A California woman has filed an Abilify compulsive gambling lawsuit against the makers of the drug, Bristol-Myers Squibb.

She claims that Abilify caused her compulsive gambling habit.

Abilify Compulsive Gambling Lawsuit Filed

Plaintiff Christina P. began taking Abilify in April 2010 and, soon thereafter, began exhibiting compulsive gambling behaviors.

She stopped taking Abilify in April 2016. When she stopped taking the drug, her compulsive gambling behaviors stopped, the lawsuit reads.

According to her Abilify compulsive gambling lawsuit, she did not realize until later that her compulsive gambling habits had a connection to Abilify.

Christina claims she lost more than $10,000 as a result of her Abilify compulsive gambling behaviors and now is financially unstable.

The plaintiff also alleges in her Abilify compulsive gambling lawsuit that she has suffered neuropsychiatric injuries, emotional distress, harm and economic losses.

What is Abilify?

Abilify (aripiprazole) is a drug introduced by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2002 to treat major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and other serious psychological disorders.

Originally Abilify was approved for schizophrenia, and two years later, the FDA approved it for the treatment of bipolar disorder. In 2007, Abilify was okayed for the treatment of depression.

The problem with Abilify, however, is that it has been linked to impulse control side effects for patients. These impulse control issues specifically are uncontrollable impulses to gamble, shop, eat or have sex.

Some medical experts believe that the impulse control side effects of Abilify are the result of its influence on dopamine and serotonin receptors in the brain.

There have been several studies regarding the link between Abilify and impulse control disorders, according to this Abilify compulsive gambling lawsuit.

One such study conducted in Canada in 2015 led to the addition of a warning on the Canadian label for Abilify.

This label reads: “Post market reports of pathological gambling have been reported in patients treated with Abilify. In relation to pathological gambling, patients with a prior history of gambling disorder may be at increased risk and should be monitored carefully.”

However, according to Christina’s Abilify compulsive gambling lawsuit, no such warning has ever been added to the U.S. label for Abilify.

In fact, the word “gambling” did not even appear on the label until January 2016, and then only appeared in the postmarketing experience section and not in the patient medication guide.

In May of this year, the FDA issued a warning stating that Abilify was associated with “uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop and have sex.”

The warning also urged medical professionals to make patients and caregivers aware of the risks and to closely monitor patients.

The plaintiff claims that Bristol-Myers Squibb profited “at the expense of patient safety and full disclosure to the medical community by failing to include language about gambling in the United States labeling and by failing to otherwise warn the public and the medical community about Abilify’s association with gambling despite opportunities and a duty to do so.”

In fact, in 2013 alone, Bristol-Myers Squibb reported Abilify’s sales at $2.3 billion.

Christina raises claims of strict liability, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment and punitive damages, among others.

The Abilify Compulsive Gambling Lawsuit is Case No. 2:16-cv-06613 in California Central District Court.