A California man has filed a lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb stating that taking their drug, Abilify, let to serious side effects such as Abilify pathological gambling.

Plaintiff Ted E. began taking Abilify in April 2010. Shortly thereafter, Ted claims in his lawsuit that he began to exhibit signs of compulsive shopping, binge eating and Abilify pathological gambling.

When he stopped taking the drug in in 2016, the behaviors ceased, he claims.

When Ted was on Abilify, because of the alleged compulsive and binge eating, Ted gained significant weight. This weight gain led to the necessity for weight loss surgery. As soon as he stopped taking Abilify, the plaintiff lost the urge to binge eat.

Ted suffered severe losses because of his time on Abilify, according to his lawsuit . Because of the alleged Abilify pathological gambling, Ted experienced financial instability and other economic losses.

In addition to those losses suffered because of Abilify pathological gambling, Ted also claims he suffered from substantial weight gain, and other mental, physical, and economic losses.

He claims that because Abilify impacted his brain, this constitutes a physical injury.

Ted says that he has suffered, and will continue to suffer, neuropsychiatric and physical injury, emotional distress, harm, and economic loss.

The plaintiff claims that Bristol-Myers Squibb is guilty of “wrongful conduct in connection with the development, design, testing, labeling, packaging, promoting, advertising, marketing, distribution, and selling of Defendants’ prescription drug Abilify.”

He also says that Bristol-Myers Squibb knew or should have known that Abilify allegedly causes binge eating, compulsive shopping and Abilify pathological gambling.

According to this Abilify pathological gambling lawsuit, the defendant did not warn or inform both patients and the medical community of the dangers of Abilify.

Prior to January 2016, there was no mention of gambling on the label. At the beginning of this year “pathological gambling” was listed on the Postmarketing Experience section of the U.S. label.

However, in May 2016, the Food and Drug Administration announced that warnings about “compulsive or uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex” would be added to the label.

What Is Abilify?

Abilify is known generically as aripiprazole. It is primarily prescribed to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression as well as irritability, aggression, mood swings, and other disruptive behavior issues.

Abilify Study

In October 2014, JAMA published published a study that looked at impulse control disorders involving pathological or compulsive gambling, hypersexuality and compulsive shopping in association with use of 6 different drugs including Abilify.

The study found many connections between drugs like Abilify and impulse control disorders. But specifically, it noted 37 reports linking the drug to Abilify pathological gambling.