Risperdal side effects in males can include the development of breasts. The experience can be especially socially humiliating and isolating to the patient.

Not only can the recipient of this drug develop breasts, but they can also suffer nipple pain and discharge like a female preparing to lactate. These Risperdal side effects in males have been known in rare cases to become exaggerated.

One case, which led to a lawsuit against the makers of the drug, revolved around a now-grown man, treated with Risperdal for autism when he was younger. This man allegedly grew “man-boobs” whose size exceeded those of most grown women’s – 46DD.

Risperdal was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sale domestically in 1993. It is available generically under the name risperidone and is on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) List of Essential Medicines, allegedly some of the most safe and effective medicines known. This fact makes the Risperdal side effects in males — the development of breast tissue also known as gynecomastia – so distressing to discover.

Risperdal is an antipsychotic medication that is used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and some cases or irritability secondary to autism spectrum disorders. The way in which it works is not truly known, but it is believed to be an antagonist to the neurotransmitter, dopamine.

Risperdal’s dopamine-inhibiting factor reduces control over the pituitary gland, the gland that makes prolactin, a hormone controlling sex drive in males. The same hormone stimulates breast growth, readies the tissue for lactation, and makes milk suitable for the human infant in females.

When prolactin production exponentially grows without the control of dopamine in a patient taking this antipsychotic drug, Risperdal side effects in males can mimic the process that would occur in females. This can include excessive breast enlargement, sore breasts, sore nipples, nipple discharge and even some form of milk or colostrum release.

Another highly unusual and difficult part of Risperdal side effects in males is that the development of “man-boobs” can affect the patient asymmetrically. Breast growth can start in a boy as one or two small lumps located under the nipples.

From there, one or both breasts can grow differently – one changing very little and the other growing very disproportionately – drawing even more attention to an already difficult situation with lots of social stigma attached to it.

Gynecomastia can be treated in one of two ways. It can often be brought under control simply by switching to a less dopamine-inhibiting antipsychotic treatment regimen and eliminating Risperdal altogether. This needs to be done under the care of the prescribing physician.

The second method of treatment is by performing breast-reduction surgery, single or double mastectomy, or liposuction to eliminate the fatty tissue associated with the inappropriate breast tissue in the male patient. These surgeries come with their own set of complications and side effects such as risk of blood clots forming, excessive chest scarring, reactions to anesthesia, and permanent nerve damage.

Johnson and Johnson Inc. and its affiliated company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, have faced numerous lawsuits related to gynecomastia-related Risperdal side effects in males. Over 1,000 lawsuits are pending over this issue today against the drug giants.