If you have ever watched television, you likely have seen a commercial or advertisement for prescription medication. The commercial often highlights the benefits of the prescription medication and emphasizes how taking the medication could improve the quality of life of those affected by a certain condition. In these commercials, speakers often briefly mention some of the side effects that might occur as a result of taking the medication being advertised.
All medications create side effects—some more concerning than others. If you were aware that the side effect of medication could lead to devastating changes in your personality and lifestyle, would you be willing to take the medication? Unfortunately, many people experienced dramatic changes after they begin taking a prescription medication. After some time, they might find that the prescription medication that they thought would help them control their condition has severe effects.
Many medications have been the center of controversies in which those taking the prescription drugs suffer severe side effects. A prescription drug that has recently gained national attention is Abilify. Abilify is an antipsychotic medication used to treat a variety of conditions.
Were you negatively affected by Abilify? Did you suffer unperceivable side effects as a result of the prescription medication? Did you become a compulsive gambler? If so, you might have grounds to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of Abilify. If you are interested in speaking with an attorney experienced in Abilify, you must contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible.
Normandie Law Firm is a law firm dedicated to helping those that have been severely affected by prescription medications. If you were negatively affected by Abilify, you must speak with our lawyers as soon as possible. Our experienced attorneys have helped those affected by prescription drug medications for many years. Our lawyers have thoroughly examined prescription drug medications and have become familiar with their devastating side effects.
In the following sections, you will find many sections with relevant information about the rights of the victims of Abilify side effects. Although the information provided should help you better understand your current situation, you should not interpret the information provided as legal advice. Only an experienced Abilify attorney should give you the legal counsel you need after an evaluation of your claim. If you would like to speak with our experienced Abilify attorneys, you should contact our law firm as soon as possible and request a free consultation or free second opinion.
What is Abilify?
Abilify (aripiprazole) was developed by Otsuka Pharmaceutical in partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb. Abilify was developed as a dopamine partial agonist—a new type of antipsychotic drug which can act either as an agonist or antagonist based on the chemical composition of the consumer’s brain. The drug helps balance the chemicals in the brain. Development started in 1995, and by 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the medication for use to treat schizophrenia. Over the years, Abilify was approved to treat a series of other conditions. Today, Abilify is used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and autism. Some of the positive results of taking Abilify include the following: decreased hallucinations, improved concentration, clearer thoughts, more positive thoughts, reduced nervousness, and controlled mood swings, for example.
Some Side Effects of Taking Abilify
Although many people see improvements in their schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and autism, many of these improvements come with unwanted side effects. Some mild side effects of taking Abilify include the following: trouble sleeping, headache, weight gain, constipation, blurred vision, drooling, excess saliva, dizziness, lightheadedness, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness, for example. Although many of these symptoms could be concerning, they are often tolerable and temporary. In addition to the side effects mentioned above, Abilify could cause a variety of severe side effects could occur.
Some of the critical side effects of Abilify are listed below:
- Fainting
- Increased anxiety or depression
- Increased mood swings
- Muscle spasms
- Respiratory issues during sleep
- Restlessness
- Seizures
- Severe allergic reactions
- Suicidal thoughts
- Tremors
- Trouble swallowing
- Trouble controlling urges
As you can see, taking Abilify can result in many severe side effects. One side effect, in particular, can lead to a catastrophic lifestyle change for those affected—trouble controlling urges.
Compulsivity
One of the side effects caused by taking Abilify is trouble controlling urges. Those taking Abilify might struggle to control the urges to gamble, have sex, eat, or shop, for example. If those who are taking Abilify have trouble controlling urges, they can experience additional complications. The inability to control urges can often create health problems. Uncontrolled urges can often lead to personal and social problems.
Compulsive Gambling after Taking Abilify
As discussed above, those who take Abilify might suffer intense urges and the inability to control these urges. Compulsive gambling behaviors can arise from these urges. Pathological gambling, or compulsive gambling, occurs when a person is unable to resist the urge or impulse to spend time gambling. Compulsive gambling might consist of the following signs:
- Gambling as a coping mechanism
- Gambling to recover lost money
- Irritability and restlessness when not gambling
- Lying to hide the extent of their gambling
- Need to increase the amount of money being gambled to reach satisfaction
- Participating in criminal activities to fund gambling
- Preoccupation with gambling and planning to gamble
- Sacrificing personal and professional relationships for gambling
- Unsuccessful attempts to control the urge to gamble
In general, only people with specific characteristics develop gambling addictions. For example, mental health, age, sex, and personality characteristics can increase the risk of developing a gambling addiction. Those with friends or family members with gambling addictions are also more likely to become compulsive gamblers. However, since Abilify can cause compulsive gambling, people can develop gambling additions regardless of the risk factors.
If you were affected by a gambling addiction after taking Abilify, you must speak with an Abilify gambling attorney as soon as possible. The prescription medication might have caused your gambling side effects that have severely affected you.
The Effect of Compulsive Gambling on the Lives of those Affected
How do Abilify’s gambling side effects affect your life? Compulsive gambling, if not stopped in time, can result in many negative effects. Compulsive gambling can cause relationship problems, professional problems, financial problems, legal problems, and physical and mental health problems.
Let us consider a few examples:
- A man begins experiencing the uncontrollable urge to gamble. He knows his family is on a budget, so he lies about where the money is going. He depletes the money in the joint account that he shares with his wife. He needs money to continue gambling, so he begins stealing from various members of his family.
- A woman begins experiencing an uncontrollable urge to gamble. She attempts to hide her addiction from her family by gambling only during the workday. Instead of going to work, she goes to gamble. She quickly exhausts all allowed absences from work and is given a final warning. She continues to miss days of work, and she is fired. Her boss, with whom she was once good friends, is concerned and advises her to seek professional help. She adamantly denies having a problem.
- A man develops a gambling addiction. He gambles for days straight, without taking breaks to eat or sleep. His health quickly deteriorates, but he does not seek medical attention because he is afraid of not having access to gambling for a few hours. When he depletes his savings and has no more funds to gamble, he takes a break to try to get more money. During the time that he is not gambling, he is anxious and can only think about gambling again.
The examples mentioned above are hypothetical; however, those examples depict the possible effects of compulsive gambling. As mentioned above, an addiction to gambling can cause personal relationship problems, professional problems, financial problems, legal problems, and physical and mental health problems. Those suddenly affected by compulsive gambling can quickly spiral out of control and hit rock-bottom.
Can Victims File a Claim?
If you suffered sudden uncontrollable urges to gamble after taking Ability, could you file a claim? Could Bristol-Myers Squibb be found liable for your gambling addiction? All companies, including pharmaceutical companies, have the responsibility to ensure that their products are safe for use before making them available to the public. If any potential side effects exist, companies must provide users with clear warnings. Unfortunately, there was a failure to warn users of Abilify about the dangers of developing compulsive behavior such as pathological gambling. Because of this, those affected might claim that Bristol-Myers Squibb defectively designed and manufactured the prescription medication.
Based on records of early trials of Abilify, manufacturers were aware that taking the prescription medication could cause hypersexuality—or sexual addiction. In 2012, approximately ten years after the introduction of Abilify, the manufacturer updated the medication’s warning label to include the risk of pathological gambling in Europe. In 2015, Canada also saw a change in Abilify’s warning label. In 2016, fourteen years after the introduction of Abilify and four years after the initial mention of the risk of compulsive behaviors on the European label, the United States finally saw a warning regarding compulsive behavior when taking Abilify. However, the warning is hidden between pages of other information. Although there was a public announcement about the dangers of the drug, there is still no black box warning.
If you developed a gambling addiction after you began taking Abilify, you might have grounds to file an Abilify gambling side effect lawsuit. You must contact a law firm with experience in Abilify gambling addiction lawsuits as soon as possible. You might have the right to participate in an Abilify compulsive gambling class action lawsuit to recover compensation.
Compensation Available for Abilify Claims
As discussed in the previous sections, the pathological gambling caused by Abilify could lead to a series of complications including personal relationship problems, professional problems, financial problems, legal problems, and health problems. Those affected by the compulsive gambling caused by Abilify could be compensated for their damages. After filing a lawsuit, those affected and their family members might be compensated for their economic losses, any brain injuries caused by the chemical changes in the brain set off by the gambling addiction, any other physical injuries, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium, for example. If those affected by compulsive gambling after taking Abilify sought medical, psychological, therapeutic, or rehabilitation assistance, they could be compensated for those expenses. For more information about the compensation that you might be eligible to receive after filing a claim, you should contact our Abilify gambling addiction lawsuit attorneys as soon as possible. When you contact our law firm, you can be certain that an attorney who handles Abilify gambling class action cases will give you all the information you need to understand the value of your claim. Our experienced lawyers will always fight for your right to receive the highest amount of compensation available for your claim.
The Statute of Limitations for Abilify Claims
If you are interested in suing Abilify’s manufacturer for the failure to warn of the risk of developing compulsive gambling, you must file your claim as soon as possible to preserve your right to sue. A statute of limitations is a timeline that establishes the time that victims have to file a lawsuit after suffering an injury. If their claims are not filed within the deadline established by the statute of limitations, they might lose their right to sue. If you were affected by Abilify, you are subject to a statute of limitations. How much do you have to file a lawsuit? If you suffered compulsive gambling after taking Abilify, you have two years from the date that you discovered that your gambling was caused by the medication to file a lawsuit. Although the statute of limitations is a strict timeline, the time victims have to sue can be tolled or extended. For more information about the statute of limitations that applies to your claim, you must speak with an attorney experienced in Abilify gambling cases as soon as possible.
Filing Your Claim
If you took Abilify and developed a gambling addiction, you have the right to file a claim. To ensure that you preserve the validity of your claim, you will have to gather many forms of evidence. For example, you might need to collect medical records to identify the date you started taking the medication. You might also need to look back through your bank account to establish when your compulsive gambling began. You must also contact a law firm that can help you file your claim within the statute of limitations. If you decide to contact Normandie Law Firm to start the process of filing a claim for your compulsive gambling caused by Abilify, you can trust that our attorneys will guide you as necessary for you to file a lawsuit and receive compensation.
Our Free Consultations and Free Second Opinions
Normandie Law Firm is based on the idea that all victims suffering from the effects of prescription medications should have access to legal assistance. Unfortunately, many people fail to seek legal assistance because they believe that they cannot afford to speak with an attorney. Case after case, our law firm and our attorneys have dedicated themselves to reassure the victims of medication side effects of their right to speak to attorneys at no cost. Our law firm offers free consultations and free second opinions to ensure that all victims of Abilify have access to our expertise.
During our free consultations, our experienced Abilify compulsive gambling lawyers will answer all your questions and address all your concerns. Our attorneys have spent many years dedicated to helping the victims affected by dangerous prescription medications. Our lawyers have thoroughly studied the effects of Abilify and know that the medication can cause intense urges and the inability to control these urges. Compulsive behaviors can quickly affect the victim’s life and lead to many additional problems. We understand you—and we want to help you understand your rights. Besides answering all your questions and addressing all your concerns, our experienced attorneys will give you all the relevant information necessary to help you start your lawsuit against the manufacturers of Abilify. After speaking with our expert Abilify attorneys, you will have the confidence to file your claim.
During our free second opinions, our Abilify lawyers focus on clarifying any confusion and dispelling any doubts created by incompetent attorneys. Many attorneys are only interested in running through cases as soon as possible so they can quickly settle the claims and collect their legal fees. When attorneys rush through cases, they often neglect or overlook important elements of the claim—affecting the claim’s outcome. Since incompetent attorneys are only interested in settling claims as soon as possible, they often fail to negotiate extensively; therefore, their clients do not receive the maximum amount of compensation available for their claims. At our law firm, our attorneys will never rush through your case and risk overlooking key details. Our attorneys are committed to you and your claim from the moment you contact us. Our experienced Abilify gambling lawsuit lawyers are here to help get your claim back on the right track.
If you are interested in a free consultation or free second opinion, do not hesitate to contact Normandie Law Firm today. You must call or email our law firm and request to schedule an appointment to meet our knowledgeable attorneys. A member of our legal team will help you schedule an appointment to speak with our lawyers at your earliest convenience.
Our Zero-Fee Guarantee
Our free consultations and free second opinions are available through our Zero-Fee guarantee. Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients never have to worry about paying any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. What does that mean for you and your lawsuit? Because of our Zero-Fee guarantee, all the victims affected by Abilify can contact our law firm and speak with our experienced prescription medication attorneys to learn more about their legal options. If you decide to allow us to represent you, you can be certain that you will never be required to pay any upfront legal fees. Our law firm is strictly based on contingency; therefore, our clients do not pay anything until they win their claims. If you do not win your Abilify gambling addiction lawsuit, you will not be required to pay any legal fees associated with our services. Do not hesitate to contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible to take action and recover the compensation you deserve.
