Posts Tagged ‘ SSRI ’

Top 10 Drugs with Heart Side Effects on LawyersandSettlements.com

January 31st, 2012. By AbiK

In recognition of American Heart Month, which kicks off tomorrow (Feb. 1st), and National Wear Red Day (Feb. 3rd), LawyersandSettlements.com takes a look at our most-viewed drug lawsuit topics for 2011 in which heart attack or heart side effects were the alleged primary injuries.

Unfortunately, while a lot of focus this month will be on the positive measures we all can take to improve heart health—and that’s certainly important—it can be easy to overlook the negative heart side effects some drugs can have—and attention should be given to those as well.

As the chart at left depicts, Actos, Paxil and Zoloft accounted for the majority of 2011 traffic related to heart side effects, with Actos receiving the most at 25 percent. The Type 2 diabetes drug was released as an alternative to Avandia, which as you’ll recall came off pharmacy shelves as a result of the new FDA REMS program that became effective in November, 2011. Still, Avandia came in as the fourth most popular heart lawsuit topic.

Paxil, the popular antidepressant, has been linked to heart birth defects in infants and the drug drove in 18 percent of traffic last year. Ditto Zoloft, which accounted for 10 percent of the pageviews among readers concerned over the potential for heart birth defects.

The ten prescription drugs on the list fall into four distinct classes: Actos and Avandia are prescribed for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes; Vytorin helps to control cholesterol, which has a direct impact on heart health; Trasylol is used during surgery to mitigate blood loss; the remaining drugs address depression and anxiety.

Reader interest in Prozac, Lexapro, Effexor, Celexa, Zoloft and Paxil shows continued concern surrounding pregnant women using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) drugs and potential heart birth defects.

Here’s the full list:

Top 10 Drug Lawsuit Topics for Heart Side Effects in 2011

Actos (Pioglitazone HCl)
Paxil (Paroxetine)*
Zoloft (Sertraline)*
Avandia (Rosiglitazone)
Celexa (Citalopram)*
Effexor (Venlafaxine)*
Lexapro (Escitalopram)*
Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Trasylol (Aprotinin)
Vytorin (Ezetimibe/Simvastatin)

*SNRI (serotonin-norephinephrine reuptake inhibitor) or SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) drugs associated with heart birth defects when taken during pregnancy

Tags: Actos, American Heart Month, Avandia, birth defects, Celexa, Drug Lawsuit, Effexor, Heart Adverse Events, heart attack, Heart Side Effects, Lexapro, paxil, Prozac, SNRI, SSRI, Trasylol, Vytorin, Zoloft
Posted in Class Action, Drugs/Medical, lawsuits, Personal Injury | 94104 Comments »2012-01-31+21%3A07%3A50AbiK

Prescription Hell: When Curing Your Ill Causes More Ills

August 4th, 2011. By AbiK

True Story: I saw a comment from a reader here at LawyersandSettlements.com who had gone to the doctor to get some help for his acne. While there, the doctor noticed that this guy’s hair was starting to thin. Long story short, the guy walked out of the doctor’s office with a prescription for Propecia. He now claims he suffers sexual side effects (like erectile dysfunction and impotence). Oh, and btw, he still had his acne.

It got me thinking…

I’m not a glass-half-empty type, but it’s easy to see how, with prescription drugs, one can envision a worst-case-scenario downward spiral of things—especially given the potential side effects with some drugs that are on the market.

So then I started thinking, what if…

What if a guy goes to the doctor for acne. What could happen based on which drugs he’s been prescribed and what the side effects of those drugs could be? The graphic above depicts “The Snake Pit” (classic movie if you haven’t seen it) version of taking prescription upon prescription. A modern day Dante’s “Inferno”. Only in this little vignette, no one emerges from hell in their attempt to mitigate (via new prescriptions) the snowball effect of increasingly negative side effects.

Here’s how this plays out.

(Note, yes, it’s hypothetical, assumes various doctors/specialists involved, and yes, assumes worst case and/or rare scenarios…but still, it could happen. And before you get on me for Accutane being off the market, the drug isotretinoin is still alive and kicking…)

A guy goes to the doctor for acne. He’s given Accutane (isotretinoin). A possible side effect of Accutane is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). To treat the IBD, he’s given Cipro (antibiotic) and Prednisone (corticosteroid). Cipro has been linked to tendon rupture. Reported, though rare, side effects of Prednisone can include high blood pressure and osteoporosis. Assuming his luck is nil, he experiences these side effects and is given Lisinopril (ACE inhibitor) to combat the high blood pressure, and Fosamax to help combat the osteoporosis.

As we know, Lisinopril has been linked to liver damage (or worse, liver failure). And Fosamax has been under fire for femur fractures. Which, outside of pain meds—which have their own set of side effects—requires another form of medical intervention (surgery). So we come to a “STOP” on that path.

But between the Accutane and the Lisinopril, he begins to experience some hair loss as well—a rare side effect of both drugs, and he’s Mr. Unlucky. So next up, Propecia. Propecia side effects include sexual dyfunction. And he finds himself having some “issues” on the love-making front. Well, there’s a drug for that—Viagra! But let’s face it, between hair loss, sexual dysfunction, a broken thigh bone, a ruptured tendon, high blood pressure and some bowel problems, is it any wonder this guy’s now depressed? So, it’s time for some SSRI’s—like Prozac. And Prozac’s been linked to suicidal behavior.

And, with that, I guess it’s another “STOP”.

Tags: Accutane, Cipro, Depression, femur fracture, Fosamax, Hair Loss, IBD, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Isotretinoin, Lisinopril, Osteoporosis, Prednisone, Propecia, Prozac, Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI, Tendon Rupture, Viagra
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 82721 Comment »2011-08-04+16%3A19%3A39AbiK

Questions about Antidepressants and Pregnancy

January 14th, 2011. By AbiK

There’s a lot in the news about pregnancy and antidepressants (SSRI’s in particular—and especially Paxil, which has a Category D rating by the FDA). And we get a lot of comments and emails from readers who are either looking for information about SSRI drugs and pregnancy—or who share their stories about negative side effects they’ve experienced while taking antidepressants.

It’s a tough call—particularly when depression and pregnancy are not exactly mutually exclusive of each other. As any mom will tell you—even the ones who “just love being a mom!” and “always wanted to have at least 4 kids!”—you know who I mean—there are moments when you’re exhausted, down, emotionally drained. For many, it’s a circumstantial situation that, given a few hours, some diversions, or a good workout, tends to go away and resolve on its own. But not for everyone. And that’s where depression medication comes into play. Bottom line, it’s no accident that “Peanut Butter, Playdates & Prozac” became a popular read…

We publish a lot of information at LawyersandSettlements to help readers understand what’s going on with antidepressant lawsuits. But we also post background information as well—and for those of you who’ve written in requesting information about antidepressants and pregnancy, I’ve pulled some of our informative posts. Here they are:

Paxil Birth Defects: Baby Beware! A look at Paxil, pregnancy and depression

Antidepressant Guide: the Brands, the Generics & Who Makes Them List of antidepressant brand names and the names of their generic equivalents, and their manufacturers

Antidepressants: Know what they’re Winding you Up With Information about antidepressant drug classifications–the “umbrella” categories that antidepressant drugs fall into: SSRI, SNRI, NDRI, MAOI, and Tricyclics.

Having a Baby? Get to Know the FDA Drug Classifications Information about FDA pregnancy ratings for drugs. (Category A, Category B, Category C, Category D, and Category X—the system in which Paxil has been classified as Category D; and antidepressants like Effexor and Celexa are Category C. For those wondering, the Prozac pregnancy rating and the Zoloft pregnancy rating are both Category C at present as well).

Mom Alert: Would you want a 68% Higher Risk of Miscarriage? Study showing high rate of SSRI miscarriage risk—as well as SNRI and Tricyclic risk. Study looked at citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxa-mine, paroxetine, sertraline, ami-triptyline, clomipramine, desipramine, doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline, trimipramine, venlafaxine, serotonin modulators, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tetracyclic piperazino-azepines, and dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

Hope this info helps—but remember, please consult your physician for medical advice about your particular situation—only your doctor(s) can advise and treat you. If you need legal help…that’s another story…

Tags: Antidepressant, paxil, Paxil birth defects, paxil-heart-defects-newborn, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Cateogory, prozac-birth-defects-lung-heart, prozac-heart-birth-defect, SNRI, SSRI, ssri_birth_defects, zoloft-heart-birth-defect, zoloft-lung-heart-birth-defects
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | 64701 Comment »2011-01-14+15%3A42%3A56AbiK

Giddy with Glee: FDA Got One Right with SSRI Drug

October 18th, 2010. By AbiK

Or so it appears.

A little bomb just dropped in the form of a report out in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) regarding the antidepressant drug reboxetine. Reboxetine—brand name Edronax—is one of the drugs classified as a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, or SSRI, and it’s manufactured by Pfizer. According to the report, data from industry-sponsored (biased?) trials that have been published in peer-reviewed journals are misleading when it comes to reboxetine’s safety and efficacy.

How did this happen? Well, according to an article over at medscape.com, the BMJ reports that “74% of the data on patients who took part in the trials of reboxetine were not published because the findings were negative and that the data that were published about reboxetine overestimated its benefits and underestimated its harm.”

Huh?

I feel like I’m sitting in a management meeting—not at LawyersAndSettlements.com mind you—where we’ve just received the results of an employee feedback survey—that happen to suck—and we’re all trying to figure out how to save face and mitigate any fallout. What to do? LIE! Or, simply be selective in what information gets revealed…

So re: reboxetine, little bothersome details like the trial revealed that there was no significant difference in remission between reboxetine and a placebo, and that reboxetine was found to be inferior to other SSRIs such as fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and citalopram (Celexa), just never hit the light of day. Until now.

But here is what makes me giddy with glee: reboxetine had been approved for marketing in the UK, Germany and “other European countries” according to the medscape.com article….”but did not win approval in the United States.”

Looks like the FDA got one right! Can it be so…?

Tags: Celexa, Edronax, FDA, paxil, paxil-heart-defects-newborn, Prozac, Reboxetine, SSRI
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 52622 Comments »2010-10-18+21%3A17%3A38AbiK

Criminal Medicine: Best Defense, Sadly, is a Good Offense

October 6th, 2010. By LucyC

If finding the right medication feels a bit like a minefield lately, it’s no wonder.

It’s not been a banner time for Pharma—these past few years. So many drugs and medical products in general seem to be linked with serious, if not life-threatening adverse events. You may recognize some of the names on the hit parade: drugs such as Accutane and a possible link with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); proton pump inhibitors (antacid drugs) and increased risk for hip fractures; Reglan and its link with Tardive Dyskinesia; Byetta—a diabetes medication linked with kidney failure…

And of course no list would be complete without Avandia—another diabetes medication—and its infamous association with serious, sometimes fatal cardiovascular events.

Oh—there’s also allegations surrounding the class of antidepressants known as SSRIs and links with newborn heart defects. In fact the list is exhaustive.

And to be clear, it’s not just drugs. Products such as the DePuy metal hip replacement are also in trouble. DePuy is currently facing a class action lawsuit over failure rates seen with its ASR acetabular cup. DePuy, which is owned by Johnson & Johnson, has also had global product recalls.

Gadolinium is another one. It’s a clear, non-radioactive chemical compound used with patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). In 1988 the FDA approved gadolinium as a contrast agent to provide a clearer picture of organs and tissues. Since that time, more than 200 cases of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD) have been linked to the product.

This week, news out on Bloomberg indicates that the powers that be at Pfizer Inc, ‘failed to properly warn doctors and consumers that its Prempro menopause drug could cause Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Accutane, Avandia, Byetta, DePuy, DePuy Orthopaedics Metal Hip Replacement, Drugs, Gadolinium, Medical, Norian SRS, Prempro, Proton Pump Inhibitors, Reglan, SSRI
Posted in DePuy ASR Hip Recall, Drugs/Medical | 5153No Comments »2010-10-06+14%3A37%3A25LucyC