Nearly 1,200 Risperdal lawsuits have been filed in Pennsylvania state court alleging that Risperdal (risperidone), a drug approved to treat schizophrenia and other mental disorders, caused male breast growth, a condition known as gynecomastia.

The figure represents 100 additional filings in just a month.

Risperdal first received FDA approval to treat schizophrenia in 1993. Since then, the medication has been the subject of a plethora of product liability lawsuits accusing Risperdal manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries, including Janssen Pharmaceuticals, of concealing the drug’s side effects, including Risperdal gynecomastia, a condition in which young boys develop large breasts.

Commonly known as “man boobs,” gynecomastia frequently requires surgical correction. Health experts believe the anti-psychotic medication dramatically increases prolactin levels, leading to the development of man boobs.

Approved Risperdal uses were later expanded to include adult and adolescent bipolar disorder and autism spectrum disorders in children and adolescents. The drug is also commonly used for off label purposes such as the treatment of deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, sleep difficulties and depression.

Findings published in the October 2014 Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology show that males who took risperidone had a 69 percent increased risk of developing gynecomastia compared with those who were not treated with the medication.

Risperidone patients also had a greater likelihood – 40 percent — of developing the condition than those who used the antipsychotic drugs Seroquel or Zyprexa.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuits Cite “Severe Psychological Trauma”

Symptoms of Risperdal gynecomastia include male breast growth, painful breasts and nipple pain or nipple discharge. Male breast growth is gradual often beginning with nipple tenderness. The condition can affect one or both breasts. In some cases of gynecomastia, males produce breast milk.

Experts say the mental anguish of being bullied and teased results in depression, anxiety and insecurity in young men already battling mental health issues.

The medical journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has reported that research shows that even mild breast growth can have a serious, negative psychological impact on boys.

Studies like these have been used in evidence for a growing number of Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits. Some of these lawsuits have resulted in settlements for plaintiffs.

A 21-year-old man reached a confidential Risperdal settlement with Johnson & Johnson in 2012 for a Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuit. The man said that growing breasts resulted in “severe psychological trauma.”

The man took Risperdal between 1999 and 2004, starting when he was nine years old — before Risperdal was approved for use in children in the U.S. at the time, his lawyer told Forbes following the settlement.

The plaintiff underwent a mastectomy to remove the breasts. Shortly after the Risperdal settlement, Johnson & Johnson settled other Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits brought on behalf of at least five other boys who experienced similar breast development.

“It’s been a disaster for him and many others who suffered from this,” the plaintiff’s lawyer said. “There are boys who grew breasts as large as ‘D’ cups. There’s a major design defect here, which the judge was going to allow us to pursue, not just the fact that labeling understated risks.”

That lawyer alone has filed in excess of 100 Risperdal lawsuits.

Risperdal lawsuits allege that the manufacturers improperly marketed the medication for off-label uses, including a number of pediatric indications that were not approved until 2006.