A California woman is suing drug makers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals saying the use of Abilify leads to compulsive gambling.

Abilify (generically known as aripiprazole) is an atypical anti-psychotic drug manufactured jointly by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals that is prescribed to treat depression, bipolar I disorder, and schizophrenia.

The drug was first introduced into the U.S. market in the fall of 2002.

Plaintiff Chrystal A. filed the Abilify lawsuit claiming use of the drug caused her to develop harmful compulsive behaviors, including compulsive gambling that resulted in substantial financial, mental, and physical damages.

Specifically, Chrystal alleges that when she took Abilify as prescribed in 2011, she began compulsively gambling shortly thereafter. Her compulsive gambling addiction stopped when she ceased taking Abilify in 2015.

However, during the time of her Abilify use, she suffered monetary losses attributed to compulsive gambling in excess of $10,000 and loss of financial stability.

Chrystal brings forth claims for strict liability, breach of express and implied warranty, negligence, and fraudulent concealment, among others.

She is asking an award of actual and punitive damages for her neuropsychiatric, mental, physical, and economic pain and suffering.

How Abilify Leads to Compulsive Gambling

Exactly how Abilify leads to compulsive gambling is unknown. However, it is believed that the drug affects the activity of some key chemicals in the brain, notably dopamine and serotonin.

Abilify is a partial and full dopamine agonist and acts on the same nerves in the brain that are normally activated by dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers.

As such, excessive levels of dopamine may influence compulsive behaviors, including gambling. For example, certain Parkinson’s disease drugs which stimulate the production of dopamine have been linked to compulsive behaviors, including gambling, shopping, and overeating.

There have been a handful of postmarket reports in which people taking Abilify developed a compulsive gambling habit. In all of these cases, the gambling addiction ended when the patient stopped taking Abilify.

Other obsessive behaviors, including shopping, sex addiction, and compulsive overeating, have also been reported among people who took Abilify or had their dose increased.

One case study published in the journal Current Drug Safety reported several cases of compulsive gambling in patients who took Abilify.

According to the report, none of the patients had a history of compulsive gambling habits, and the gambling addictions ended once they stopped taking Abilify.

Filing an Abilify Lawsuit

Plaintiffs in this and other Abilify awsuits allege that use of Abilify leads to compulsive gambling and other impulsive behaviors, which have resulted in substantial financial, mental, and physical damages to patients who have taken the drug.

Compulsive gambling can be financially crippling, and it can also have an overwhelming impact on family, relationships, employment, and overall life.

If you or a loved one developed a serious gambling problem while taking Abilify, you may have a claim for compensation.

The Abilify Compulsive Gambling Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-6327 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.