by Kieron McFadden
If 10 lawsuits recently filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas are to be believed, then we may be faced with the horrible truth that antipsychotic medications are actually causing males to grow breasts!
The suits in question contend that two antipsychotic drugs, Risperdal and Invega, caused a number of serious side effects to be suffered by boys and young men who took them, including rapid weight gain and, alarmingly, the growth of large breasts up to a size 38D.
The attorney who filed the suits stated that he also intends to file in the next two months at least 20 to 30 further cases in Philadelphia on behalf of clients who have allegedly suffered similar devastating side effects, against a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen, a pharmaceutical company that is also affiliated with Johnson & Johnson.
Risperdal and Invega are antipsychotic medications that have similar chemical structures and side effects. Risperdal is FDA-approved for the treatment of so-called “schizophrenia,” “bipolar mania,” (two “mental disorders” voted into the Diagnostic Manual and which many watchdog groups claim are bogus, “made up” diseases that do not actually exist) and to manage the symptoms of autism.
Unfortunately, in a climate where the reckless practice of off-label prescribing of drugs (prescribing them for ailments they were not intended or approved for) has become widespread among psychiatrists and other medical people, they are also prescribed off-label to “treat” other problems, such as attention deficit disorder (ADHD) or disruptive behaviour.
This comes at a time when the whole practice of drugging children for an ailment that is known by experts to be largely caused by dietary toxins and deficiencies, using drugs with dangerous and debilitating side effects has become something of a scandal with possibly millions of young people affected. As the scandal rumbles on and gathers momentum, it remains to be seen how many skeletons reside in the closets of drugs manufacturers who are gaining for themselves something of a reputation in many quarters for being more concerned about making money than safeguarding human health.
According to an attorney working on the above mentioned cases, the majority of the patients who are taking these medications have had them prescribed off-label. Most of the suits accuse the drug company of negligence and fraud in that it did not adequately warn doctors and patients of the drugs' side effects, and some of the suits allege that the company actively promoted off-label use of the drugs.
It is a face that almost all drugs, being substances foreign to the body can cause side effects, serious in some people, milder in others and devastating in yet others.
Here are the most common side effects listed for Ripserdal, check with your doctor if you detect them because quite frankly it is not worth taking any chances.
Anxiety; constipation; cough; diarrhoea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; fatigue; headache; increased appetite; increased saliva production; indigestion; light-headedness; nausea; restlessness; runny nose; stomach pain or upset; trouble sleeping; vomiting; weight gain.
Seek medical attention as a matter of some urgency if any of these SEVERE side effects show up:
Swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; rashes, hives; difficulty breathing or swallowing or tightness in the chest, bizarre, suicidal or abnormal thoughts; disorientation, drooling, losing consciousness, anomalous heartbeat; fevers, chills, or persistent sore throat; any inability to control your urination or increased sweating; mood swings (depression, agitation, trouble sitting still, severe anxiety, aggression); seizures; severe dizziness; stiff or rigid muscles; the symptoms associated with high blood sugar such as increased hunger, thirst, or urination or weakness; difficulties concentrating, speaking, walking, standing or swallowing; tremours or uncontrolled muscle movements, face twitching; twitching, jerking or twisting of the tongue; abnormal bruising; changes in vision.
The suit contends that patients should have been told that if you use the drug you have a substantial chance of growing permanent breasts if you are a boy, and that the longer you use the drug the worse the problem becomes.
Allegedly some boys have had corrective mastectomies to remove breast tissue.
According to child psychiatrist Jeffrey Naser, doctors have known for years that Risperdal triggers elevated levels of a hormone that causes breast tenderness and milk production. If true, then one would be justified in asking why the devil they did not bother to warn the patient.
It is also difficult to comprehend that if someone has problems with his state of mind how giving him drugs that make him gain weight, grow breasts or develop all manner of other mental and physical problems are going to help him achieve greater equilibrium.
Or do they just edge him towards a zombie-like state in which he can’t feel much at all?
We need the whole truth.
