Developed in the 1980s, but not released into the market until 1993, Risperdal (risperidone) is an antipsychotic medication to help adults suffering from brain-based disorders, like schizophrenia. A few years later, it was approved for use with schizophrenic adolescents (ages 10-17). It wasn’t approved for use in children to treat these conditions until 2006.

Use of Risperdal in children and adolescents is usually for treating aggression and irritability associated with autism. However, the use of powerful antipsychotic medications to control youngsters with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other behavior problems keeps climbing. And with the climb, the issues and Risperdal side effects reports multiply. Moreover, a lot of these uses do not have FDA approval, so their use is “off-label.”

In a study published in August 2012 in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers looked at information for more than 484,000 individuals. They found that prescriptions for antipsychotics increased for children and adults, but that doctors prescribed more drugs like Risperdal to children and adolescents (68 percent and 72 percent, respectively) than to adults (50 percent).

Additionally, the researchers found that a good number of the prescriptions for children were ordered by doctors who were not psychiatrists. And a number of those doctors were not aware of the potential Risperdal side effects.

While Risperdal and other antipsychotics, like Abilify, can facilitate improvement in children with severe aggressive behaviors, it can also impact the brain and the body. One Risperdal side effect of gynecomastia, or “man boobs.”

Risks of Antipsychotics in Youth

Like all medications, usage comes with side effects and risk. The side effects of many antipsychotics include anxiety, dizziness, balance issues, fatigue and weight gain. Many Risperdal users mistook breast tissue growth for weight gain. By the time the actual cause is figured out, victims are often at a point of needing breast reduction surgery.

Removal of breast tissue is cosmetic; however, surgery carries risks of its own. Many plastic surgeons won’t perform the procedure on youth because their bodies are still growing, and the potential damage outweighs the possible benefits.

Sadly, this leaves the child or teenager stuck until adulthood dealing with gynecomastia. In autistic individuals, and in young patients, it adds another world of emotional distress that they, and their parents, have to cope with.

Another impact that needs more study, is the effect that antipsychotics play on a child’s brain and emotional development.

In the eyes of a parent, and the U.S. justice system, children are sacred and must always be protected from harm. In 2013, Johnson & Johnson was fined more than $2 million for allegedly inappropriately marketing Risperdal and other drugs for pediatric treatment long before it was approved for such usage.

Today, hundreds of Risperdal lawsuits exist, with the development of breast tissue at the root of most of them. Enough Risperdal lawsuits were filed that a Risperdal class action lawsuit now sits in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas pending against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Parties from both sides are scheduled to meet on September 16.