Thousands of young men and boys are coming to realize that antipsychotic drug Risperdal caused gynecomastia.

Also known as man boobs, gynecomastia is a disfiguring side effect that lawsuits contend Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen hid for many years.

When Eddie B. was a teenager, he could not stand to look in the mirror.

“I had bigger boobs than the girls in (high) school,” he said. “I thought, ‘Am I going to have to get a training bra?’”

Eddie was 13 years old and was experiencing gynecomastia, a side effect of Risperdal that he had been taking for anxiety and bipolar disorder. He had no idea that after a year and a half on the medication, he would be suffering from man boobs.

Risperdal Caused Gynecomastia

Eddie said if he had known that Risperdal caused gynecomastia, he never would have taken it. He is now among those suing Johnson & Johnson.

“Looking back on it, I feel like an experiment,” said Eddie, who is now 26 years old.

Finally, in 2006, after more than a decade of written prescriptions to trusting teens such as Eddie, Johnson & Johnson added a warning that gynecomastia could be a side effect of Risperdal to the drug’s labels.

When his breasts became noticeable, Eddie stopped socializing with friends. He said he retreated to his bedroom and played video games to escape “the looks” he would receive in the real world.

“I’d go to the locker room, and people would point and stare,” he said, adding that he felt that, psychologically, the side effects of Risperdal were worse than the bipolar disorder it was supposed to treat. He said he became bullied and depressed.

Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Deny Promoting Drug for Children

Johnson & Johnson has paid more than $2 billion in penalties and settlements over lawsuits regarding Risperdal and two other drugs. A barrage of civil and criminal complaints over the usage have also been filed.

Back in 2013, the Department of Justice determined that Risperdal and two other drugs were marketed to treat dementia elderly patients when Risperdal was only FDA approved to treat schizophrenia. The drug company settled that health care fraud allegation in one of the largest settlements in history.

“The conduct at issue in this case jeopardized the health and safety of patients and damaged the public trust,” said then-Attorney General Eric Holder.

The DOJ also alleged that Janssen marketed the drug for use in children and people with mental disabilities other than schizophrenia even though the company knew of the health risks, including the fact that Risperdal caused gynecomastia.

Janssen also stood accused of telling doctors they would not receive speaking fees for speeches that Janssen arranged unless the doctors increased the number of Risperdal prescriptions they wrote. Janssen did not take the blame as a company, but blamed its sales representatives. The case was settled with Janssen agreeing to pay a settlement plus fines.

Johnson & Johnson does not admit to inappropriately marketing Risperdal to children, saying Janssen “did not direct sales representatives to promote Risperdal for use in children or adolescents, and it did not approve sales materials aimed at treating children or adolescents.”

If you have seen that Risperdal caused gynecomastia in either yourself or a loved one, you could benefit by consulting a lawyer regarding your options for compensation for pain and suffering, surgical reimbursement costs and other expenses.