FDA: Common drug may cause uncontrollable urge to gamble & have sex

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on Tuesday that the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and generics) may cause uncontrollable and compulsive urges to “gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex.” The drug was approved by the FDA in 2002 and is used to treat certain mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Tourette’s disorder, and irritability associated with autistic disorder.

Since its approval there have been 184 reported cases of impulse control problems associated with the drug, with pathological gambling making up the majority at 164 cases. The majority of cases affected patients with no prior history of compulsive behavior, and compulsive behviors subsided after dosage was reduced.

1.6 million patients received 7.7 million prescriptions for oral aripiprazole from U.S. outpatient retail pharmacies in 2015.