OxyContin is a narcotic drug, an opiate, that has been approved by the FDA to legally treat chronic pain. Chronic pain is documented medical condition, a progressive disease of the nervous system and spine that causes constant a patient to experience constant, excruciating pain. Chronic pain is caused by the failure of the body’s internal pain control systems and is accompanied by changes of the chemical and anatomical makeup of the spinal cord. Left untreated, the condition will spread to unaffected areas. A patient suffering from chronic pain does not produce enough natural opiates, so a pharmaceutical opiate like OxyContin is an effective treatment for the disease.
Unfortunately, drug addicts have abused the medical system and obtained prescriptions of OxyContin in order to feed narcotic habits rather than treat medical conditions. Like any narcotic, OxyContin can be highly addictive and overdosing can be fatal. Illicit prescriptions of OxyContin are both sold and abused on the black market. This situation creates a problem for governmental drug regulating agencies that are trying to take a hard line on drug abuse.
Recently, the government has been cracking down harder on drugs and drug abuse, and this does not mean simply going after the users and abusers of pharmaceutical drugs. The government has been targeting the doctors who prescribe these drugs to patients who then abuse them. The problem here is that it is difficult for doctors to know how their prescriptions are actually applied, and a doctor cannot immediately revoke the prescription of a suspected abuser because withdrawal symptoms cause are equivalent to the pain of torture, and can be fatal. Thus doctors who prescribe OxyContin to patients with chronic pain, and remember the condition will progressively and permanently worsen without this treatment, have been convicted of drug trafficking, had medical licenses revoked, and been sent to prison.
Who the real victim is depends entirely on the circumstances of the individual case. Certainly innocent doctors have been punished for prescribing appropriate drugs to pained patients, but in other instances OxyContin has been prescribed irresponsibly, causing addiction, overdose, death, and contributing to the black market exchange of drugs. If you are on either side of this line and are concerned about the use or prescription of OxyContin, please consult a lawyer immediately and protect your interests.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/oxycontin-lawyer.htm
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Naproxen Lawyer: Aleve Causes Heart Disease
Naproxen belongs to a class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This basically means it’s a common pain reliever among the ranks of ibuprofen (Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), nabumentone (Relafen), and several others you are probably familiar with. Naproxen, which is sold over the counter as Aleve, is used to manage mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. It works by reducing the production of pain chemicals in the brain. Naproxen was approved by the FDA in December, 1991.
Naproxen (Aleve) has been very successful because it has a longer half-life than many other drugs, resulting in as long as 12-hour pain relief. Because it thins the blood, it should not be used in conjunction with any blood thinners or blood pressure lowering drugs. Beyond a few cases negative reactions, such as increased rate of lithium toxicity, Naproxen has been enjoyed widespread use without many visible problem.
However, in December of 2004 the FDA issued a press release describing a National Institutes of Health survey. The five-year study, in which Alzheimer’s Disease patients were administered high dosages of Naproxen, had to be halted early because early in the trial 50% of the patients had suffered heart attacks and strokes. As a result, the FDA advised patients taking Aleve to follow the instructions carefully, avoid exceeding recommended doses, and to stop using the medication after 10 days.
The FDA will be analyzing all available information about Naproxen’s contribution to the risk of heart disease and stroke. If it finds that the company producing Naproxen and Aleve has produced a dangerous product, further regulatory action may be needed. If you feel you have suffered adversely from the use of Naproxen or Aleve, especially if you have suffered heart palpitations, heart attack, or stroke, contact a lawyer immediately so that your voice can be heard in the eventual verdict.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/naproxen-lawyer.htm
Naproxen (Aleve) has been very successful because it has a longer half-life than many other drugs, resulting in as long as 12-hour pain relief. Because it thins the blood, it should not be used in conjunction with any blood thinners or blood pressure lowering drugs. Beyond a few cases negative reactions, such as increased rate of lithium toxicity, Naproxen has been enjoyed widespread use without many visible problem.
However, in December of 2004 the FDA issued a press release describing a National Institutes of Health survey. The five-year study, in which Alzheimer’s Disease patients were administered high dosages of Naproxen, had to be halted early because early in the trial 50% of the patients had suffered heart attacks and strokes. As a result, the FDA advised patients taking Aleve to follow the instructions carefully, avoid exceeding recommended doses, and to stop using the medication after 10 days.
The FDA will be analyzing all available information about Naproxen’s contribution to the risk of heart disease and stroke. If it finds that the company producing Naproxen and Aleve has produced a dangerous product, further regulatory action may be needed. If you feel you have suffered adversely from the use of Naproxen or Aleve, especially if you have suffered heart palpitations, heart attack, or stroke, contact a lawyer immediately so that your voice can be heard in the eventual verdict.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/naproxen-lawyer.htm
Meridia Lawyer: Diet Drug Meridia Side Effects
Following the recall of Fen-Phen and Redux in 1999 (two diet drugs that cause heart valve diseases) Meridia was released. Meridia is a diet drug similar to the ones that were recalled. Like the recalled drugs, it releases serotonin into the brain to trick the patient’s body into feeling full and choosing to eat less. These drugs do not so much remove weight from the body as they do encourage and facilitate a lifestyle involving lower caloric intake.
Meridia is different from the older drugs, however, because its interaction with the brain is more localized. While Fen-Phen released serotonin into the bloodstream where it flooded and damaged the heart, Meridia acts only on localized areas of the brain where the serotonin chemical is needed. People taking Meridia or considering Meridia should be aware that Meridia is part of a healthy lifestyle choice, not merely an easy road to diet street.
More serious side effects could be suffered by patients who are taking drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or MAOI’s. MOAI’s are taken to treat depression, Parkinson’s disease, and other such disorders. Serious, sometimes fatal, reactions can occur if Meridia and monoamine oxidase inhibitors are taken at the same time. It is also important not to take Meridian along with other serotonin-regulating drugs. This can cause a rare but serious condition called “serotonin syndrome”, which requires immediate medical attention.
Meridia does seem, after all, to be safer than Fen-Phen and Redux, but please be careful and remember that drugs like this are powerful medications, not aesthetic vanities. If you feel that you have suffered adverse effects from Meridia or that it has been administered improperly, please contact a lawyer right away.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/meridia-lawyer.htm
Meridia is different from the older drugs, however, because its interaction with the brain is more localized. While Fen-Phen released serotonin into the bloodstream where it flooded and damaged the heart, Meridia acts only on localized areas of the brain where the serotonin chemical is needed. People taking Meridia or considering Meridia should be aware that Meridia is part of a healthy lifestyle choice, not merely an easy road to diet street.
More serious side effects could be suffered by patients who are taking drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or MAOI’s. MOAI’s are taken to treat depression, Parkinson’s disease, and other such disorders. Serious, sometimes fatal, reactions can occur if Meridia and monoamine oxidase inhibitors are taken at the same time. It is also important not to take Meridian along with other serotonin-regulating drugs. This can cause a rare but serious condition called “serotonin syndrome”, which requires immediate medical attention.
Meridia does seem, after all, to be safer than Fen-Phen and Redux, but please be careful and remember that drugs like this are powerful medications, not aesthetic vanities. If you feel that you have suffered adverse effects from Meridia or that it has been administered improperly, please contact a lawyer right away.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/meridia-lawyer.htm
Lipitor Statin Drug Side Effects Lawyer
Doctors have been encouraged to prescribe the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins quite liberally. Patients who suffer heart attacks often have elevated levels of cholesterol, so statins like Lipitor are prescribed to lower the cholesterol. There have been no conclusive studies to prove the full effectiveness of these drugs, however, and some doctors worry that reducing cholesterol simply takes away the warning signs of heart disease. The drug companies also claim that statin drugs have a low, nearly nonexistent incidence of side effects. These claims are based on trials of the drug on a carefully screened group of people, hardly a representative selection of the general public. Considering the rigorous selection process for drug trials, it is hardly a surprise that 51% of prescription drugs found to have serious adverse side effects not detected prior to FDA approval.
As many as 98% of people using Lipitor or similar statin drugs experience muscle weakness. This is because the statins break down muscle tissue. A similar drug, Baycor, was removed from the market earlier this year after it caused muscle breakdown so severe that patients’ muscles broke down and flooded their kidneys with toxins. Twenty-six Baycor users died from muscle failure.
Though muscle damage, sometimes debilitating muscle pain and disintegration, is the most common side effect, statins have been found to cause many other serious adverse effects. Patients taking Lipitor have had a higher incidence of cancer, neuropathy, heart failure, dizziness, memory failure, and depression. The extent of these problems is far greater than anybody realizes because doctors often diagnose these side effects as problems relating to the original risk of heart disease, not the drug prescribed to treat it.
If you are taking Lipitor or another statin and develop muscle weakness or pain, stop taking the drug immediately. If you have strange side effects that doctors cannot seem to diagnose, it could be related to the statins. Above all, if you chose to take these drugs, take Co-Q10 supplements. This is an important liver enzyme whose production is blocked along with cholesterol. If you are suffering adverse effects from these popular drugs, add your voice to the public outcry of statin victims so that doctors, drug companies, and the FDA realize the extent of the problem. If you have been harmed or crippled by these drugs you should contact a lawyer.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/lipitor-lawyer.htm
As many as 98% of people using Lipitor or similar statin drugs experience muscle weakness. This is because the statins break down muscle tissue. A similar drug, Baycor, was removed from the market earlier this year after it caused muscle breakdown so severe that patients’ muscles broke down and flooded their kidneys with toxins. Twenty-six Baycor users died from muscle failure.
Though muscle damage, sometimes debilitating muscle pain and disintegration, is the most common side effect, statins have been found to cause many other serious adverse effects. Patients taking Lipitor have had a higher incidence of cancer, neuropathy, heart failure, dizziness, memory failure, and depression. The extent of these problems is far greater than anybody realizes because doctors often diagnose these side effects as problems relating to the original risk of heart disease, not the drug prescribed to treat it.
If you are taking Lipitor or another statin and develop muscle weakness or pain, stop taking the drug immediately. If you have strange side effects that doctors cannot seem to diagnose, it could be related to the statins. Above all, if you chose to take these drugs, take Co-Q10 supplements. This is an important liver enzyme whose production is blocked along with cholesterol. If you are suffering adverse effects from these popular drugs, add your voice to the public outcry of statin victims so that doctors, drug companies, and the FDA realize the extent of the problem. If you have been harmed or crippled by these drugs you should contact a lawyer.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/lipitor-lawyer.htm
Lotronex Lawyer
Even in clinical trials, Lotronex displayed a tendency towards causing ischemic colitis in patients. From the February in which Lotronex was approved until June, the FDA received seven reports of serious complications of constipation leading to hospitalization. Surgery was required to relieve some cases of extreme Lotronex constipation. Lotronex Medication Guides were issued under regulations that became effective in 1999 when Lotronex patients ended up in hospitalization and requiring surgical procedures for constipation. Since Lotronex is a drug used to treat diarrhea, these surgeries were obviously not necessary to treat conditions held before taking the drug.
Despite the FDA’s issuing of this safety information about Lotronex, patients kept filing severe adverse event reports of ischemic colitis, complications of constipation, death reports, and complications requiring blood transfusions. The FDA recalled Lotronex on November 2000, just nine months after approval.
In 2002, the FDA announced the approval of a supplemental New Drug Application that allows restricted marketing of Lotronex to treat only women with severe diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrom. The approval of Lotronex includes a risk management program to ensure patients and physicians are fully informed of risks and possible benefits of Lotronex. Patients using Lotronex must sign a contract with their doctors stating that they understand the risk of serious constipation that could result in surgery, blood transfusion, or death.
These restrictions are very tight because of the history of tragedies involving Lotronex and its potential to cause unusual, very painful death by constipation. Because of this it is imperative that Lotronex not be bought over the internet. The system through which patients sign a Lotronex contract with their doctor assures that everybody involved in the transaction is educated on all the dangers and benefits involved and prepared to accept responsibility for the consequences.
Please contact a lawyer if you have taken Lotronex during the time when it enjoyed unrestricted access to the market, between 1999-2000. Also contact a lawyer if you are currently taking Lotronex and have not signed a contract with your doctor, or feel that your physician is administering the drug improperly.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/lotronex-lawyer.htm
Despite the FDA’s issuing of this safety information about Lotronex, patients kept filing severe adverse event reports of ischemic colitis, complications of constipation, death reports, and complications requiring blood transfusions. The FDA recalled Lotronex on November 2000, just nine months after approval.
In 2002, the FDA announced the approval of a supplemental New Drug Application that allows restricted marketing of Lotronex to treat only women with severe diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrom. The approval of Lotronex includes a risk management program to ensure patients and physicians are fully informed of risks and possible benefits of Lotronex. Patients using Lotronex must sign a contract with their doctors stating that they understand the risk of serious constipation that could result in surgery, blood transfusion, or death.
These restrictions are very tight because of the history of tragedies involving Lotronex and its potential to cause unusual, very painful death by constipation. Because of this it is imperative that Lotronex not be bought over the internet. The system through which patients sign a Lotronex contract with their doctor assures that everybody involved in the transaction is educated on all the dangers and benefits involved and prepared to accept responsibility for the consequences.
Please contact a lawyer if you have taken Lotronex during the time when it enjoyed unrestricted access to the market, between 1999-2000. Also contact a lawyer if you are currently taking Lotronex and have not signed a contract with your doctor, or feel that your physician is administering the drug improperly.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/lotronex-lawyer.htm
Lamicil Tablet Side Effects Lawyer
While the recent Lamisil commercial featuring Digger, a disgusting cartoon fungus, is still fresh in our mind (who could forget the imagery of a toenail being pulled back and colorful germs crawling in?) it is a good time to look at the side effects of this seemingly innocuous drug. Despite the disturbing advertising campaign, who would have guessed that an antifungal tablet could have so many negative side effects?
The drug comes in both cream and tablet form and is used to fight nail fungus, athlete’s foot, jock itch, and ringworm. It can also be used to treat tinea veriscolor, an infection that produces brown, tan, or white spots on a person’s torso. Lamisil tablets do not work right away, and the full result cannot be seen for months. Perhaps it is this necessarily long exposure period that contributes to the worst of Lamisil’s side effects. The exact side effects resulting from Lamisil cannot be anticipated because the possibilities are so diverse. Inform a doctor of any suspected side effects as soon as possible.
Lamisil tablets have been found to cause diarrhea, indigestion, rash, abdominal pain, gas, hives, itching, nausea, taste disturbances, vision problems, fatigue, flue, hair loss, joint pain, liver problems, aches, and vomiting. Vision problems resulting from Lamisil tablets have been diagnosed as serious changes and possible damage to the retina of the eye. Lamisil tablets can cause rare, possibly fatal liver disease and, in rare cases, caused severe skin reactions. Stop using Lamisil immediately if you develop a skin rash and call your doctor immediately, as these too can be fatal. Lamisil has not been tested safely on children, nor should it be used by pregnant women or women who are breast feeding.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/lamisil-lawyer.htm
The drug comes in both cream and tablet form and is used to fight nail fungus, athlete’s foot, jock itch, and ringworm. It can also be used to treat tinea veriscolor, an infection that produces brown, tan, or white spots on a person’s torso. Lamisil tablets do not work right away, and the full result cannot be seen for months. Perhaps it is this necessarily long exposure period that contributes to the worst of Lamisil’s side effects. The exact side effects resulting from Lamisil cannot be anticipated because the possibilities are so diverse. Inform a doctor of any suspected side effects as soon as possible.
Lamisil tablets have been found to cause diarrhea, indigestion, rash, abdominal pain, gas, hives, itching, nausea, taste disturbances, vision problems, fatigue, flue, hair loss, joint pain, liver problems, aches, and vomiting. Vision problems resulting from Lamisil tablets have been diagnosed as serious changes and possible damage to the retina of the eye. Lamisil tablets can cause rare, possibly fatal liver disease and, in rare cases, caused severe skin reactions. Stop using Lamisil immediately if you develop a skin rash and call your doctor immediately, as these too can be fatal. Lamisil has not been tested safely on children, nor should it be used by pregnant women or women who are breast feeding.
http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/lamisil-lawyer.htm
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