Risperdal Causing Breast Growth in Boys

Risperdal, an atypical anti-psychotic drug, has been linked to breast growth, and even lactation, in boys under 18. The condition is known as gynecomastia (male breast growth), and is usually permanent.

Risperdal's approved uses were expanded after it's original FDA approval for treatment of schizophrenia, to include irritability associated with autistic disorders in children from 5 to 16 years of age, treatment of schizophrenia in adolescents aged from 13 to 17, and the short term treatment of manic or mixed episodes of bipolar I disorder in children aged between 10 and 17. It is prescribed "off-label" as a treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD).

Risperdal causes a release of prolactin from the pituitary gland. Prolactin is a hormone that stimulates breast development and lactation. According to a recent CBS report, a four-year old boy, began developing a breast on one side of his body after he began taking Risperdal. At that young age, his breast had even begun producing milk. The child has undergone mastectomies to correct the problem.

Another boy began developing breasts as a result of Risperdal when he was 14, and still suffers psychological affects at age 19 even though he underwent a double mastectomy.

In 2008, Duke University psychiatrist P. Murali Doraiswamy told The Wall Street Journal that Risperdal had the strongest link with gynecomastia in children and adolescents of any of the newer antipsychotic drugs–accounting for 70% of the cases analyzed. He has also found that some girls taking Risperdal begin to lactate before they reach puberty.

Some children who have suffered from breast growth and have undergone masectomies are filing lawsuits against Risperdal's maker, Janssen. The lawsuits claim Janssen marketed Risperdal for unapproved uses in children, and downplayed serious side effects.