Fen-Phen, the diet drugs can cause severe damages to your heart in multifarious ways.
Cardiac and other problems caused by Fen-Phen
These drugs can narrow the mitral valve, hampering the blood flow from the left atrium chamber to the left ventricle chamber. Use of these drugs will lead to Aortic Stenosis which results in increased left ventricular volume insufficient efficiency of the heart due to the back flow of blood. Diet drugs can be a cause for muti-valvunar problems, breathing problems, giddiness during frequent intervals, increased blood pressure, palpitation and exhaustion. Heart valve problems are diagnosed by means of echocardiogram.
Neurotoxicity
Substances which are harmful to the central nervous system is called neurotoxin and studies reveal that Redux is very much toxic
In the year 2006 five women who were in the habit of consuming fen-phen filed suits against a pharmaceutical company after realizing that they suffered from fatal lung problems. The lawsuits throw light on the fact that the harm caused by fen-phen can float up many years after a person stops taking the drugs. As per the directions of the FDA fen-phen is approved as a diet drug which can be used in the treatment of weight reduction for a short span.
Off-label use is banned, but doctors prescribe specific drugs approved for any indication which they feel is proper. Fen-phen prescriptions were enormous, people even got the medicine over the internet, certain companies set up programs for reduction of weight and doctors prescribed the drugs on a large scale. These drugs were prescribed by the doctors without proper knowledge of the drug , they had no proper training as far as obesity is concerned. Fen-phen could be obtained from a chemist shop or a clinic even without consulting a doctor..During 1996 alone approximately 18 million prescriptions were written and an estimated six million consumed the combination drug.
Retaliation
The rush of the prescriptions came to a grinding halt when FDA in the year of 1997 came out with a warning reporting twenty four cases of cardiac problems among healthy women who were treated with Fen-phen .Some of them were suffering from acute pulmonary hypertension. The researchers were of the opinion that the users of this drug should be informed about the fatal side effects of the drug.
Detractors were of the opinion that even at the time of approval of the drug the risks were quite apparent, certain neuroscientists infirmed the FDA that these agencies ignored animal tests which obviously had indications that extended use of Fen-phen will harm the brain tissues.
Fen-PhenLaw Suits
Fen-pen law suits are found to be common in the present era. When some of the fen-phen lawsuits came to the court of law some of the petitioners questioned the doctors for their off-label prescribing. In Philadelphia the court accused a doctor of being guilty on this context and asked him to share fifty percent of the eight million verdict for prescribing Fen-phen for the patient for a period of two years.
The attorney argued that the doctor prescribed Fen-phen more than the two weeks stipulated time frame advised by the manufacturer and went on prescribing for two years. The attorney stated that the doctor prescribed Fen-phen until the patient called him to pass on the message that she heard about the side effects of the drug from the media while she was abroad. The drug manufacturer also cannot act ignorant about the wide extensive sale of Fen-phen by means of off-label use and the revenue pouring in.
Attorneys are of the opinion that with the known side effects, the doctors prescribing the drugs are the real criminals and companies are also to be blamed that made unimaginable profit without making the public aware of the harmful side effects.
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