Latest Abilify Lawsuit Claims Drug Caused Compulsive Gambling, Money Loss in Thousands

• Abilify has long been cited as possibly causing compulsive gambling
• Compulsive gambling addiction began with Ability use and ended once he was off drug
• Lawsuit claims drug manufacturer did not adequately warn about the risk of compulsive gambling to those patients prescribed Abilify
• FDA only required label change regarding pathological gambling in May of this year
• Parkinson drug Rotigotine also causes uncontrollable gambling urges
• Similar drug also said to cause “straight” users to engage in gay sex

Gambling911.com has been reporting on the apparent connection between the drug Abilify (Aripiprazole) and an increase in compulsive behavior, more specifically uncontrollable gambling.    

Abilify has long been prescribed to those suffering from one of the following or a combination thereof: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and Tourette syndrome.

Several lawsuits have been filed including one last week whereby a man claims he lost thousands gambling while on the drug and the urges stopped once he ceased taking it.

Countries outside the US including Canada and much of Europe had already warned of the connection to compulsive gambling and Abilify. 

“Despite these warnings and advisories in Europe and Canada—for the same drug sold to patients in the United States—the labeling for Abilify in the United States did not adequately warn about the risk of compulsive gambling and contained no mention that pathological gambling has been reported in patients prescribed Abilify,” the lawsuit states. “In January 2016, pathological gambling was added only to the Postmarketing Experience section of the label; Defendants did not make any mention of gambling in the patient medication guide, a source of information likely viewed by physicians and patients.”

In May 2016, the FDA required the drug maker to update the warning label and add information about the link between Abilify and gambling problems.

In 2011, the Parkinson drug Rotigotine also caused users to gamble impulsively, as first reported by gambling911.com in 2011.

Morton Wylie, a 72-year-old former police officer from the United Kingdom, sued the drug manufacturer.

His lawyers claimed at the time: "In the course of 2003, he developed an uncontrollable urge to gamble. He had never gambled to any significant degree before … occasionally playing the football coupons or buying a ticket for the National Lottery.

"His urge to gamble became worse. He concealed his addictive behaviour from his family. By 2005, his family had become aware of his gambling addiction, (but] he was reluctant to cease treatment with Rotigotine as it was effecting an improvement on the distressing symptoms associated with his Parkinson's disease.

"He spent his savings and then borrowed money to finance this continued gambling. That money remains to be paid."

A father of two sued GlaxoSmithKline the week prior.  He claimed that the drug they manufactured to help treat Parksinson’s disease instead caused him to engage in gay sex and gambling addiction.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com