A drug doesn’t have to be declared defective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pose a real danger to the people who take them.
More than a few approved prescription medications are known to cause very serious side effects. Millions of Americans check into emergency rooms every year because they are suffering severe and alarming prescription drug side effects.
Risperdal
Commonly prescribed to treat autism, schizophrenia, bipolar mania and other mental conditions, Risperdal can cause a range of serious side effects. Some of them, such as weight gain, restless legs, incomplete bowel movements and nasal inflammation, may be considered mild to a medical professional. Patients who suffer such side effects would certainly disagree.
Severe side effects associated with Risperdal include rapid heartbeat, tremors, spikes in blood sugar levels and seizures. The permanent condition known as tardive dyskinesia may be caused by prescription Risperdal.
Yasmin
Patented and marketed by Bayer, Yasmin is an oral hormonal contraceptive designed to prevent pregnancy. When taken as prescribed, it should be safe. The truth is, Yasmin can cause severe side effects. The most dangerous of these side effects include thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack and stroke.
Although still on the market, Yasmin has been involved in a number of lawsuits. Many law firms, such as Bachus & Schanker Law, are called upon to represent litigants who were hurt by a drug they trusted.
SSRI Antidepressants
The first of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, also called SSRIs, hit the public marketplace in 1988. Prescribed under the brand name Prozac, the drug offered great promise to people suffering with clinical depression. At first, doctors considered Prozac to be much safer than earlier-generation antidepressants. Unfortunately, Prozac and other SSRI drugs are not as safe as everyone had hoped.
SSRI antidepressants can cause a range of very serious side effects, including but not limited to suicidal ideation, especially in teenage patients. Harvard Medical School reports a range of severe side effects associated with SSRI drugs. Among the most troubling are internal bleeding, Parkinsonism and sexual dysfunction.
Zofran
Although never approved by the FDA for use during pregnancy, many women followed doctors’ orders to take Zofran to alleviate morning sickness during their first trimester. This unfortunate off-label use contributed to cleft palate and heart defects in babies born to mothers who took Zofran.
Many patients have successfully won lawsuits against GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and other manufacturers of mainstream prescription drugs with dangerous side effects. If you’ve experienced severe and dangerous side effects from your prescriptions, be sure to consult your doctor and potentially change your medical service provider.