Risperdal, or risperidone, is an atypical antipsychotic medication used to treat symptoms of a few different psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorders.

It’s been on the market since first earning FDA approval in 1993. At that time, it was approved only for use in adult patients.

Yet many younger patients were still prescribed Risperdal to treat emotional and behavioral symptoms

As with any medication, a risk of developing side effects with Risperdal is to be expected. But some patients report Risperdal gynecomastia side effects in boys that were more extraordinary than they say they were led to expect.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Side Effects in Boys

Gynecomastia is the abnormal development of breast tissue and milk production in men and boys. Cases of gynecomastia have been reported in conjunction with Risperdal treatment.

Many Risperdal patients are young boys for whom the emotional and social fallout associated with a case of gynecomastia can be especially acute.

Scientists believe the cause of Risperdal gynecomastia side effects in boys may have to do with the drug’s effect on dopamine. By suppressing the activity of dopamine, Risperdal may stimulate more production of prolactin – a hormone that normally stimulates breast growth and milk production in pregnant and nursing women.

If artificially increased by medication, elevated prolactin levels can have the same effect regardless of a person’s sex. Higher levels of prolactin have been implicated as the likely cause of Risperdal gynecomastia side effects in boys.

Risperdal Litigation

In a June 2014 Risperdal lawsuit, plaintiff Andrew W. describes his experience with an episode of gynecomastia allegedly attributable to Risperdal.

Andrew says he took Risperdal off and on from 2008 to 2013, during which time he developed enlarged breasts. In addition to gynecomastia, Andrew also says he suffered from a long list of other side effects.

He claims he had to live with pain and swelling in his chest, genital abnormalities, gastrointestinal dysfunction, impaired motor skills, and assorted cognitive, emotional and social dysfunctions.

Andrew says his gynecomastia did not subside after he stopped taking Risperdal, and he had to resort to a double mastectomy in 2014 to get rid of the excess breast tissue.

Plaintiffs like Andrew sometimes point out that Janssen and J&J were investigated, prosecuted and penalized by federal and state authorities, in part for improperly promoting Risperdal for use in young patients at a time when the FDA had approved it only for use in adults.

Although Risperdal has been approved to treat certain specific conditions, Janssen and J&J have been accused of promoting it as a treatment for other conditions like depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder.

By one estimate, Janssen and J&J is now facing 13,000 products liability lawsuits over Risperdal gynecomastia side effects in boys. About 2,000 are part of a single mass tort program in a Pennsylvania state court in Philadelphia.

Some of the Risperdal lawsuits that have already gone to trial have yielded multi-million dollar jury awards.

The largest award so far was $70 million, awarded to a young man who developed gynecomastia after being prescribed Risperdal in 2003 at age five – at a time when the drug was not yet approved for child patients.