of buying she couldn’t control.
Sally’s shopping addiction alarmingly escalated, persisting even after she sold her north London house and moved into a smaller flat. Despite her changed circumstances, she spent tens of thousands more on interior decorating. Friends became desperate, going to shop assistants in an effort to stop her spending sprees. For a long time, Sally was confused and ashamed by her behavior, unsure of its source. During this period, she was also undergoing treatment for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a condition that subjected her to an uncontrollable urge to move, especially at night, causing severe insomnia. The dopamine agonist medication prescribed for her RLS offered immediate relief, but its psychiatric side effects, which were never explained to her, had profound consequences.
It has since become clear to Sally that her compulsive shopping was a direct result of these dopamine agonist drugs, taken for years without proper warnings or monitoring. Over two decades, she accumulated debts exceeding £500,000, and her excessive buying extended to repetitive purchases, such as owning five identical pairs of shoes and ten dog beds for her Yorkshire Terrier. Compulsive behaviors linked to these medications have affected many others similarly, including compulsive gambling, sexual urges, and other impulsive acts. Yet, awareness and guidelines for managing such side effects have primarily focused on Parkinson’s patients—mostly men—while those with RLS, predominantly women, have been overlooked.
This lack of recognition and guidance has left many patients under-supported. Neuroscience experts note that compulsive shopping tends to go undetected longer than other impulsive behaviors because it can occur quietly, especially through online shopping, where immediate social feedback is limited. Sally now confronts the lasting impact of her addiction daily; although she has reduced her medication dosage, she continues to take the drug as it is the only effective treatment for her RLS. She reflects on the experience with regret and a sense of ongoing struggle: “It’s there all the time, and I battle with it every day. With everything I buy, I have to think, ‘
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