Concerns about Risperdal side effects are expanding. Two studies have raised the possibility of Risperdal side effects including birth defects.

Risperdal is a popular antipsychotic drug made by Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, that works by leveling the brain’s dopamine levels. By controlling the patient’s pleasure and reward sensations, the drug levels users’ emotional and mental state of being. But serious side effects have led to numerous Risperdal class action lawsuits over such issues as male breast growth.

Researchers published a study in the August 2013 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, illustrating the dangers that Risperdal and other antipsychotics could pose to expectant mothers. The study showed that women who took atypical antipsychotics, such as Risperdal, are twice as likely to have a child born with birth defects.

While pregnant women are generally not supposed to be prescribed antipsychotics, the number of these cases has increased dramatically in the past few years. The study stated that the number had increased because many prescribing doctors have become increasing lenient regarding which medication should remedy certain conditions. Essentially, these women are being prescribed powerful antipsychotics that are used to treat extreme disorders such as schizophrenia when they only have mild conditions such as bipolar disorders.

This study stemmed from a previous inquiry from 2010 at the University of Copenhagen, in which scientists examined specific patient data from 1998 to 2007. The study found that 429 children under the age of 17 had suffered from a serious side effect of Risperdal. From that, the researchers found that more than half of the cases were serious birth defects, such as deformities and severe withdrawal from the drug.

Risperdal complications have been cited in more than 400 Risperdal side effects lawsuits against Janssen and Johnson & Johnson. These lawsuits point to the devastating side effect of gynecomastia, a condition in which breast tissue grows in males. Risperdal gynecomastia often leaves boys emotionally scarred, psychologically traumatized, and requires surgical intervention to remove the excess tissue.

Despite issues with so-called Risperdal man boobs, Risperdal remains one of the most popular antipsychotic medications in the United States as a treatment for schizophrenia in adult, adolescent, and pediatric patients. Risperdal also is commonly prescribed to treat pediatric patients with bipolar disorder.