An Abilify side effects lawsuit has recently been filed in Florida federal court against Bristol-Myers Squibb due to allegations that the company’s antipsychotic medication Abilify causes severe adverse side effects and complications including compulsive behavior disorders.

Plaintiff Bradley F. filed the Abilify side effects lawsuit to join a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against the company.

According to the Abilify side effects lawsuit, Bradley, a Missouri state resident, was administered Abilify between August 2010 and May 2014. However, he says he began to exhibit compulsive and pathological gambling along with other compulsive behaviors.

The Abilify side effects lawsuit was filed in Florida federal court on June 5, 2018. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including strict liability, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligence, negligence per se, negligent misrepresentation, violation of consumer protection laws, fraudulent concealment, loss of consortium and punitive damages.

Overview: Abilify Side Effects Lawsuit

The Abilify side effects lawsuit was filed as filed as part of a large multidistrict litigation (MDL) centered on allegations that the drug causes compulsive behaviors linked to gambling, eating, sex and shopping.

Abilify is an injection or oral medication prescribed to treat schizophrenia, manic episodes that may occur with bipolar I disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), tourette’s disorder and irritability associated with autistic disorder.

The alleged accusations against Bristol-Myers Squibb includes that although the drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, warning labels were only added in May 2016 citing risks and caution for compulsive behavior side effects.

Lawsuits allege that Abilify was negligently manufactured and that the company failed to warn patients and physicians of negative Abilify side effects.

The compulsive behavior side effect is said to result almost immediately after a person ingests the medication. Once a patient stops taking Abilify or switches to an alternate medication, however, these compulsive drug side effects reportedly stop.

During a compulsive behavior event, a person becomes unable to control the urge to perform acts such as gambling, sex and shopping. This event occurs even if they are about to cause themselves social, financial, and personal injuries.

Other Abilify side effects that have also been linked to the medication includes nausea, drooling, constipation, anxiety, trouble sleeping, blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and weight gain.

Although still unclear as to just how the medication causes compulsive behaviors such as gambling, shopping and sex, it is believed that the drug affects the brain’s dopamine pathway. According to published scientific literature, Abilify is believed to act on dopamine neurons and the brain’s dopamine pathways, thus affecting and influencing reward-seeking behavior.

A summary safety review published by Health Canada asserted the link  “between the use of aripiprazole and a possible risk of pathological gambling and hypersexuality.”

The Abilify Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-01396-MCR-GRJ, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division. The Abilify Lawsuit is In re: Abilify (Aripiprazole) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3:16-md-2734, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.