Over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs exist to help us treat symptoms of medical conditions as well as the underlying conditions themselves. From taking ibuprofen to taking a daily regimen of prescription drugs, people across South Carolina and the United States regularly rely on drugs to help them get through the day. In fact, statistics indicate that more than 4 billion prescriptions were filled in pharmacies across the U.S. in a single year, and that does not even count the millions of drugs dispensed in hospitals and doctors offices.
While many over-the-counter and prescription drugs are incredibly helpful and even help save users’ lives, there are certain drugs that actually cause additional injuries to users. Some side effects are to be expected, especially if a drug is significantly affecting the way your body works. However, in some cases, the injuries and complications caused by the drugs are in themselves extremely serious and may require extensive and costly medical treatment.
If you have suffered a serious and unnecessary injury from a dangerous pharmaceutical, you should consult with a highly skilled drug injury attorney in Myrtle Beach as soon as possible. Though these cases are unfortunately common, they can be complicated, so please contact our office call today so we can begin evaluating your case.
Dangerous Drugs on the Market
There are a shocking number of prescription drugs that are the center of lawsuits due to dangerous side effects or medical conditions that developed as a result of taking the drug.
The following are only some of the many pharmaceuticals that have caused serious injuries to patients:
- Abilify
- Actos
- Benicar
- Byetta
- Crestor
- Cymbalta
- Depakote
- Diflucan
- Effexor
- Farxiga
- Fosamax
- GranuFlo
- Invokana
- Januvia
- Lexapro
- Lipitor
- Mirena
- Nexium
- Paxil
- Pradaxa
- Prilosec
- Propecia
- Prozac
- Risperdal
- Topamax
- Testosterone Therapy
- Viagra
- Vioxx
- Xarelto
- Yaz / Yasmin
You should also note that many medical devices have also caused injuries and are the subject of lawsuits. Such devices can include certain hip and knee replacements, proton pump inhibitors, and more.
Dangerous Effects of Pharmaceuticals
As mentioned above, you should expect a prescribed pharmaceutical to make you feel better, not to cause conditions and injuries that are even more serious than your initial condition.
The following are only some examples of the serious medical conditions that developed in patients who were taking dangerous drugs:
- Heart attack, heart failure, blood clots, strokes, and other cardiovascular injuries
- Cancer, including bladder cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, or ovarian cancer
- Kidney disease, ketoacidosis, or kidney failure
- Type 2 diabetes
- Increased depression and suicidal thoughts
- Birth defects in children being carried by mothers taking certain drugs
As you can see, the effects of certain drugs are far more dangerous than the standard side effects of headache or nausea that may come with most pharmaceuticals. The above conditions all require extensive medical treatment to control the condition. Some treatments for cancer and similar illnesses include chemotherapy and other treatments that can cause constant illness, pain, and serious side effects of its own. In addition, many of the above conditions cannot be reversed, even with costly and aggressive treatments. Unfortunately, many victims of drug injuries do not survive and end up succumbing to the dangerous effects of their prescription drugs.
Overall, common losses due to drug injuries can include:
- Expenses for medical treatment of the drug injury
- Wages lost from missing work due to the drug injury
- Permanent impairments due to the injury
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress caused by the injuries
- Wrongful death if the drug user did not survive their injury
In some cases, drug injury losses can extend into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Because there is so much at stake, you want to make sure that your attorney has specific experience in successfully handling this type of case.
Failure to Warn on Drug Labels
In many cases, pharmaceutical companies are aware of the possible risks of taking certain drugs. However, if a drug is a huge money-maker, the company may choose to leave the drug on the market despite the risks. In such a situation, the FDA requires that the companies provide clear and complete warnings to potential patients regarding the risks of taking these drugs. This way, a user can decide whether treating their underlying condition with the drug is worth taking the risks of the possible side effects and injuries.
Unfortunately, many pharmaceutical companies do not want consumers to know of the risks for obvious reasons. To avoid sales from plummeting, these companies often downplay the possible effects or even fail to warn of them at all. This is extraordinarily dangerous behavior and every drug company that fails to warn of dangerous effects should be held responsible for the injuries suffered by unknowing patients. In addition, if a drug company is aware that the possible effects of a drug are just too dangerous, they should pull the drug from the market altogether.
Standing Up for Your Rights to Pharmaceutical Companies
Many large pharmaceutical companies care more about profits than they do about the safety of consumers. However, these corporate giants also have huge legal teams constantly working to avoid liability for injuries the companies cause. The good news is that our experienced drug injury attorneys have the resources and skill to stand up to these big pharma companies to seek the recovery that you deserve if you have been injured by a dangerous drug. These cases can be intimidating for you, but with our lawyers on your side, you can seek the full compensation you need to cover your losses.
Call a Myrtle Beach Dangerous Drug Injury Law Firm for Assistance Today
At the Joye Law Firm, we have represented the rights of many people in and around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina who have sustained serious injuries from defective or dangerous drugs. These cases are complicated, so you want to ensure you are represented by a highly experienced attorney who understands how pharmaceutical cases work. Please do not hesitate to call our drug injury attorneys at (888) 324-3100 for a free consultation today.
Joye Law Firm Myrtle Beach Office Location
2050 Corporate Centre Dr Suite 140,
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 285-6010
