FDA Warns of Impulse-Control Issues With Antipsychotic

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning associated with the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada).

“Compulsive or uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex have been reported with the use of the antipsychotic aripiprazole,” the FDA noted in a statement.

Although “pathological gambling” is listed as a side effect on the drug label, the FDA noted that it “does not entirely reflect the nature of the impulse-control risk we identified.”

Anyone taking the medication can be impacted. Therefore, the agency is adding new warnings to the drug labels about all of the potential compulsive behaviors mentioned above.

Click here to read the safety communication.

--Stephanie Vaccaro

Reference:

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA warns about new impulse-control problems associated with mental health drug aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada). FDA Drug Safety Communication. www.fda.gov. 2016 May 3.