Psychiatric patients who developed man boobs after taking Risperdal or Invega could benefit from speaking with a Risperdal gynecomastia attorney.

Lawsuits over this side effect have resulted in awards of up to $76 million for some patients.

Gynecomastia is a disfiguring side effect of Risperdal that lawsuits allege Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen suppressed information about for years. The antipsychotic medication has been prescribed to thousands of young men and boys, some of whom endure teasing, bullying, and staring from others.

The fact that adverse side effects could include breast enlargement allegedly was hidden for years for fear it would hurt sales. Risperdal gynecomastia attorneys can aid those who suffered for corporate profits.

Young people already dealing with mental issues were exposed to the chance they would experience additional anxiety over the growth of breasts. Some claim that coping with gynecomastia was harder than dealing with the bipolar disorder that led to them being prescribed Risperdal or Invega in the first place.

In 2006, Johnson & Johnson finally added a warning to Risperdal’s label alerting patients and doctors to reports of Risperdal gynecomastia.

Contact Risperdal Gynecomastia Attorney for Help

Janssen has been accused of informing doctors they would not receive speaking fees for speeches arranged by Janssen unless the doctors also increased the number of Risperdal prescriptions they distributed. Janssen accuses its sales representatives of going rogue with the arrangement, but a few years ago the company agreed to pay a settlement in addition to fines.

Janssen also was accused of inappropriately marketing Risperdal to children before it was FDA-approved for such use. Despite denying allegations the drug was illegally marketed to treat children, Johnson & Johnson has quickly settled such cases.

A Risperdal gynecomastia attorney knows the history of Risperdal and Invega, the years the drugs were FDA-approved to treat certain conditions and specific ages, and the ways doctors were encouraged to sometimes inappropriately prescribe the drugs.

Reasons for Breast Development from Risperdal, Invega

There is a chemical reason for the development of breasts in young men who take Risperdal or Invega. The latter is a derivative of Risperdal, which allows it to produce the same chemical side effects. An experienced Risperdal gynecomastia attorney knows the chemical facts regarding the medication and its effects on the human body.

Risperdal controls schizophrenia by blocking dopamine receptors. Dopamine is the chemical link among the regions of the brain that control our emotions.

Dopamine also exhibits control over the pituitary gland. When domapine’s action on the pituitary gland is interrupted, the body can experience an increase in prolactin, which is the hormone that controls the male’s sex drive and enables lactation (production of breast milk) in females.

An abnormally high level of prolactin results in a condition known as hyperprolactinemia, which results in male breast growth.

Even though weight gain also can be a side effect of Risperdal, simply losing weight will have little effect on the developed male breasts because the breast tissue is glandular, not fatty. Surgery is the only way to reduce breast size when it is caused by Risperdal’s action on the pituitary gland.

If you have taken Risperdal or Invega and suffered from male breast development, you could benefit from speaking with a Risperdal gynecomastia attorney regarding your legal options for compensation.