A group of plaintiffs have filed a series of Abilify lawsuits, claiming that the drug causes impulsive behavior that they were not warned about.

Five Nevadans recently filed Abilify lawsuits against Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb, accusing the drug companies of failing to warn the public that Abilify can cause compulsive disorders including compulsive gambling, compulsive shopping, and compulsive sexuality.

Abilify (aripiprazole) is an anti-psychotic drug primarily used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder. The drug can also be used as an add-on treatment for depression, a treatment of Tourette’s syndrome, and a treatment for irritability associated with autism.

Abilify works to treat mental disorders by influencing the levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. The neurotransmitter has been repeatedly linked to impulsive behavior and gambling. Abilify lawsuits argue that the drug’s effect on dopamine may explain the compulsive behavior reported.

Abilify was initially approved for use by the FDA in 2002. Between 2005 and 2015, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) received at least 30 reports of compulsive behavior and at least 24 reports of other impulsive behaviors in connection with Abilify.

Additionally, in a 2011 report to the European Medicines Agencies, the drug’s manufacturers said that the possibility that Abilify caused compulsive gambling “could not be excluded.” A year later in 2012, foreign regulations of ability were changed so that the drug’s label would reflect the potential connection with compulsive behaviors.

In 2016, the FDA announced that a review of its database had uncovered over 180 reports of impulse control disorders in patients taking Abilify. As a result, the FDA mandated new warnings to be added to the drug’s labels to reflect the risks.

“Although pathological gambling is listed as a reported side effect in the current aripiprazole drug labels, this description does not entirely reflect the nature of the impulse-control risk that we identified. In addition, we have become aware of other compulsive behaviors associated with aripiprazole, such as compulsive eating, shopping, and sexual actions,” the FDA said in a statement. “These compulsive behaviors can affect anyone who is taking the medicine. As a result, we are adding new warnings about all of these compulsive behaviors to the drug labels and the patient Medication Guides for all aripiprazole products.”

The Abilify lawsuits argue that the drug manufacturers are liable for any damages caused by the prescription including financial harm from gambling losses. The Nevadans’ Abilify lawsuits join nearly 1,000 lawsuits across the United States which allege that the drug causes compulsive behavior that wasn’t adequately warned. Although warnings have been added to the drugs label in recent years, Abilify lawsuits aim to recover compensation for damages that occurred before compulsive behavior was a known risk.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for the gambling losses they sustained while taking Abilify.