I was put on Risperidone when I was about 16. I wasn't warned of the side effects. What are my legal options?

Question

I live in Australia. I was given Risperidone by a psychiatrist to treat mild schizophrenia when I was 16. I continued taking it until I was 21. I am 22 now. I suffered bad side effects from the drug. I was never warned about the side effects of the drug by any of the various psychiatrists that i saw over the years. I beleive the side effects caused me to be angry and violent which ended up with me being put in prison for 9 months. I was wondering if there was any legal action I could take against the pharmeceutical company or Mental Health for not properly warning me of these side effects, especially considering my young age. I can give greater detail to you when you answer this question. Thankyou

Answer 1

Chances are your psychiatrist documented that either you or your parents were informed of the side effects. I hate when people answer this but, google "risperidone lawsuit" and lots of law firms come up, for the USA. If you add Australia to the search and no law firms come up on the front page. You can see some lawyers about legal options, but you may want to consider advocacy instead. Get involved in changing the laws so that pharmaceutical companies will have to be more responsible. It may help you with some closure.

Answer 2

I live in the USA; our laws like yours are based on English "common Law". I don't think you have a good case because you were under legal age and your parents supervision. They apparently consented to the treatment with the drug and didn't take action to complain of adverse reactions in that period till you were 21. I am also a schizophrenic and have been on the medication risperidal (Risperidone) for over 15 years.

I have had no side effects except a decrease in libido. It seems to me to have a mild sedative effect rather than an increase in irritability. I attribute that medication with relieving me of severe hallucinations. You might have had a worse time of it if you had not been on that medication. Schizophrenia is a serious disorder. You should be thankful they caught it so early.

Good luck, good health, peace and love!

Answer 3

Unfortunately I don't think that your chance are very good. You would essentially be taking on the pharmaceutical industry that has billions of dollars and hundreds of lawyers. They would probably argue that your schizophrenia cause you to be violent and not the medication.
If you feel that you have a valid case...good luck. But you would essentially be trying to put out a forest fire with a single drop of water.