A mother has filed a Risperdal lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals and related companies, including Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the companies’ drug Risperdal caused her son to develop female-like breasts.

Risperdal is an anti-psychotic, but like many other drugs that treat disorders of the brain, it can also help other diseases, such as bipolar disorder and aggression/irritability associated with autism.

However, a growing number of Risperdal lawsuits allege that the drug can increase the risk for young male patients to develop a condition called gynecomastia or “man boobs.”

Research has indicated that Risperdal can increase a patient’s level of a hormone called prolactin. In healthy females, prolactin is the hormone responsible for causing and directing breast growth.

However, when this hormone appears in elevated levels in males, it can cause them to develop female-like breasts, a condition called gynecomastia or “man boobs.” Some drugs, like Risperdal, have been allegedly linked to this disorder.

Since Risperdal is typically used in patients with mental illness, and since the drug may also cause weight gain, this alleged Risperdal side effect may not get spotted right away. However, gynecomastia may require surgical correction to return the chest to its natural state.

The Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuit was filed by plaintiff Troylynn M. in December on behalf of her minor son, identified only by his initials in the complaint.

According to court documents, Troylynn’s son would be roughly 17 at the time that the Risperdal male breast growth lawsuit was filed. The Risperdal lawsuit holds that Troylynn’s son was prescribed the drug to treat his schizophrenia, but that he suffered serious Risperdal side effects, including gynecomastia.

The Risperdal lawsuit alleges that the makers of the drug and related companies knowingly marketed a dangerous drug without regard for the safety of patients like Troylynn’s son.

This Risperdal lawsuit has joined similar Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits in a type of group legal action called a multidistrict litigation, or MDL. MDLs are a type of group litigation created out of very similar individual suits, in this case Risperdal lawsuits.

Since most Risperdal lawsuits make very similar allegations and hinge on similar evidence, the legal system is allowed to combine them into a single coordinated legal action in order to save resources for all parities involved.

Similar to a class action lawsuit, the Risperdal MDL allows the plaintiffs to share court costs among themselves, the defendants to face a single coordinated legal action, and the court system to avoid duplicating its efforts by having to only hear the same evidence and testimony a single time for dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of Risperdal lawsuits.

The Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuit is Case No. 2873, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The larger Risperdal MDL is In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case No. 100300296, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.