Risperdal Gynecomastia Breast Removal Requires Extensive, But Effective, Surgery

The antipsychotic Risperdal has been linked to cases of gynecomastia among young men and boys, resulting in the development of female-like breasts that often result in the need for surgical removal.

A Virginia surgeon recently outlined the process for undergoing such gynecomastia breast removal surgery, which can be extensive, but tends to be effective.

In a blog posted on June 22, Dr. Enrique A. Silberblatt, a Virginia-based plastic surgeon, outlined the process. The first phase of the procedure usually involves liposuction to remove fat and to reduce the fullness of the chest tissue. This is followed by a semicircular incision along the bottom of the areola, and then breast tissue is excised.

Following those steps, the patient has to have drains placed in the liposuction incisions, and then must wear a special compression garment that is needed to facilitate healing. The drains are typically removed on the second postoperative day and the sutures generally remain for about a week to 10 days.

“Since the root cause of gynecomastia is an excess of glandular breast tissue, which is often accompanied by the buildup of fat tissue, male breast reduction generally involves both tissue excision and liposuction,” Dr. Silberblatt wrote.

Following surgical removal of breasts from gynecomastia, individuals must avoid strenuous work for about three weeks.

Dr. Silberblatt notes that about 15% of American males experience gynecomastia in some form, but Risperdal and certain other medications may increase the risk of young men developing the condition.

Risperdal Breast Growth Risks

Side effects of Risperdal may increase the amount of the hormone prolactin in the blood caused, which is a protein hormone that induces and maintains lactation in women after they give birth. For boys and young men using Risperdal, this may result in the development of enlarged breasts.

While surgical removal of Risperdal breast development may be effective, individuals may suffer emotional side effects that are long-lasting.

More than 1,300 Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits are currently being pursued against Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the drug maker failed to adequately warn about the risk of breast growth among boys and young men using the medication.

In February 2015, the first Risperdal bellwether trial in Pennsylvania state court ended in a $2.5 million jury award, with a second case the following month ending with a defense verdict. While that second jury found that the plaintiff failed to establish that his abnormal breast growth was caused by the medication, the same jury determined that Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn the boys and their parents about the gynecomastia risks.

A third bellwether case was settled out of court in May.

While the outcomes of these early trials are not binding on other claims, they are being closely watched by lawyers involved in the litigation, as they may influence negotiations to reach Risperdal settlements for gynecomastia that would avoid the need for hundreds of individual trials to be scheduled.

Johnson & Johnson has been quietly dealing with breast growth litigation over Risperdal for years, but the number of cases has continued to grow as more families and young adults learn that there may be a link between problems suffered following a diagnosis of gynecomastia and Risperdal use as a child.

In 2012, a different series of cases were scheduled to go before juries in Philadelphia, but the drug maker reached agreements to settle the Risperdal lawsuits just as the trials were set to begin.