Abilify compulsive gambling and other compulsive behavior side effects have been linked with the popular antipsychotic medication. Other compulsive problems that have been connected to the drug include compulsive shopping and sexual addictions.

Any of these compulsions can be quite serious, resulting in massive gambling debt and affecting users and their families negatively over a long period of time. More and more patients are coming forward with their own stories about Abilify compulsive gambling and other side effects, some choosing to file lawsuits against the drug’s manufacturer.

However, patients say they were never warned about these serious side effects. They report the drug’s warning label fails to mention Abilify compulsive gambling or other compulsive behaviors. Drug companies have a duty to warn patients about the potentially serious side effects of a drug, even if those side effects aren’t physical injuries. Compulsive behaviors like Abilify compulsive gambling are more difficult to pin down, but can have just as drastic an effect on a person as a physical injury.

Abilify Basics

Abilify (also known by its generic name, aripiprazole) is an antipsychotic medication produced jointly by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Abilify is used to treat a variety of mental disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. And it is widely used: Abilify brings in nearly $8 billion annually in sales.

Despite the drug’s undeniable popularity, a growing number of patients are reporting serious Abilify side effects involving impulse control problems, which can often manifest in behaviors like Abilify compulsive gambling, as well as sex addiction and compulsive shopping.

Abilify Compulsive Gambling

A study conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) looked into Abilify and other dopamine receptor medications can cause “severe impulse control disorders,” such as Abilify compulsive gambling. This is because stimulation of the dopamine system releases pleasurable feelings, rewarding the user for the behavior that pleases them. If a person enjoys gambling, the dopamine released while taking this drug will encourage that activity.

Of course, Abilify compulsive gambling isn’t all pleasure—it can have extreme side effects. Compulsive gambling may not physically harm a patient, but it can cost a great deal of money through gambling debt or addiction treatment. It can also drastically affect the way a person leads their daily life, as can affect their mental health.

Abilify compulsive gambling is so severe that people who suffer from it are driven to gamble even when they do not have the financial capacity to do so. Because of this, some gamble with credit cards or borrow money, which can land patients in extremely steep debt. This may not cause physical harm, but can ruin lives—the user’s life as well as the lives of their family members.

Abilify compulsive gambling can directly cost a patient thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost money, but there is also the additional issue of the money it costs to undergo gambling addiction treatment. One of the major problems with Abilify compulsive gambling and other impulse problems is that it is extremely difficult to stop and return to normal life without getting professional help.

Filing an Abilify Compulsive Gambling Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has been negatively affected by compulsive behaviors such as Abilify compulsive gambling, you may able to join an Abilify lawsuit investigation.