A new study has added to the mounting evidence that Risperdal has the embarrassing and painful side effect of gynecomastia that causes users to develop man boobs.
According to a recently published article in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, Risperdal use may increase teens and young men’s risk of developing gynecomastia (or unnatural male breast growth) by as much as four times.

Background on Risperdal

Risperdal (also known as risperidone) is Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ atypical antipsychotic drug. It is commonly prescribed to help individuals manage certain mental conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and some irritibility symptoms associated with autism.

However, according to research, the benefits of this drug may be overshadowed by the risks. A now infamously known Risperdal side effect is the overproduction of prolactin, a naturally occurring protein hormone that is usually associated with lactation in women.

When young men who are taking Risperdal over-produce prolactin, it can lead to enlarged breasts, according to both new and old research studies.

Risperdal Studies Support Gynecomastia Claims

The latest study performed by researchers at the University of British Columbia reviewed data on over 400,000 adolescents and young men ranging from age 15 to 25.

The researchers’ findings indicate that 1,556 cases of gynecomastia were identified in comparison to the 15,560 individuals in the control group.

Furthermore, the researchers state that the boys and young men taking Risperdal specifically were almost 4 times as likely to develop gynecomastia when compared to their counterparts who did not take the Janssen antipsychotic.

When the researchers narrowed the results to those research participants under the age of 18, the risk of Risperdal gynecomastia increased to a factor of five.

The researchers of this Risperdal gynecomastia study concluded:

“Our study showed a strong association between risperidone use and gynecomastia in young adult males. Clinicians who are prescribing risperidone to this demographic may need to consider this adverse event in their therapeutic decision-making process.”

Risperdal Lawsuits

Because of this and other studies, many young men and their families have chosen to file Risperdal lawsuits against Janssen and its parent company Johnson & Johnson, alleging the drug manufacturers were aware of the link between their antipsychotic drug and male breast growth since 2001, if not earlier.

According to the gynecomastia lawsuits, plaintiffs allege that the companies knowingly chose to not update Risperdal’s drug warning label to include a section on gynecomastia for years for fear of decreasing sales. This failure to warn denied parents and young men the ability to make a fully informed decision on whether or not to take the drug.

Earlier this year in February, the first Risperdal bellwether trial (an early trial that is part of the Risperdal multidistrict litigation) took place in Pennsylvania state court and resulted in a $2.5 million dollar award for the plaintiff.

The second Risperdal bellwether case was not as lucky as the first, and ended in a verdict in favor of the defending companies.

However, it is important to note that that although the jury ruled that the plaintiff failed to establish a causal relationship between his gynecomastia condition and his use of Risperdal, the court also ruled that the drug’s manufacturers had failed to adequately warn consumers about the risk of gynecomastia.

The third Risperdal gynecomastia bellwether trial was settled out of court a few months ago in May.

If you are a young man who took Risperdal and developed gynecomastia, or you are a parent of a young boy who took the Janssen drug who later developed male breasts, you may be entitled to take part in a Risperdal lawsuit.