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Prescription Drugs Made Me a Shopping Addict with Sally Gardner

5/1/202652 min

Author Sally Gardner’s addiction to shopping has cost her £700k. She has only just discovered this compulsive behaviour is side effect of drugs she’s been prescribed for 20 years.

Sally is a Carnegie Medal and Costa Children’s Book Award-winning writer who suffers from a debilitating condition called Restless Legs Syndrome. To combat it she has taken drugs called dopamine agonists for two decades. When her children heard a BBC radio investigation revealing the extent of compulsive behaviour the drugs can induce, they realised her extreme behaviour was linked to these drugs. Sally is talking publicly about her ordeal for the first time.

In Ready to Talk with Emma Barnett, the award-winning interviewer speaks to people you will know and people you should know about the experiences that are shaping their lives. If you want to join the conversation you can email the team at readytotalk@bbc.co.uk, or you can send a WhatsApp message or voice note to 08000 556 101.

If you are affected by the issues raised in this programme, a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Clips

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds
  1. Emma Barnett· Host0:00

    This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

  2. Speaker 10:03

    [gentle music] Make Mother's Day even more special at Whole Foods Market. Kick off brunch or dinner with quality cheese and charcuterie with no synthetic nitrates, then go seafood. There's an abundance on sale at Whole Foods Market, where it's all sustainable wild caught or responsibly farmed. At the bakery, grab seasonal treats like their strawberry pretzel cream pie. And you can't go wrong with a ready-to-heat quiche Lorraine, deviled eggs, and fresh cut fruits to go. Celebrate mom with Whole Foods Market.

  3. Speaker 20:34

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