The Side Effects of Prescription Drugs

Medical malpractice accounts for 210,000 to 440,000 deaths per year, according to the Journal of Patient Safety. Furthermore, unsafe prescription drugs permanently alter or take the lives of thousands of patients. It was not that long ago that the majority of people in the U.S. didn’t have an assortment of little orange plastic bottles filled with pills sitting on their bathroom sink countertop. The prescription drug market only really took off in the last two decades, finding cures to many illnesses while also pushing pills on those that may or may not have even needed them. In fact, the prescription drug industry went from $40 billion in 1990 to $234 billion by 2008, according to Drug Watch. Almost half of the population takes at least one prescription drug now. There are drugs available that cure or help those with diseases and illnesses who, years before, had nowhere to turn. However, not every drug released on the market does more good than harm. There is such an overwhelming number of drugs released each year that the Food and Drug Administration cannot keep up. While pharmaceutical companies carry out their own testing, the results are often flawed because they were rushed or the testing was biased. Because of this, there are thousands of dangerous prescription drugs that cause serious birth defects, worsen people’s health, and even cause death.

Below is a list of popular drugs with a bad history behind them that have led to declining health, fatalities, and lawsuits:

• Abilify is used to treat depression and other mental illnesses. Its side effects consist of suicide, sexual dysfunction, and addictions to gambling;

• Benicar is used to treat high blood pressure. It can cause chronic diarrhea and malnourishment that can lead to death;

• Crestor is a cholesterol medication that can lead to severe liver and kidney problems, as well as causing Type 2 diabetes;

• Cymbalta is used to treat depression, anxiety, and muscle and bone pain. It causes discontinuation and brain zaps;

• Depakote is an antiseizure medication. It causes serious birth defects when taken by pregnant women;

• Invokana is a Type 2 diabetes medicine that can cause ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis leads to swelling of the brain, dehydration, coma, and death;

• Januvia is used to treat diabetes and can cause fatal pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer;

• Lexapro is used to treat depression and causes serious birth defects if taken by women who are pregnant;

• Lipitor is a popular cholesterol medication that has been known to cause Type 2 diabetes;

• Onglyza is a Type 2 diabetes medication that is linked to such side effects as increased risk of heart failure, pancreatitis, and cancer;

• Paxil is used to treat depression. It causes serious birth defects when taken by pregnant women; and

• Risperdal is an antipsychotic drug that can cause breast development in boys and movement disorders like tardive dyskinesia, which causes involuntary movement of the face and trunk.

Have You Been Injured by a Defective Drug?

If you or a loved one has been injured or become ill from an unsafe prescription drug, or have faced any sort of medical malpractice, contact an experienced Florida unsafe drug or medical malpractice attorney today at the law office of Gillette Law, P.A., 888-366-5904. We are prepared to assist you with your case.