The mood stabilizing medication Risperdal has been linked to the psychologically distressing side effect gynecomastia, commonly referred to as “man boobs.”

Plaintiffs in more than 1,300 Risperdal lawsuits allege the drug caused male breast growth, which did not go away even after discontinuing the medication. Some consumers claim they had to undergo surgery in order to remove the Risperdal breast tissue growth.

Risperdal side effects include general weight gain, so initially consumers may assume the early stages of gynecomastia are actually just a build up of fat. However, male Risperdal patients have reported developing breasts as large as a 46DD cup size, while the average for male Risperdal patients is around a “C” cup.

While the Risperdal side effect is not necessarily physically damaging, male plaintiffs report that developing male breast growth, especially during puberty, is especially traumatic and causes extreme self-esteem issues.

Risperdal Complications Overview

The FDA approved Risperdal in 1993 to treat various conditions including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, and mania.  Occasionally, Risperdal is prescribed for the off-label of treatment of ADD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and sleeping disorders.

By 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Risperdal for pediatric use. Despite this approval, the potential side effects on younger patients was widely unknown.

Since that time, studies have found that young men between the ages of 10-18 years old are especially vulnerable to developing man boob as a Risperdal side effect. Researchers believe this is due in part to the medication increasing levels of prolactin, which is the hormone that stimulates breast growth and milk production in women.

Young men taking the mood stabilizing medication have reported that the drug not only causes gynecomastia, but also nipple pain, breast pain, nipple discharge, and milk production.

Those who have filed Risperdal lawsuits claim that Johnson & Johnson and their subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals did little to warn patients that they may develop man boobs as a possible side effect.

Risperdal Lawsuits

The number of Risperdal lawsuits being filed continues to grow as some plaintiffs allege the manufacturer knew of the male breast tissue growth risk but intentionally omitted it from the warning label in order to boost sales.

Manufacturers have argued with plaintiffs that breast development is a normal part of puberty even for boys, but Risperdal attorneys dismiss that claim, especially since many patients produce milk or nipple discharge, which they deem is not a normal part of male puberty.

Risperdal manufacturers have already been forced to pay $2.2 billion to settle civil and criminal charges brought on by the U.S. Department of Justice for improperly promoting the anti-psychotic medication by providing physicians “kickbacks” every time they prescribed the medication.

In a recent Risperdal lawsuit, a jury awarded $2.5 million to a plaintiff who claimed he developed Risperdal breast tissue growth after being prescribed the drug as a seven-year old.

If you developed man boobs as a side effect of taking Risperdal, contact an attorney to find out if it would be better to file a lawsuit as an individual or by joining a Risperdal class action lawsuit. Risperdal lawsuits seek to compensate plaintiffs for the emotional and physical distress of developing male breast growth.