Abilify Gamblers, from Teens to Retirees

Pensacola, FLAnyone taking Abilify, from teens to retirees, is potentially at risk of compulsive or uncontrollable urges to binge eat, shop and have sex—and mostly to gamble. And this drug is particularly insidious: Abilify is prescribed to treat a mental disorder and chances are, that disorder prevents the patient from knowing about Abilify side effects.

One parent told LawyersandSettlements in an email that their son was prescribed Abilify from Grade 8 through Grade 10 for bipolar disorder. During those years he became addicted to video games. “He went from a straight A student to a D student,” said his mother, Sara (not her real name). “He stole money from me to purchase online video games and played them all night; he stopped socializing and became irritable and argumentative.” When Sara took away the video games he attempted suicide with a kitchen knife and was hospitalized.

Sara says he was taken off Abilify in hospital and went to rehab for his addiction, but the damage was done—his grades never improved, nor did his social skills. As an adult, his employment opportunities are bleak.

Leah retired this year at age 65, but she won’t be enjoying the “Golden Years” as planned. “It took 10 years to spend all my savings, mainly on lottery tickets and slot machines. I had never set foot in a casino until I started taking Abilify,” she says. “I had no idea that I was addicted to gambling until my sister came to visit. She knew this was completely out of character—then she saw an Abilify commercial on TV…”

Gambling wasn’t Leah’s only compulsive behavior. She went on crazy shopping sprees and gained “a ton” of weight. “My brain was in a fog, like it didn’t process the concept of spending money. And I never considered the repercussions,” she adds. Leah racked up a huge amount of debt, maxed out her credit cards and had to claim bankruptcy. “Even if I win an Abilify lawsuit it will never be enough to get me back on my feet again. More importantly, I hope my friends and family will understand that this drug is the cause of my addiction.”