A growing number of men are filing a Risperdal side effects lawsuit, claiming the drug’s manufacturer failed to warn about male breast growth.

This Risperdal side effects lawsuit was filed against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Risperdal.

Plaintiff Eddie B. alleges that he began experiencing the side effects of Risperdal soon after he began taking it—back when he was only 13 years old.

He was prescribed Risperdal in order to treat anxiety and bipolar disorder, but the side effects were overwhelming.

“I had bigger boobs than the girls in (high) school,” he said.

What is Gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is the growth of male breasts. It’s the enlargement of breast tissue, and it is not connected to excess fat.

Gynecomastia is often caused by a hormonal imbalance. This is also the case for Risperdal users who develop gynecomastia.

Risperdal adjusts the balance of certain neurotransmitters in the body. But it can also increase levels of prolactin to such an extent (hyperprolactinemia) that it causes growth of breast tissue.

In some cases, boys have had such excessive breast tissue growth that they have developed “D” cup sizes. Some have been forced to undergo surgery for excess tissue removal.

Not all antipsychotics are linked so closely with gynecomastia. In fact, hyperprolactinemia occurs more commonly in patients taking Risperdal than any other antipsychotic.

For some young men, breast growth from Risperdal became a significant issue in their daily lives. Eddie says that at first he didn’t understand the breast growth was a Risperdal side effect. He believed it was caused by weight gain.

Eventually, he found out the truth. “If I knew what the side effects would be of the medication, I would never have taken it,” he says. This side effect was humiliating for him as an adolescent.

Eddie is only one of thousands of boys and young men affected by Risperdal who are preparing to sue Johnson & Johnson.

Eddie, who took Risperdal in part to treat bipolar disorder, says that the side effects of Risperdal were more psychologically damaging than bipolar disorder itself.

After he began developing these breasts, he stopped going outside of his house to be with friends, instead choosing the relative safety of his home with video games and no one around to tease him.

Eddie says that Johnson & Johnson “took advantage” of him in not disclosing the gynecomastia side effects. “Looking back on it, I feel like an experiment,” he said.

Johnson & Johnson added gynecomastia to the warning label on Risperdal in 2006, after more than a decade on the market without such a warning. At this point, it was too late for Eddie, who had taken the drug years ago.

Thousands File Their Own Risperdal Side Effects Lawsuit

The lawyer bringing Eddie’s Risperdal side effects lawsuit alleges that at least 13,000 others have been injured by gynecomastia side effects from Risperdal.

Johnson & Johnson is responsible for these injuries, the plaintiffs allege. According to Eddie’s lawyer, Johnson & Johnson purposely decided to withhold critical information about Risperdal so that they could continue selling it for use in young patients.

If you or someone you know was negatively impacted by Risperdal, or if you are a male who has developed excessive breast tissue due to taking Risperdal, you may be able to file a Risperdal side effects lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson for failure to adequately warn about the potential side effects of the drug.