A woman filed an Abilify lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb and Osaka alleging that their prescription drug Abilify caused her to develop a gambling addiction.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has removed this Abilify gambling lawsuit from the Superior Court of New Jersey to the U.S. District Court in New Jersey based on a number of situations it believes are more properly handled at the federal court level.

Plaintiff Debbra C. alleged in her Abilify gambling lawsuit that the drug caused her to “develop compulsive gambling behaviors.”

The complaint further alleges that, as a result, Debbra has “suffered and will continue to suffer neuropsychiatric and physical injury, emotional distress, harm, and economic loss.”

Debbra started taking Abilify in September 2003 and began compulsively gambling shortly after beginning the prescription.

She stopped taking Abilify in April 2014, and her gambling addiction behaviors also stopped, according to the claim.

The lawsuit claims that “Defendants knew or should have known that Abilify, when taken as prescribed and intended, causes and contributes to an increased risk of serious and dangerous side effects including, without limitation, uncontrollable compulsive behaviors such as compulsive gambling.”

Debbra’s Abilify gambling lawsuit also notes that “Defendants’ labeling in Europe and Canada warns about the risk of ‘pathological gambling.’”

No such labeling is included on U.S. labels, according to her claim.

As a result of such losses, Debra is seeking “actual damages to plaintiff incidental to the purchase and ingestion of Abilify,” as well as damages for the cost of treatment for plaintiff’s injuries caused by Abilify, plaintiff’s neuropsychiatric, mental, physical, and economic pain and suffering, and her mental and emotional anguish, and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest and punitive damages.

The total cost of the alleged injuries and damages in the lawsuit equal more than $75,000.

Abilify Side Effects

Abilify, generically known as ariprazole, is a prescription medication used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. Off-label, the drug has also been used to treat irritable mood, mood swings, aggressive behavior and other behavioral issues.

Mild to moderate side effects such as anxiety, nausea, headache, dizziness and insomnia have been reported with the use of Abilify, but these tend to be mild and fade with time.

However, patients have reported severe, life-changing side effects that have surprised them and their loved ones. These behaviors have caused great relationship strain and excessive economic losses in some cases.

The severe side effects of Abilify include a number of behaviors that the patient feels compelled to perform that are linked with obtaining pleasure or gratification. Gambling addiction is the most common.

Sexual compulsive behavior, compulsive shopping, and compulsive binge eating behaviors have also been reported.

Filing an Abilify Gambling Lawsuit

If you or a loved one has developed a gambling addiction following your ingestion of Abilify, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Plaintiffs who file Abilify lawsuits generally allege that the drug manufacturers did not do enough to warn patients of the potential pathological gambling and other compulsive behaviors associated with the use of Abilify.

An Abilify lawyer can review your case at no charge and can assist you in deciding if filing an Abilify gambling lawsuit is in your best interest.

The Abilify Gambling Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-01802-MAS-TJB in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.