The amount of Risperdal litigation piles up as more boys and young men come forward with allegations of the antipsychotic drug causing gynecomastia problems.

Hearing about Risperdal litigation can worry patients and their families, but doctors and the rest of the medical community are worried as well. A growing number of reports and studies are revealing a significant connection between Risperdal and gynecomastia breast growth.

If you or your child have experienced side effects of Risperdal, especially gynecomastia breast growth, you may be able to pursue Risperdal litigation.

Background of Risperdal

Risperdal (also known by its generic name, risperidone) is a fairly common medication known as an atypical antipsychotic, manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Atypical antipsychotics like Risperdal are used to treat a number of mental and mood disorders.

Risperdal was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993 to treat conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar mania, and autism. Although many antipsychotic medications are for use only in adults, Risperdal is one of the very few that has actually been approved for use in children as well.

Though the FDA has not approved Risperdal as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is sometimes prescribed off-label for this use. Other off-label uses of Risperdal include sleep disorders, anxiety disorders and depression.

Atypical antipsychotics like Risperdal treat patients with mood and mental disorders by helping to restore balance to certain brain substances, including the hormone prolactin.

Prolactin is a hormone that, in males, controls the sex drive and, in females, stimulates breast growth. However, people with hyperprolactinemia (elevated levels of prolactin) are at risk of developing gynecomastia breast growth. Boys and young men taking Risperdal may find their prolactin levels increased so excessively that they develop gynecomastia male breasts.

Gynecomastia Breast Growth

Male breast growth from the use of Risperdal has affected hundreds and possibly thousands of adolescent boys across the country. Gynecomastia breast growth is not related to fat but is instead excess glandular tissue, creating what are essentially female-like breasts.

For some, the condition is not too severe and can be lived with. For others, the condition causes them to grow breasts as large as “D” cups.

While there are other antipsychotics similar to Risperdal, not all antipsychotics have the same effects on prolactin. In fact, studies show that hyperprolactinemia occurs more commonly in patients taking Risperdal than any other antipsychotic.

Filing Risperdal Litigation Over Gynecomastia Breast Growth

For hundreds of boys and young men who took Risperdal, the breasts they have developed as a Risperdal side effect became such an issue in their lives that they were forced to go through surgery in order to have the excess glandular tissue removed. Risperdal gynecomastia breast growth can also cause emotional trauma.

A growing number of patients and their families are filing Risperdal litigation over gynecomastia side effects linked with the antipsychotic medication.

If you or someone you love was negatively impacted by Risperdal and male breast growth, you may be able to pursue Risperdal litigation against Johnson and Johnson for failure to adequately warn about the connection between Risperdal and male breast growth, or gynecomastia.