The trauma of male teens who allegedly developed man boobs from ingesting Risperdal has been a costly and embarrassing event for the victims and their families. Several plaintiffs have given their personal accounts of the emotional struggle they went through as they contended with gynecomastia.

Aaron Banks filed a Risperdal lawsuit in 2012, alleging that he suffered severe psychological trauma from the male breasts he developed after being prescribed the anti-psychotic medication. Sam Wilson also allegedly suffered from Risperdal gynecomastia. He took his story to electronic media in an effort to spread the word about Risperdal side effects and is considering filing a Risperdal lawsuit.

Banks sued Risperdal maker Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, for the physical and psychological injuries he suffered from ingesting Risperdal. Like many of the young boys who file Risperdal lawsuits with their parents, Banks alleged that as a direct result of using Risperdal, he developed breast tissue.

Banks was first prescribed Risperdal in 1999 and continued using it through 2004. Sometime during this time, he developed male breasts. He reported that he was prepared to present his case to the court, but never had the opportunity to testify because Johnson & Johnson settled the case with him a little before the trial began. Other Risperdal lawsuits filed in 2012 were also settled.

However, Forbes magazine noted that at the time of the Risperdal settlement, Johnson & Johnson avoided the possibility of their CEO, Alex Gorsky, having to take the stand. It was reported that Banks’ legal team was interested in Gorsky’s testimony because he had served as the Vice President of Marketing for Janssen from 1998 to 2001. Gorsky was promoted to president of Janssen soon after and served in that position until early 2003.

According to the Risperdal lawsuit, the medication stimulates the production of a hormone called prolactin, which is released from the pituitary gland and is responsible for breast development. Due to their stage of development, children are more susceptible to gynecomastia because they are in the process of growing.

Wilson also developed breasts after years of taking Risperdal. He had been prescribed Risperdal to treat his Tourette syndrome and attention deficit disorder symptoms. He and his mother told a local television news station that he would refrain from participating in sports and other activities to avoid embarrassment and the teasing that would result from his obvious breast growth.

When his mother called Janssen to report this injury, they allegedly responded by saying: “No, Risperdal doesn’t do that … don’t worry about it.” As of now, Wilson is planning to have breasts surgically reduced or removed.

Boys have reportedly suffered numerous psychological disorders due to the trauma of growing breasts, experiencing breast pain, and even lactating in extreme cases allegedly from taking Risperdal. Despite the severity of the cases, gynecomastia is not currently listed as a Risperdal side effect, leading to an increasing number of Risperdal lawsuits.

Risperdal is a popular antipsychotic medication that is prescribed to treat severe mental conditions in adolescent patients. Risperdal is unique compared to other antipsychotics in its mechanism, because it works by specifically blocking the brain chemical, dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is primarily responsible for controlling the brain’s motivation, pleasure, movement, and frontal cortex function. By controlling this chemical, this drug can help balance the patients’ motivation and reward thought pattern. Others aim to stabilize the entire organ as a whole by stabilizing all the brain’s chemicals, rather than streamlining one.