In the midst of recent Risperdal litigation, another potential Risperdal side effect has been discovered. According to recent legal discovery and scientific study, Risperdal has been shown to significantly increase prolactin levels, which stimulates milk production. In other words, some male Risperdal patients have reported that they began producing breast milk.

Across the country, families are filing Risperdal lawsuits on behalf of their young male children who have taken Risperdal and developed side effects from the medication. The most peculiar Risperdal side effect was gynecomastia, or breast growth in males, which stemmed a multidistrict litigation (MDL) movement.

During pregnancy, women typically produce high levels of prolactin which allows them to produce breast milk. Medications have been made for women who need assistance with breast milk production. Due to the fact that Risperdal increases the level of proclactin hormones in men, it has been found that this medication can lead to nipple discharge and even lactation.

Because of the hormone imbalance inside the patient’s body, the breast tissue develops, leading to a variey of complications. These complications can include pain or tenderness in the breast area, nipple discharge and swollen breast tissue. The most detailed study on the matter of male breast milk was published in 2006, which observed male adolescent patients taking Risperdal.

For the patients who develop gynecomastia, the symptoms typically cease once the patients stop taking the medication. However, surgical intervention is often required to remove the excess breast tissue.

Rispderal Litigation Movement

Despite all the negative press Risperdal has received recently, it remains one of the most popular antipsychotic medications in the United States. Many experts attribute the success of this drug to its unique mechanism. Risperdal actually channels the brain’s dopamine chemical to control the patient’s mood swings. Many patients have responded positively to this drug, stating that the drug did not physically exhaust them as much as other medications.

Risperdal is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and was originally approved to treat schizophrenia in 1993. A decade later, it was approved to treat bipolar disorder, and was later approved in 2007 to treat schizophrenia in children ages 13 to 17, and bipolar disorder in children ages 10 to 17. Despite the success of this drug, Risperdal will cause Johnson & Johnson to pay one of the largest healthcare fraud settlements in the history of the United States.

Johnson & Johnson and Janssen allegedly promoted Risperdal for pediatric use a little after its release. Additionally, the companies were allegedly aware of the occurrence of Risperdal gynecomstia, along with the other complications patients have reported. On Nov. 4, 2013, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay a Risperdal settlement of $2.5 billion to the U.S. Department of Justice in federal criminal and civil penalties.

As of now, Risperdal lawsuits are being filed across the country, and motions to retrieve certain documents from Janssen have been filed. The Risperdal bellwether trials against Janssen and Johnson & Johnson have been set to begin in June 2014. Many of the charges include negligence, false advertising, concealing information and misrepresenting a product.