Gambling Side Effect Medication

Abilify (aripiprazole) side effects include compulsive gambling, suicidal thoughts, weight gain & involuntary body movements. Stopping can cause withdrawal. A number of medications are used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders like Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder. Abilify (Aripiprazole) is one of the top-selling drugs in this category, and has been linked to compulsive behaviour side effects such as pathological gambling, hyper sexuality and binge eating. Anti-depressants and gambling on the side effects. Pfizer informed Paul these dangers were presented as a possible side effect in the medication packaging under the umbrella term. While these drugs already warn that gambling may be a side effect, the agency announced it had just become aware that compulsive sex, binge eating and shopping might also be associated with the drug.

Anecdotal evidence shows a strong link between the antipsychotic drug, Abilify and certain compulsive behaviors, including gambling. This risk also extends to other similar drugs containing aripiprazole. Abilify is a top-selling drug often prescribed to help manage bipolar disorder.
Some users of these medications report losing thousands of dollars because of compulsive gambling, when they had no problems with gambling before their doctors prescribed this drug. There are a number of pendling lawsuits against the manufacturer of Abilify and other aripiprazole medications.

The Issue with Abilify and Other Aripiprazole Medications

Abilify works by altering two important neurotransmitters in the brain: dopamine and serotonin. This works to help manage bipolar disorder and other psychotic conditions because the levels of these neurotransmitters remain steady. However, there are also reports of significant side effects related to the tampering of these neurotransmitters. This drug appears to lead to compulsive behaviors in some people. This may include hyper-sexuality, binge eating, shopping addiction, and compulsive gambling. In addition to Abilify, other drugs in this class include Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and any other brand of medication containing aripiprazole.
Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins work together to set your moods and make you feel good. While medications that alter the levels of these chemicals are great tools for managing a number of mental health disorders, some side effects can be serious. Most antidepressants alter your body’s handling of serotonin, because it is known as a mood lifter. It is no surprise that these chemicals might be somehow linked to addiction and compulsive behaviors such as pathological gambling.

FDA Action Against Abilify and Aripiprazole

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) received enough reports about Abilify and impulse-control issues to raise concerns about aripiprazole. More than 60 doctors and patients filed reports of gambling addiction, and other compulsive behaviors, between January 2005 and December 2014. The FDA issued a safety communication in May of 2016.
Though the drug warnings before 2016 had listed pathological gambling as a possible side effect of the medication, the FDA did not feel this accurately reflected the significant risk of impulse-control issues they saw in reports. They also felt additional warnings were necessary to warn users of other possible compulsive behaviors, such as hyper-sexuality, binge eating, and shopping. Thus, they added new warnings about possible impulse-control problems to both the drug label and the Medication Guide for all products containing aripiprazole. This included the most popular aripiprazole product, Abilify.

Take Action if You Took Abilify and Developed a Gambling Problem

Many people who take antipsychotic drugs have mental health issues that may already include addiction or compulsive behaviors. This sometimes makes it difficult to spot a medication-related impulse-control issue. However, there is a strong enough correlation between these behaviors and this medication that anyone who develops a gambling problem after taking this drug should contact us for more information about the ongoing litigation.
Many people enjoy gambling for fun every now and then, but those who develop a compulsive gambling problem cannot quit, even when they lose thousands of dollars. If this sounds like you or a family member, and you developed this habit after taking Abilify, do not hesitate to call us.
We may be able to help you file a claim to recover not only your gambling losses, but also damages for your related expenses, emotional suffering, and possibly punitive damages. We can document your compulsive behaviors, and collect evidence to prove your losses. We can also tie these behaviors to your use of Abilify or a related medication. Throughout this process, we will provide support and guidance, as well as ensure you get the proper mental health care to recover from your compulsion.

Talk with an Abilify and Compulsive Gambling Lawyer Today

If you suffer from impulse control issues to exhibit compulsive behavior and also take Abilify, give us a call today. The legal team at Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C. can help you understand the validity of your case, and explain your legal options for compensation. We will pursue a claim on your behalf, and fight to recover the payout you need to cover your gambling debts, in addition to pain and suffering for the ordeal you endured. Call us today at 800-550-0000 to set up a free case evaluation. We handle all defective drug cases on a contingency basis, so you owe us nothing until we recover money for you.

[ 05-03-2016 ]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that compulsive or uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex have been reported with the use of the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and generics). These uncontrollable urges were reported to have stopped when the medicine was discontinued or the dose was reduced. These impulse-control problems are rare, but they may result in harm to the patient and others if not recognized.

Although pathological gambling is listed as a reported side effect in the current aripiprazole drug labels, this description does not entirely reflect the nature of the impulse-control risk that we identified. In addition, we have become aware of other compulsive behaviors associated with aripiprazole, such as compulsive eating, shopping, and sexual actions. These compulsive behaviors can affect anyone who is taking the medicine. As a result, we are adding new warnings about all of these compulsive behaviors to the drug labels and the patient Medication Guides for all aripiprazole products.

Patients and caregivers should be alert for uncontrollable and excessive urges and behaviors while taking aripiprazole. It is important to talk with a health care professional as soon as possible if you or a family member experiences any of these uncontrollable urges, in order to prevent or limit possible harm. Patients should not suddenly stop taking their aripiprazole medicine without first talking to their health care professional.

Health care professionals should make patients and caregivers aware of the risk of these uncontrollable urges when prescribing aripiprazole, and specifically ask patients about any new or increasing urges while they are being treated with aripiprazole. Closely monitor for new or worsening uncontrollable urges in patients at higher risk for impulse-control problems. These include those with a personal or family history of obsessive-compulsive disorder, impulse-control disorder, bipolar disorder, impulsive personality, alcoholism, drug abuse, or other addictive behaviors. Consider reducing the dose or stopping the medicine if such urges develop.

Gambling Addiction Medication Side Effect

Aripiprazole is used to treat certain mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Tourette’s disorder, and irritability associated with autistic disorder. It may also be used in combination with antidepressants to treat depression. Aripiprazole can decrease hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms such as disorganized thinking. It can stabilize mood, improve depression, and decrease the tics of Tourette’s disorder.

Aripiprazole is available under the brand names Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and also as generics.

A search of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database and the medical literature in the 13 years since the approval of the first aripiprazole product (Abilify) in November 2002 identified a total of 184 case reports in which there was an association between aripiprazole use and impulse-control problems. There were 167 U.S. cases, which included adults and children. Pathological gambling was the most common (164 cases), but other compulsive behaviors including compulsive eating, spending or shopping, and sexual behaviors were also reported (see Data Summary). FAERS includes only reports submitted to FDA, so there may be additional cases about which we are unaware. In order to provide context for these drug-associated events, approximately 1.6 million patients received an aripiprazole prescription from U.S. outpatient retail pharmacies during 2015.¹

In the majority of cases, patients with no prior history of the compulsive behaviors experienced uncontrollable urges only after starting aripiprazole treatment. Within days to weeks of reducing the dose or discontinuing aripiprazole, these uncontrollable urges stopped.

We strongly advise health care professionals, patients, and caregivers to report side effects involving aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada) and other drugs to the FDA MedWatch program, using the information in the “Contact FDA” box at the bottom of the page.

• Aripiprazole is used to treat certain mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Tourette’s disorder, and irritability associated with autistic disorder. It may also be used in combination with antidepressants to treat depression.
• Aripiprazole can decrease hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms such as disorganized thinking. It can stabilize mood, improve depression, and decrease the tics of Tourette’s disorder.
• Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic; however, it works somewhat differently than the other medicines in its drug class. Most atypical antipsychotics more fully block dopamine receptors in the brain, while aripiprazole only partially blocks the activity of these receptors.
• Aripiprazole is available under the brand names Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and also as generics.
• Common side effects of aripiprazole include dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, excess saliva/drooling, blurred vision, weight gain, constipation, feeling the urge to move constantly, and trouble sleeping.
• In 2015, approximately 7.7 million prescriptions for oral aripiprazole were dispensed and approximately 1.6 million patients received a dispensed prescription for oral aripiprazole from U.S. outpatient retail pharmacies.¹

• Rare but serious impulse-control problems, such as pathological gambling, compulsive eating, compulsive shopping, and compulsive sexual behavior have been reported in patients treated with aripiprazole. These uncontrollable and excessive behaviors may result in harm to the patient and others if left unrecognized. These uncontrollable urges were reported to have stopped when the dose was reduced or the medicine was discontinued.
• Talk to your health care professional right away if while taking aripiprazole you or a family member develops new or increased gambling urges, sexual urges, uncontrolled spending, binge or compulsive eating, or other urges that seem out of the ordinary. Patients should not suddenly stop taking their aripiprazole medicine without first talking to their health care professional.
• Read the patient Medication Guide you receive along with your aripiprazole prescriptions, which explains the risks associated with the use of aripiprazole.
• Talk to your health care professional if you have questions or concerns about aripiprazole.
• Report any side effects from aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and generics) to your health care professional and the FDA MedWatch program, using the information in the “Contact FDA” box at the bottom of this page.

• Serious impulse-control problems, particularly pathological gambling, have been reported in patients treated with aripiprazole. These uncontrollable urges were reported to have stopped when the dose was reduced or the medicine was discontinued.
• Other uncontrollable urges reported less frequently than gambling include compulsive sexual behaviors, compulsive spending or shopping, binge or compulsive eating, and other urges with impulsive and compulsive features.
• Make patients and caregivers aware of the possibility of these uncontrollable urges when prescribing aripiprazole, and specifically ask patients about any new or increasing urges while they are being treated with it.
• Advise patients to talk with their health care professional right away if they experience new or increasing impulsive or compulsive behaviors while on treatment.
• Consider lowering the dose or stopping aripiprazole if a patient develops new or increased impulsive or compulsive behaviors.
• Encourage patients to read the patient Medication Guide they receive with their aripiprazole prescriptions.
• Report adverse events involving aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and generics) to the FDA MedWatch program, using the information in the “Contact FDA” box at the bottom of this page.

Gambling Side Effect Of Medication

A search of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database and the medical literature since the approval of the first aripiprazole product (Abilify) in November 2002 through mid-January 2016 identified 184 case reports (167 FAERS cases and 17 medical literature cases) indicating an association between aripiprazole and impulse-control problems. The specific impulse-control problems reported include: pathological gambling (n=164); compulsive sexual behavior (n=9); compulsive buying (n=4); compulsive eating (n=3); and multiple impulse-control problems (n=4).

All 167 FAERS cases reported that the patients experienced new urges leading to compulsive behavior only after starting aripiprazole treatment, and within days to weeks of reducing the dose or discontinuing aripiprazole treatment, all of these 167 patients reported that the intense urges resolved. None of the 167 patients had a history of pathological gambling, compulsive sexual behavior, binge eating, or compulsive shopping prior to starting aripiprazole treatment. Additionally, none of the 167 patients had concurrent substance abuse disorder (including alcohol use disorder) or symptoms of mania (such as rapid speech, feelings of grandiosity, or reduced need for sleep) at the time they developed impulse-control problems. Reasons for aripiprazole treatment reported in the cases included, but were not limited to, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar mood disorder, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorders.

Medication Side Effect Compulsive Gambling

Of the 17 cases published in the medical literature, all cases contained information that the compulsive behavior resolved completely when aripiprazole was discontinued, and four cases reported the return of compulsive behaviors when aripiprazole was restarted. These four cases described a close temporal relationship, within days to weeks, of initiating aripiprazole and the onset of hypersexual behavior (n=3) or pathological gambling (n=1). The patients who experienced hypersexual behavior noticed the behavior when they first started aripiprazole, hypersexuality resolved after discontinuing the drug, and then reappeared after restarting it. In the case describing pathological gambling, the patient experienced an escalation in gambling after starting aripiprazole. The patient was able to significantly reduce his gambling after discontinuing the drug, but uncontrollable urges to gamble returned after he was restarted on aripiprazole.

1. IMS Health, National Prescription Audit (NPA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT), Y2015, Extracted APR 216

Gambling Side Effect Of Medication

Drug Safety Communication (PDF - 69KB)

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