Patients have come together to take legal action against the makers of Abilify due to allegations that it causes serious compulsive behavior, like gambling addiction symptoms.

The Abilify medication is sold as a drug that treats bipolar one disorders, schizophrenia, and depression but many patients have come forward in recent years reporting significant financial losses and problems with gambling addiction symptoms. Tens of thousands of individuals have received a prescription for Abilify every single year.

The gambling addiction symptoms lawsuit says that Abilify injured plaintiffs by causing compulsive behavior such as mental, financial and physical damages tied to compulsive gambling.

The gambling addiction symptoms lawsuit says that the defendants knew or should have known that Abilify, when taken as intended and as prescribed by medical professionals, causes and leads to an increased risk of serious or dangerous side effects such as uncontrollable compulsive behaviors like gambling.

The labeling in Canada and Europe for the Abilify medication does warn about the risk of pathological gambling. The gambling addictions lawsuit says that defendants did not educate, warn, advise or otherwise informed Abilify users about the risk of compulsive behaviors like gambling.

Before January 2016, the label in the United States in fact made no mention of compulsive behaviors or pathological gambling. In May 2016, however, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States announced that warnings related to uncontrollable and compulsive urges to shop, gamble, binge eat, or have sex would be included on the Abilify label.

Label Updates for Abilify

Compulsive gambling and related compulsive behaviors were added to Abilify label in August 2016. Many of the patients who have come forward to file a gambling addiction symptoms lawsuit say that they were injured because of the inactions and actions on the part of the defendant and that the plaintiff suffered serious damages as a result of their use of Abilify.

The gambling addiction symptoms lawsuit says that the plaintiffs now demand judgement against those defendants for attorney’s fees, compensatory damages, statutory damages, and more. Many of these patients began taking Abilify, thinking that it would help them and later discovered serious side effects including compulsive behavior.

Although there are risks and side effects associated with every medication, the dangers associated with compulsive gambling can be catastrophic and can lead to significant financial repercussions for those who have been affected.

Losing large sums of money might be one outcome for a person who begins taking Abilify and suddenly develops a compulsive gambling problem. Many patients in this position argue they would not have experienced financial devastation were it not for the drug. These patients say the drug should have come with a warning label so they could have made an informed decision about whether or not to take it.

Anyone who believes they may be eligible to participate in an Abilify lawsuit should consider investigating their rights or participate in a class action investigation.

The Gambling Addiction Symptoms Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-MD-02734-MCR-GRJ filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division.