Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer - All Topics - Most Popular

Akathasia: The Worst Condition of All

Peter Wetherall — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:43:00 GMT

Nearly all published literature on neuroleptic drugs documents that akathasia is the most common type of extrapyramidal symptom resulting from the use of metoclopramide. What is akathasia? It is an inner sensation that prohibits you from being still. It is restlessness. It is feeling like something is constantly crawling under your skin. In some studies of neuroleptic drugs (the same class as metoclopramide) up to 40 percent of patients may experience akathisia. Jungmann and Schoffling (Lancet, 1982) administered 10 mg of metoclopramide, IV to subjects and found about 25% of these patients complained of akathisia. Subjects reported a strong desire to get up and walk around and flee from the test. The feelings were most often combined with the inability to think properly or read newspapers. In a more recent study, Schroeder et.al. (Anesth Analg, 1994) administered metoclopramide 10 mg, IV to 30 patients undergoing tubal occlusion. They found 20% of the patients developed akathisia and 43.3% seemed restless. The changes were associated with subjective sensations of jumpiness and discomfort.

Unlike other extrapyramidal symptoms, the occurrence of akathisia is not necessarily directly related to cumulativedose or duration of therapy

Check out Some of the studies specifically discussing the high incidence of akathisia is:

Albibi R, McCallum RW. Metoclopramide: pharmacology and clinical application. Ann Intern Med 1983Jan;98 (l) :86-95. “Metoclopramide antagonizes the effect of dopamine in the central nervous system...”. “Adverse effects, which may occur in up to 20% of patients, include drowsiness, lassitude, and akathisia....”

Alavi JB, Torri S, Glover D,Hurwitz D, Glick JH. High-dose oral metoclopramide. An effective antiemetic agent. Am J Clin Oncoll985Jun;8(3):260-5 reported that 51% of patients became restless, 9% haddystonic reactions. The restlessness was coded as akathisia.

Navari RN. Comparison of intermittent versus Continuous infusion metoclopramide in control of acutenausea induced by cisplatin chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 1989Jul;7(7):913-.6.“Dystonic reactions, akatbisia, or diarrhea occurred in 20 of 58 patients” given intermittent metoclopramide “but in only eight of the 58 patients” given continuous infusions of metoclopramide.

Miller LG, Jankovic J. Neurologicapproach to drug-induced movement disorders: a Study of 125 patients. South MedJ l990 May; 83 (5) :525-32. “Of 125 patients with neuroleptic (dopamineblocking) drug-induced movement disorder, 63% had TD, 30% had parkinsonism, 34% had dystonia, 7% had akathisia and 2% had isolated tremor.”“Metoclopramide—induced movement disorders were found in 10 (8%).”

Schroeder JA, Wolfe WM, Thomas NH,Tsueda K, Heine MF, Loyd GE, Vogel RL, Hood GA. The effect of intravenousranitidine and metoclopramide on behavior, cognitive function, and affect. Anesth Analg 1994Feb;78(2) :359-64. Compared placebo 30, ranitidine 50 mg (32),met 10 mg (30), or both (31) . After refit 1 restless 5 drowsy. After met 20% akathisia, 43% restless, 27% drowsy. After both akathisia in 32%,restless 12%, drowsy 36%.

1995 Zaben AA, Al Herbish AS. Neurological side effects associated with unnecessary use of metoclopramide inchildren. Physician Alert 1995(Mar);15(2) report 24 children presenting withextrapyramidal syndromes after metoclopramide. They cite a publication by Hymnan: “Side effects occur in 20%-30% of patients treated with effectivedoses. Side effects include somnolence, restlessness, and insomnia, but themost troubling are dystonic arid extrapyramidal movements. Tremors, trismus,facial spasm, and oculogyric crises improve after withdrawal of the drug oradministration of intravenous diphenhydramine 1 mg/kg. Tardive dyskinesias maynot respond to drug withdrawal. Pediatric Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders25:379.”

Patterson D,Abell T, Rothstein R, Koch K, Barnett J. A double-blind multicenter comparison of domperidone and metoclopramide in the treatment of diabetic patients with symptoms of gastroparesis. Am J Gastroenterol 1999 May; 94(5):1230-4. Randomized IDDM to dornperidone 20 mg qid or metoclopramide 10 mg qid for 4 weeks. Met vsdom: somnolence 49% (severity 1.03) vs 29% (.49). Reduced mental acuity 33%(.62) vs 20% (.27). Akathisia, asthenia, anxiety, and depression more common and higher severity with met.

Anfinson TJ. Akathisia, panic, agoraphobia, and major depression following brief exposure tometoclopramide. Psychopharmacol Bull 2002 Winter;36(1) :82-93. Two days of metoclopramide led to akathisia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and major depressive disorder leading to months of disability.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Peter Wetherall

New England Journal of Medicine Urges the U.S. Supreme Court to be Skeptical

Peter Wetherall — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:33:01 GMT

Last week, physicians came to the aid of Plaintiff's lawyers, citizens of Clark County and the American consumer of prescription medication. The editors of the New England Journal of Medicine filed a "friend-of-the-court brief" in the case of Wyeth v. Levine. Readers will know the Wyeth v. Levine case is pending before the United States Supreme Court.

The New England Journal of Medicine wrote in the brief, that lawsuits can serve as "a vital deterrent" and protect consumers if drug companies don't disclose risks of their drugs. The New England Journal acknowledged that the FDA is often called the "gold standard" in drug evaluation, but the journal urged the Supreme Court justices to be skeptical. The editors stated "The FDA alone simply lacks the ability to serve as the sole guarantor of drug safety," The journal noted that discoveries made by plaintiff's lawyers through liability litigation serve an important function and that the "FDA would be stripped of an essential source of information that the agency has consistently relied on when making its regulatory decision, and the American public would be deprived of a vital deterrent against pharmaceutical company misconduct." Many consumers recognize that importance of litigation for harmful drugs such as Vioxx, Chantix, Ketek, Reglan and Digoxin.

The editors joined 47 state attorneys general and two former FDA commissioners-David Kessler and Donald Kennedy in supporting Levine's position. The Bush Administration is supporting the position of Wyeth, and if this position is successful, the ability of a consumer to sue drug companies for harmful side effects will be non-existent.

Journal Editor, Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen in an interview, stated that the FDA is overwhelmed in trying to keep up with drug safety problems, which can range from rare but serious side effects, to shortcomings in manufacturing plants oversees. He also said that the "court system represents one of the key defense mechanisms that individuals have if a manufacturer has not made the risks of a product clear to the public.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Peter Wetherall

Wal-Mart Pharmacy Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit during Mediation

Chrissie Cole — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:30:55 GMT

Wal-Mart Pharmacy in Frederick, Maryland, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit during mediation without admission of liability or fault.

On December 13, 2005, a customer walked into Wal-Mart Pharmacy and ordered over-the-counter Humulin R (u-100(. However, the pharmacy allegedly gave him the wrong prescription and he left with Humulin R (u-500), a prescription drug that has five times more insulin then the medication he ordered.

On December 20, 2005 he injected the insulin and soon after lapsed into a diabetic comma. He died on January 2, 2006, according to the lawsuit filed by his family.

For more information, please visit our section on wrongful death lawsuits.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Washoe Valley Woman Killed in Fatal Car Accident

Chrissie Cole — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:05:19 GMT

Department of Public Safety - Nevada Highway Patrol troopers were dispatched to the scene of a single car accident that happened at the intersection of SR 429 and Eastlake Blvd, near Washoe Valley, on Wednesday.

Preliminary reports suggest the 20-year-old woman, of Washoe Valley, was traveling south at a high rate of speed on Eastlake Blvd in her 2003 Ford sedan when she failed to stop at a stop sign, continuing through the intersection, where she struck a concrete wall barrier.

She died at the scene from fatal injuries she sustained in the crash.

NHP is investigating the accident and asks witnesses to please contact them.

For more information on this subject, visit our section on Car and Motorcyle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Autopsy Shows Teen Football Player Died from Head Injury

Chrissie Cole — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:48:29 GMT

An eighth-grade running back for North Lincoln Middle School who collapsed during a football game last week, died due to a head injury, according to the medical examiner's office.

An investigator with the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's office, said his death was due to acute subdural hematoma -- a condition caused by head trauma. Basically this confirms he had no pre-existing condition that contributed to his death.

The accident happened during a football game, Wednesday. He carried the ball, got tackled and walked to the sidelines where he fell. He died the next day.

Monday, it still remained unclear as to what happened on the sidelines. Records show a call was made to 911 at 6:22 p.m. An ambulance showed up four minutes later to find him unconscious, displaying symptoms of brain trauma.

The equipment Will was wearing during the game was refurbished, but it had been X-rayed before the start of the football season, Lincoln County School spokeswoman Belinda Branson said Monday.

Branson could not immediately name the company that reconditions the equipment, but she said the district doesn't use equipment with hairline fractures or other defects.

"It is (Lincoln County Schools) policy that all high school football equipment is refurbished every year. Middle schools' equipment is refurbished every two years," Branson said.

The full autopsy report will not be available for weeks.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Head and Brain Injury.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Dangerous Drugs: Digitek and Reglan

Peter Wetherall — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:46:16 GMT

The IB News today reported on the recall and subsequent litigation surrounding Digoxin (Digitek). As reported, Digitek "double dose" tablets were distributed to patients nationwide. Manufacturers ignored FDA warning letters and FDA "Revised" warning letters. These warnings letters, particularly a February 1, 2007, warning letter cited Actavis Totowa (the manufacturer) for significant deviations from Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations. These "deviations" were noticed by the FDA during inspections conducted between July 10, 2006 and August 10, 2006. While it was the hope of the FDA that Actavis would correct the problem, the drug company did not and instead distributed defective tablets.

We know, drug manufacturers often place profits over people. This profit motive can be seen in many problematic drugs on the market today. In the case of Reglan (also known as metoclopramide). Wyeth failed to properly warn of the real risk of tardive dyskinesia. When Reglan (metoclopramide) was first approved, Wyeth told the FDA that the risk of contracting tardive dyskinesia was 1 in 500. But, it was not. The real risk of tardive dyskinesia has been estimated as 1 in 8. Since the drug is widely prescribed many people are at risk. In the case of Digitek, the number of persons at risk is much lower because the drug is not widely prescribed. However, Digitek is quite dangerous in double dosages and poses a deadly danger for those who ingested the drug.

Consumers ingesting either Digitek, Reglan or metoclopramide should contact an attorney to determine their rights to recover for possible personal injuries they may have sustained as a result of ingesting these drugs. Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Peter Wetherall

Hepatitis C - HIV Catastrophe at a Las Vegas Endoscopy Center

Peter Wetherall — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:53:54 GMT

Six people who underwent procedures at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada have contracted hepatitis C, which has prompted the Southern Nevada Health District to step in and require that notices be sent and testing be provided to 40,000 people who obtained treatment at the facility. An investigation determined that "unsafe injection practices related to the administration of anesthesia medication might have exposed patients to the blood of other patients."

Officials said the unsafe practices had been in place for several years and may have put others at risk. About 40,000 patients who received injections of anesthesia at the clinic are being notified of the potential exposure in letters arriving next week.

Chief health officer Lawrence Sands said anyone who received anesthesia at the clinic from March 2004 to Jan. 11 should be tested for the virus, along with hepatitis B and HIV.

"We are recommending all patients during this timeframe to get tested because we cannot determine which patients may have been exposed," Sands said.

This is a pretty big deal. On the one hand, 40,000 people will wake up tomorrow and realize that not only are they apparently at risk for Hep C or HIV, but that they could have infected a loved one. That this circumstance is the result of shoddy sterilization or injection practices is all the more troubling.

One can only hope that those either infected or distressed by this will be compensated for the harm done here.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Peter Wetherall

Children’s Animal Pendants and Masks Recalled Due To Lead Risk

Chrissie Cole — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:51:00 GMT

Team Work Trading recently announced a recall of Children’s Animal Masks and Pendants because they contain high levels of lead.

Lead is particularly damaging to children as it interferes with the developing nervous system and can cause permanent brain disorders such as learning, memory, and behavior. A toxic dose of the metal can lead to seizures and death.

There have been no reports of illness associated with the recalled items.

The recall involves children’s animal mask and four styles of metal pendants. The mask resembles the face of a cat. The pendants have various animated symbols.

Consumers should contact Team Work Trading for a refund or exchange. And in the meantime, the items should not be use.

Consumer Information: Team Work Trading can be called collect at (213) 680-4489 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Eureka Woman Killed in Car Accident

Chrissie Cole — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:08:31 GMT

A fatal car accident on U.S. 50, two miles west of Eureka, claimed the life of a 23-year-old Eureka woman, the Nevada Highway Patrol reported.

The woman was traveling westbound at 3:15 a.m., on Thursday, when the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta she was driving veered out of the travel lane and onto a dirt shoulder off the side of the road, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The driver overcorrected to the left causing the vehicle to overturn, ejecting her. She was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. While being transported to the hospital for treatment, she died.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada is Forcibly Closed

Peter Wetherall — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:00:12 GMT

The local CBS television affiliate just reported that the City of Las Vegas's Department of business licensing revoked the business license of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada this afternoon. The principals of that company have been directed to a hearing before the City Council scheduled for Monday, at which time the company will have an opportunity to appeal the Licensing Department's decision. A decision from the City Council is expected to be made within an hour of that hearing.

This is good news, given the reckless practices which occurred at this facility resulting in the exposure of at least 40,000 people to the risk of HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Peter Wetherall