Abilify, which is the brand name for the drug aripiprazole sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is currently the top-selling antipsychotic medication in the United States. Abilify is used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Users have recently filed injury lawsuits against Bristol-Myers Squibb arguing they have failed to notify Abilify users that taking this medication may lead to compulsive gambling.
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Millions of Americans are encouraged to purchase and use Abilify each year to treat mental conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While users may have expected minor to severe side-effects, they did not expect the increase of compulsive behaviors such as gambling, shopping, sexual addictions, and compulsive overeating.
Why are users experiencing these behaviors? Experts suggest that because Abilify can affect the levels of dopamine in the body, a chemical which plays a central role in the pleasure centers of the brain, the increase in dopamine in the brain may sometimes lead to the increase in other unexpected compulsive behaviors; behaviors users were not warned about and which ceased when Abilify was not longer used.
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global BioPharma company who discovers, develops, and sells prescription medications to millions of patients around the world. They provide a variety of medications for conditions which include cancer, cardiovascular disease, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, and psychiatric disorders. Bristol-Myers Squibb is also responsible for marketing and selling Aripiprazole under the brand name Abilify, which generates approximately $6 billion in sales each year, making it one of the highest-grossing drugs worldwide.
With this producing, marketing, and selling comes a responsibility. One that users claim Bristol-Myers Squibb has neglected. Specifically, users claim the labels for Abilify and the risks associated with its use were not clear, leaving the user to rely on outdated, incomplete, or materially false information. Unfortunately, this misleading information about the risks and dangers of Abilify has financially damaged some users.
Companies which decide to manufacture, market, and sell medications have the legal responsibility to educate users about the possible destructive symptoms of their medications. Users of Abilify argue Otsuka and Bristol-Myers have failed in this responsibility by not notifying users of all of the side-effects of Abilify, specifically the increase in compulsive behaviors. So while Otsuka and Bristol-Myers have made millions of dollars in profits selling Abilify, uninformed users have been left with millions of dollars in gambling and consumer debts.
If you have been taking Abilify and have had an increase in compulsive gambling you may now be in debt. You may also face harassing creditor calls, the inability to get a loan, higher interest rates on loans, a bad credit rating, a recent divorce, and severe emotional devastation. The good news is there may be help.