Introduction

If you are a adolescent male who suffers from a condition known as gynecomastia (abnormal breast growth) that developed while you took the drug Risperdal, you may be confused about what has happened to your body and also deeply frustrated by the confusing, disjointed information you have discovered on the web and elsewhere about the relationship between this drug and the unsettling side effects.

This blog post series aims to demystify this complex topic and explain not only the state of the legal battle over Risperdal — including legal action taken against companies like Johnson & Johnson and Janssen — but also to provide a thorough, understandable primer about why this side effect occurs and what injured men and boys can do to obtain damages and regain peace of mind.

Risperdal: Diverse Side Effects, But Gynecomastia Is Focus of National Litigation

Antipsychotic medications, like Risperdal, have been linked with a variety of unpleasant side effects. The scientific literature has catalogued a rouges gallery of such problems, including:

• Weight gain;

• Anxiety;

• Sleep problems;

• Nausea;

• Nose bleeds;

• Seizure;

• Restless muscle movements;

• Stiff muscles;

• Rash;

• Fever;

• Trouble swallowing.

All that said, the current litigation against Johnson & Johnson (and its subsidiary company, Janssen) focuses specifically on the side effect of gynecomastia (enlarged breasts).

State of the Legal Playing Field

In November 2013, a court forced Johnson & Johnson to pay a $2.2 billion fine (in both civil and criminal penalties) to the federal government for marketing Risperdal for off label uses. The company sold the product to elderly patients afflicted with dementia as well as to children. The suit also found that J&J suppressed information regarding Risperdal’s potential to cause gynecomastia. If you have been a victim – or if you know or love someone who has been afflicted – you know how deeply psychologically debilitating this side effect can be.

Children and adolescent males perhaps suffer the worst ravages, especially socially. It is hard enough to survive as a 13-year-old boy, even when metabolically healthy. It is colossally harder to live a normal social life and maintain a positive body image with swollen, drug-enlarged breasts. This blog series will provide facts critical to understanding the Risperdal situation on a deep level. It aims to help victims and their families protect their rights and start the process to obtaining compensation and coming to closure regarding the harm done

For insight into your Risperdal case, call the Davis & Crump team now at 800-277-0300 or email us at info@daviscrump.com.