In the fall of 2016, federal judges centralized dozens of lawsuits into a multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of Florida under the oversight of Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

The lawsuits state that the manufacturers neglected to warn patients, physicians and the public of the risk of the use of Abilify linked to gambling problems.

The lawsuits state that the manufacturers should have known about the risk and should have disclosed the risk to patients taking the drug.

Several new lawsuits are filed alleging that Abilify links to gambling problems caused severe personal injury each week.

What is Abilify?

Abilify (aripiprazole) is an antipsychotic used to treat patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. It is designed to alter the chemicals in the brain to bring about a better balance in brain neurotransmitters.

Specifically, Abilify works on a neurotransmitter called dopamine, and this can overstimulate the part of the brain that seeks pleasure and rewards.

Side Effects Linked to Abilify Use

Abilify has many common mild-to-moderate side effects associated with its use, and these side effects are typically mild and may go away with continued use.

However, severe side effects that can impair the individual are also possible. These side effects can have an impact on spouses and other relationships in a number of ways.

The side effects experienced by some users are specifically related to Abilify’s mechanism of action on dopamine. The overstimulation can lead the patient to experience urges to eat, gamble, shop and engage in sexual behaviors.

Most of the compulsive behaviors center around Abilify linked to gambling problems, with binge eating, excessive shopping and hyper-sexuality being less common.

Research Shows Abilify Linked to Gambling

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2013 looked at drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease, drugs that also work to alter the levels of dopamine in the body.

According to one of the co-authors in the study, psychiatric side effects linked to impulse behaviors are affecting approximately 10% of patients, making it a very possible adverse risk.

Another study, published in 2011 in Current Drug Safety found that prior to taking Abilify, the patients studied had no history of pathological gambling prior to taking antipsychotic drug.

A 2013 study in Addictive Behaviors looked at eight cases of Abilify linked to gambling and determined that Abilify’s role in the gambling behaviors was possible” in seven of the eight patients studied.

Filing a Lawsuit over Abilify Linked to Gambling

If you or a loved one has directly experienced the effects of Abilify linked to gambling problems, you may be entitled to legal compensation. An experienced Abilify attorney can review your individual case at no charge to you, and can advise you on your legal options to pursue compensation.