From sex addiction to binge eating and uncontrollable gambling urges, Abilify side effects can completely upend some patients’ lives. Off-Label Use Causes Abilify Side Effects That Echo Conditions the Drug Treats. Abilify (generic name: aripiprazole) is an atypical antipsychotic the FDA approved to treat schizophrenia in 2002. Aripiprazole (the active ingredient contained in Abilify) lauroxil Extended-Release IM Suspension: The most commonly reported side effects included akathisia, headache, injection site reactions, and insomnia. Less common, but also more serious side effects include a rash, dry mouth, an increased appetite, muscle aches, agitation, and seizures. Because of a possible increased appetite, Abilify can also lead to weight gain and associated complications like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar levels. Side effects of Abilify may result in uncontrollable urges to gamble or engage in other impulsive behaviors. Abilify lawsuits are being pursued to recover settlement benefits for: Gambling Losses That May Have Been Avoided. Medically Fact Checked Abilify lawsuits claim manufacturers did not warn patients of serious side effects. Some say the antipsychotic drug caused compulsive gambling and eating. Users also reported issues with compulsive shopping and sex.

1. Side Effects Of Abilify Gambling
2. Gambling Side Effects Of Abilify Withdrawal
3. Gambling Side Effects Of Abilify Side Effects

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Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals face a new product liability lawsuit over Abilify, alleging that the medication caused an Illinois woman to engage in compulsive gambling, which could have been avoided if the drug makers had adequately warned about the potential side effects of Abilify.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Angela Groshans in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on July 28, indicating that the drug makers knew about the link between Abilify and compulsive gambling, yet withheld information from consumers and the medical community that may have allowed users to avoid severe financial losses if they had recognized the potential behavior as a side effect of the medication.

Groshans indicates that she began taking Abilify in November 2013, and began to exhibit signs of compulsive gambling shortly after. She did not discover that Abilify could cause compulsive gambling side effects until 2015, by which time she had already incurred losses exceeding $50,000. The complaint indicates that Groshans stopped taking Abilify in May 2015, and the compulsive gambling problems came to an end.

Abilify (ariprazole) is one of the top-selling brand name medications on the market in the United States, generating sales in excess of $6 billion per year, and widely used by millions of Americans for treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other major depressive disorders. It is also widely used off-label to treat irritability, aggression, mood swings and other behavior issues.

Groshans’ case joins a growing number of similar Abilify compulsive gambling lawsuits filed in recent months, following the publication of independent studies about the impact of the medication, and recent FDA warnings about the risk of impulsive behaviors while taking the drug.

The complaint filed by Groshans notes that there has been a steady rise in Abilify gambling and other compulsive behaviors reported to the FDA in recent years.

“Despite evidence that Abilify causes compulsive behaviors like pathological gambling and calls from the medical community to conduct further research and warn patients about this possible effect of Abilify, Defendants have either failed to investigate or conduct any studies on the compulsive behavior side effects of Abilify or failed to make public the results of any studies or investigations that they might have done,” the lawsuit states.

Although compulsive gambling warnings are on Abilify in a number of other countries, no information was provided to consumers or doctors in the U.S. until May 2016, when the FDA required the drug maker to update the warning label and add information about the link between Abilify and gambling problems.

The new warnings will now provide information to users of Abilify and doctors in the U.S. about the large number of adverse event reports involving uncontrollable urges to gamble, as well as engage in other potentially dangerous activities, such as uncontrollable shopping, eating or sexual activity. Consumers are encouraged to speak with their physician if they notice these impulsive behaviors, as symptoms typically stop shortly after the medication is discontinued.

In June, two plaintiffs filed a motion to transfer before the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), calling for all Abilify lawsuits to be consolidated before one judge for pretrial proceedings.

If the U.S. JPML establishes centralized pretrial proceedings, Groshans’ case and dozens of other Abilify lawsuits pending in U.S. District Courts nationwide will be transferred to one judge for coordinated discovery and a series of “bellwether” trials to help gauge how juries may respond to certain evidence and testimony that is likely to be repeated throughout the litigation.

Side Effects Of Abilify Gambling

Tags: Abilify, Antipsychotic, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gambling, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co

Users of the antipsychotic medicationAbilify might be eligible to receive money from a global settlement reached bythe company this past February.

According to the court order, issued inmid-February 2019, all lawyers for plaintiffs in the cases will need to appear fora case management conference to resolve the lawsuits pending in federal courtsthroughout the country. Claims administrators have been appointed to the caseand settlement deadlines have been set.

The terms of the settlement are privateand will continue to remain so while lawyers review the information for theirclients.

Bristol-Myers Squibb, the maker ofAbilify, filed a motion the same day the order was issued asserting that thecourt ask any plaintiff who rejects the settlement to provide additionalinformation certifying the claim had been reviewed in an appropriate manner.

Abilify Makers Did Not Properly Warn Patients of Side Effects

According to the lawsuits, drug makersfailed to provide adequate warning to Abilify users concerning the drug’sserious side effects, among which included uncontrollable urges to gamble.Users also experienced a number of impulsive behaviors they claimed were linkedto their use of the drug.

The global settlement came after threebellwether cases were resolved about six months prior during the summer of2018.

A judge ordered the drug makers to comeup with a plan for settling claims related to the drug’s side effects followingthe settlement of three lawsuits within the MDL for undisclosed amounts.

As of the decision to stay theremaining cases, there was limited scientific evidence concerning whether ornot and how the drug would trigger compulsive behaviors and whether everyoneusing the drug would be at risk. Gathering data that would conclusively proveor disprove the claims would require clinic trials that would be “massive andresource-intensive.”

Abilify Users Experienced Intense Urges to Gamble While Using the Drug

Thousands of users of Abilify haveclaimed that their use of the drug caused out-of-character behavior that resultedin financial devastation.

One female user whose case washighlighted in Stat claimed shebecame a compulsive gambler “virtually overnight” after beginning use of thedrug in December 2014 to treat anxiety and depression. She drained her family’sbank accounts and took out a loan for $50,000 within six months after she begantaking the drug. Her gambling behaviors stopped the moment she was taken offthe drug.

Gambling is not the only compulsivebehavior linked to Abilify use.

Another woman whose story was shared inthe Daily Beast claimed she developeda sex and shopping addiction during her time taking the drug. She describedbeing obsessed with sexual fantasies and would send X-rated photos to peoplevia text message. Her time on Abilify also included shopping sprees where shepurchased cars and additions for her home. Her and her husband eventually hadto file for bankruptcy.

Gambling Side Effects Of Abilify Withdrawal

Abilify received approval from the FDAin 2002 for treating bipolar disorder, Tourette’s disorder, and symptoms ofautism. It’s also been used to treat depression and is often prescribed foroff-label purposes, including treating eating disorders and anxiety.

The drug was a financial success forits makers, earning more than $51 billion in the United States and continue tohave healthy sales even after a generic version was released in 2015 –something that rarely happens for brand name medications.

Gambling Side Effects Of Abilify Side Effects

Reports of side effects linked toAbilify use began rolling in and by 2012, the European Medicines Agencyrequired that Abilify be labeled with a special warning, noting the post-marketreports of pathological gambling. Canadian regulators issued a similarrequirement in 2015 and the FDA finally issued its own warning in 2016 – longafter many Abilify user’s lives had been destroyed.

This is not the first time the makersof Abilify have come under fire for the drug. In 2007, the company paid outmore than $515 million to settle federal charges related to illegal marketingof the drug for off-label uses. Doctors can legally prescribe medication foroff-label use, but drug maker are not permitted to market the drug for thoseuses.

And in 2016, the company reached a $19.5 million settlement with 42 states and the District of Columbia, again over the illegal marketing of Abilify for pediatric use and for elderly patients with dementia. The company was also accused of downplaying the drug’s risks.

Notwithstanding claims relating to this product, the drug/medical device remains approved by the U.S. FDA.