A plaintiff, LaWanda B., has filed an Abilify products liability lawsuit against the manufacturers of the drug, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, claiming she experienced compulsive gambling side effects from her prescription.

According to the compulsive gambling lawsuit, the plaintiff is a resident of the state of Louisiana.

She maintains that she began taking Abilify in 2002 and continued taking the medication until 2016. According to the compulsive gambling lawsuit, “As a result of Abilify use, plaintiff has suffered the following losses: monetary losses in excess of $250,000, loss of financial stability, and other mental, physical, and economic losses.”

The compulsive gambling lawsuit maintains that “the injurious impact of Abilify on plaintiff’s brain constitutes a physical injury.”

The compulsive gambling lawsuit files the following counts against the defendant: 1) Strict Liability; 2) Breach of Express Warranty; 3) Breach of Implied Warranty; 4) Negligence; 5) Negligence Per Se; 6) Negligent Misrepresentation; 7) Violation of Consumer Protection Laws, specifically, Louisiana’s Unfair Trade Practice and Consumer Protection Act; 8) Fraudulent Concealment; 9) Punitive Damages

Abilify Drug Facts

Abilify is an antipsychotic medication that is generically known as aripiprazole. It is prescribed to treat conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, also known as manic depression.

According to Abilify lawsuits being filed all over the country, the manufacturers of Abilify failed to warn consumers that they drug can cause adverse effects such as compulsive gambling including other compulsive behaviors.

For relief from their sustained losses, patients like LaWanda have filed these lawsuits against the company.

Only recently has Abilify begun warning its customers of its possible compulsive gambling and other compulsive behavior side effects. Abilify was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, moreover, in November 2002. Plaintiffs say a correlation between the drug and side effects such as compulsive gambling has been known since 2010. The FDA only required the addition of these new warnings in May 2016.

How Compulsive Gambling Results from Abilify Use

Experts studying the side effects of Abilify are not exactly sure how the drug may cause compulsive behavior to occur. It works by changing the action of chemicals in the brain.

Researchers believe Abilify may encourage compulsive behavior because of the way the drug mimics the effects that dopamine has on the brain and influences the dopamine pathway of the brain. Scientific and clinical studies have identified influences on dopamine pathways as the reason for reward-seeking behavior and side effects such as compulsive gambling and other compulsive behaviors.

This Compulsive Gambling Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-00267-MW-GRJ, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division. The Abilfy MDL is In re: Abilify (Aripiprazole) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No 3:16-md-2734, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division.