How Can Abilify Hurt Me?

 Posted on October 08, 2017 in Defective Drugs & Treatments

Abilify is an antipsychotic drug used to treat bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and Tourette Syndrome. In certain cases, it can also help autistic individuals manage their irritability. Its generic name is Aripiprazole. It is also sold under the brand names Aristrada and Abilify Maintena.

Any drug can have potentially harmful side effects. Drug manufacturers have the responsibility to disclose these side effects to doctors who might prescribe the drug and patients who might take it. When a patient suffers from these side effects without realizing the risk he or she took by taking the medication, the patient may seek compensation for his or her resulting damage through a defective drug claim.

Abilify can Create Uncontrollable Urges

The main side effect of Abilify is its potential to create uncontrollable urges in patients. These urges can lead to compulsive behaviors like promiscuous sex, gambling, and shopping. A patient who suffers from these urges can lose money, contract STIs, or cause an unintended pregnancy, or if he or she eats compulsively as an effect of taking Abilify, gain weight rapidly and suffer from the effects of obesity.

Currently, a lawsuit is pending against Abilify's manufacturers on behalf of doctors and patients who were not adequately warned of the drug's potential side effects. The lawsuit alleges that the manufacturers failed to properly test the drug, but knew that it could cause patients to experience uncontrollable urges. Allegedly, the manufacturers hid evidence of this side effect from the public and the government and encouraged doctors to prescribe it for conditions other than those the FDA approved the drug to treat.

Other Side Effects of Abilify

Abilify can also cause other side effects in patients. These side effects are less extreme than compulsive behaviors, but can also cause patients to suffer physical and psychological harm. They include:

• Sleep difficulties;
• Lightheadedness;
• Nausea;
• Anxiety;
• Weight gain;
• Headache;
• Dizziness;
• Drooling;
• Constipation;
• Blurred vision; and
• Restlessness.

Compensation for Abilify-Related Damages

Through a defective drug claim, an Abilify patient can seek compensation for any damages he or she suffered related to his or her use of the drug. These can include:

• Financial damages related to compulsive shopping or gambling;
• Lost wages due to spending time out of work to recover from physical ailments;
• Medical costs for treatment made necessary by the compulsive behavior and other side effects; and
• Pain and suffering damages for the emotional anguish of the compulsion or other side effects.

Work with an Experienced Fox River Grove Defective Drug Lawyer

If you have experienced one or more of the side effects listed above after taking Abilify, you could have grounds for a defective drug claim against one of its manufacturers, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical. To learn more about your rights as a victim, contact our team of experienced Fox River Grove defective drug attorneys at Newland & Newland, LLP today to set up your initial consultation in our office. We serve clients in the Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Libertyville, Mundelein, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, and Itasca areas.

(image courtesy of Michael Parzuchowski)