An Ohio man is suing the makers of a popular drug, claiming Abilify gambling side effects ruined him financially, physically and emotionally.

Abilify (aripiprazole) is used to treat depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Plaintiff Patrick P. says he began taking Abilify in May 2013 and began compulsively gambling soon after.

When he stopped taking the medication in August 2014, he claims, his Abilify gambling side effects ended as well.

According to the Abilify lawsuit, “as a result of Abilify use, Plaintiff has suffered the following losses: monetary losses in excess of $75,000, loss of financial stability, and other mental, physical, and economic losses. The injurious impact of Abilify on Plaintiff’s brain constitutes a physical injury.”

Plaintiff: Abilify Gambling Side Effects Kept from U.S. Market for Years

In the fall of 2012, the European Medicines Agency required Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka to add a warning as follows:

Pathological gambling: Post-marketing reports of pathological gambling have been reported among patients prescribed Abilify, regardless of whether these patients had a prior history of gambling. Patients with a prior history of pathological gambling may be at increased risk and should be monitored carefully.

In November 2015, Canadian regulators claimed there was “a link between the use of aripiprazole and a possible risk of pathological gambling or hypersexuality.”

The U.S. warnings finally included a mention of possible pathological gambling in January 2016, but then only to the post-marketing experience part of the label.

The FDA added a warning on May 3, 2016 that Abilify was linked to “compulsive or uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex.”

The Abilify lawsuit says, “Abilify is a partial and full dopamine agonist. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers…Scientific literature has identified dopamine as a potential cause of pathological gambling for years.”

The FDA’s look at Abilify from 2005 to 2013 found 54 reports of compulsive or impulsive behavioral problems, including 30 reports of compulsive gambling. The remaining problems included 12 reports of impulsive behavior, nine reports of hypersexuality, and three reports of compulsive shopping.

“Defendants have invested millions of dollars in ‘Direct to Consumer’ advertising,” says the Abilify gambling side effects lawsuit.

“None of the advertising in the United States notifies patients, the medical community, or prescribers that Abilify use causes, is linked to, or might be associated with compulsive gambling, pathological gambling, or gambling addiction.”

Patrick alleges the makers of Abilify have not conducted any research to study the compulsive behavior side effects of the drug, nor have they made public the results of any investigations they might have done in this regard.

If you or someone you know have taken Abilify and experienced compulsive gambling side effects, you could benefit through legal action.

The Abilify Gambling Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 2:16-cv-1098 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.