Medicines that can injure and kill
The makers of Paxil, Reglan and the Duragesic Pain Patch – all prescription drugs – are facing lawsuits across the country. Paxil can cause fatal birth defects. Reglan can cause permanent, jerky body movements. The Duragesic patch can deliver a fatal overdose of a powerful narcotic. Anyone experiencing these side effects or who has lost a loved after taking these drugs should consult an attorney.
Paxil: If pregnant women take Paxil their babies can be born with fatal heart and lung defects. Paxil is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder – conditions that cry out for relief. But it is highly addictive and can cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms, including suicide.
Reglan: If this drug is taken for an extended period (three months) it can cause permanent involuntary movements: lip smacking, grimacing, tongue protrusion, rapid eye movements or blinking and pursing of the lips. Reglan is used to treat heartburn and acid reflux that does not respond to other drugs.
The Duragesic Patch: If these pain-killing patches leak, they deliver an overdose of Fentanyl, a narcotic that is 80 times stronger than morphine. Even after a patch with a crack has been removed, the overdose remains in the system for up to 72 hours. Duragesic patches are prescribed for cancer patients and others with chronic pain who have been taking prescription pain killers for some time. The patches never should be prescribed for anyone who has not previously been on pain medication.
Imagine being unable to stop smacking your lips, making faces or sticking out your tongue. How about constant blinking or moving your eyes, arms, legs or fingers? If you’ve taken Reglan and this happened to you, you could have Tardive Dyskinesia. It’s a side effect that is rarely reversible. Although there is no known cure, some symptoms may diminish once victims are off the drug.
Thanks to a Dec. 15 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, consumers can use state consumer protection laws to sue tobacco companies for deceptive marketing practices for “light” or “low tar” cigarettes. Plaintiffs must prove that such cigarettes’ marketing violates state anti-fraud laws, by virtue of the cigarettes not being as healthy as advertised.
It still says Gardasil is okay. So does the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The vaccine “prevents four viruses that account for about 70 percent of cervical cancers” according to its manufacturer, Merck. But this summer complaints from parents of girls who suffered serious side effects after taking the drug trained a national spotlight on the vaccine. CBS News reported in July that there were “more than a dozen deaths and 8,000 adverse reactions” to the vaccine. But the FDA says it has detected no common pattern in the deaths indicating that the vaccine caused them. The federal agency says the vaccine is an important preventive. More than 4,000 women in the United States die every year from cervical cancers that are caused by the sexually transmitted viruses Gardasil prevents. The FDA says benefits of the vaccine outweigh any risks. To be effective, it must be administered to young girls before sexual activity begins.
Beauty knows no pain,” the old saying goes. But it does have a price. Illegal Botox scammers are paying with fines and prison sentences. Victims are paying with facial paralysis. What the beauty-seekers hoped would eliminate forehead wrinkles put some in the hospital. Botox is made from the toxin of a bacterium that causes botulism, a severe form of food poisoning. The scammers knowingly used a cheaper version of it that is not approved by the FDA. Twenty-nine people, including several doctors, were convicted of knowingly injecting the unapproved Botox into nearly 1,000 victims. The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) handled the case after four victims were hospitalized. There were no deaths and the paralysis was temporary. But the OCI uncovered instances of illegal Botox use across the United States, resulting in 68 arrests. Botox Cosmetic is the only FDA approved version of Botox. It is made from highly purified botulinum toxin. Small amounts of it injected between the eyes, affect the muscles ability to contract, smoothing out facial wrinkles for several months.
