> I’d be curious to hear the experiences of people who take/have taken some of these drugs such as L-dopa.
L-DOPA's significant side effects and risks are very well known to doctors. No one should be prescribed L-DOPA unless they have severe Parkinson's disease, and even then the L-DOPA dose should be actively minimized.
We should all be aware of potential side effects, but it's also important avoid the false dilemma fallacy. These patients aren't choosing between being healthy or taking L-DOPA. They're forced to choose between suffering from severe Parkinson's disease symptoms or risking the side effects of the medication. When the side effects outweigh the benefits, the medication should be discontinued. When the side effects are less than the underlying disease, the medication should be continued.
L-DOPA's significant side effects and risks are very well known to doctors. No one should be prescribed L-DOPA unless they have severe Parkinson's disease, and even then the L-DOPA dose should be actively minimized.
The impulsive behavior side effect of L-DOPA is so well known that it has its own Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_dysregulation_syndrom...
We should all be aware of potential side effects, but it's also important avoid the false dilemma fallacy. These patients aren't choosing between being healthy or taking L-DOPA. They're forced to choose between suffering from severe Parkinson's disease symptoms or risking the side effects of the medication. When the side effects outweigh the benefits, the medication should be discontinued. When the side effects are less than the underlying disease, the medication should be continued.