Risperdal Side Effects
In a recent study, Risperdal side effects increased a patient’s chances of developing diabetes by about 50 percent compared to older antipsychotic drugs prescribed for schizophrenia and bipolar mania.
Janssen Pharmaceutica, part of Johnson & Johnson, misled physicians by minimizing the health risks of prescribing Risperdal (generic risperdone).
Clinical trials testing Risperdal in Alzheimer patients heightened concerns that the occurrence of serious Risperdal side effects is higher than previously thought. Among the 764 Risperdal study participants, 29 cases of stroke and stroke-related side effects were seen, plus four deaths.
What is Risperdal?
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Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic medication that changes the chemical actions in your brain.
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Risperdal is used to treat psychotic symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, and confusion.
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Risperdal may also be used for purposes other than those listed in the medication guide.
Unfortunately, not only are schizophrenia, bipolar mania, and Alzheimer patients being given Risperdal; children and adolescents displaying only minor conditions are also being prescribed Risperdal. According to many Risperdal critics, the risks for suffering potentially deadly and serious conditions are far greater than the benefits that Risperdal can provide for minor conditions.
The use of Risperdal is dangerous not only because of the serious and deadly Risperdal side effects linked to the antipsychotic medication, but because Risperdal may disguise signs and symptoms of other conditions. Risperdal may mask the presence of Risperdal overdose, intestinal obstruction, brain tumor, and Reye’s syndrome. Safety implications have not yet been established for prescribing Risperdal to pregnant women or to children.
The scope of Risperdal dangers is great but not greater than the financial gain to Johnson & Johnson. More than 10 million people have used Risperdal, allowing Risperdal to be the number one prescribed antipsychotic drug. Prescription drug sales for Risperdal were $2.49 billion for the first quarter of 2004 with projected sales reaching as much as $11.2 billion by 2006.
What is the problem?
What is the Risperdal side effects problem?
Risperdal litigation has targeted the cause and side effects of Risperdal. Although Risperdal has been on the market since 1994, it wasn’t until ten years later in 2004 that Johnson & Johnson released information and added label warnings saying that Risperdal side effects include hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, and in some cases — ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar coma or death.
Patients who were already diagnosed with diabetes saw their diabetes grow much worse while taking Risperdal. Meanwhile, patients who developed diabetes from taking Risperdal didn’t know they had diabetes, were not being treated for diabetes, and developed complications including Risperdal-induced diabetic coma and death.
Do you have a Risperdal diabetic lawsuit?
Have you, a family member, or dear friend been prescribed Risperdal? Have you developed diabetes, hyperglycemia, or life-compromising Risperdal side effects? Contact an expert Risperdal now. Click here for a FREE no-obligation consultation today.
Another problem which has finally become under public scrutiny is that the FDA is perceived to be in cahoots with the pharmaceutical companies. Consumer watchdog groups wonder why does it take so long for the pharmaceutical companies to properly label and warn physicians and the public about life-threatening side effects. How many people have to die from complications of Risperdal and other atypical antipsychotic drugs before warning labels or drug recall happens?
Also physicians often prescribe the drug for causes that Risperdal was not originally intended for. While Risperdal has been prescribed to children and teens for minor behavioral conditions, no clinical trials have been conducted within that age group. Risperdal is not a one-size fits all drug; prescribing and monitoring requires critical diligence.
Who is responsible for Risperdal diabetes?
Atypical antipsychotic drugs, such as Risperdal used to be considered “wonder drugs”. But that was before life-compromising Risperdal side effects — such as the diabetes and hyperglycemia, heart attacks, strokes and comas, NMS, and death — were disclosed to the public.
Armies of pharmaceutical lobbyists put financial pressure on the government hierarchy to release drugs like Risperdal into the pharmaceutical buying public who are bombarded with a million dollar ad campaign with the goal to ask their doctor about this pill and that pill. Clinical studies, paid for by the pharmaceutical companies, may be incomplete or inconclusive while the drugs are still released and marketed. Many countries ban the use of harmful prescription drugs that the American public is urged to keep taking. Rather than disclose this information, the pharmaceutical companies find more medical conditions and recommend Risperdal for the treatment to American patients.
Is the FDA strangled by too much bureaucratic red tape to really take Risperdal patient safety seriously?
The atypical drugs seemed to have few of the side effects commonly associated with high doses of older medications for psychosis. For many years, stories of remarkable recoveries seemed to confirm early excitement. But then doctors started prescribing them for other conditions than schizophrenia such as bipolar mania, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, personality disorders, depression, and severe behavioral problems in children.
Janssen Pharmaceutica, a division of Johnson & Johnson healthcare empire is responsible for misleading physicians and the American public in the safety of prescribing Risperdal and its diminished quality of life side effects.
What is being done?
What is being done about Risperdal diabetes?
What is being done about Risperdal diabetes is too little to late. Risperdal has been prescribed since 1994 and the damage is already done. Think about the repercussions when at any given time, between 1 and 2 percent of the world’s population, including two million American adults suffer from schizophrenia. This doesn’t take into consideration all the other conditions which it also has been prescribed for.
A growing percentage of Risperdal users have already developed diabetes, hyperglycemia, and blood glucose disorders. Many developed diabetes but it was never diagnosed and they experienced ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar coma or death. Patients seeking help from one disorder became seriously ill with another from taking Risperdal, a prescription medicine.
With demands made by the FDA, in April 2004 (10 years later) Johnson & Johnson finally put safety information on its label about Risperdal side effects. In a letter, doctors were informed about labeling changes with a warning describing the increased risk of hyperglycemia and diabetes to patients taking these Risperdal.
What can you do?
What can your Risperdal lawyer do?
Filing Risperdal lawsuits: Hiring a lawyer
What are the grounds for a Risperdal lawsuit? Do you need a lawyer?
If you have developed Risperdal diabetes, hyperglycemia, or a loved one has died from a diabetes-induced coma or heart attack – you may want to retain a lawyer and file a Risperdal lawsuit. As with all cases of negligence and product liability, you can consult a lawyer regarding filing a Risperdal lawsuit, in order to obtain compensation.
What law firms and lawyers handle Risperdal lawsuits?
Monheit Law is devoted to Risperdal lawsuit cases. Our services are on a contingency basis which means if you don’t win your Risperdal lawsuit, you don’t pay for our services. Monheit Law offers services based on a no-win, no-fee basis. The likelihood of a successful Risperdal lawsuit varies based on the facts of each case. The circumstances of each person’s use of Risperdal will differ and will affect the outcome of any Risperdal lawsuit. There are also local issues, involving specific State laws, which may alter the treatment of each Risperdal lawsuit.
Who are the Risperdal lawsuits filed against?
Grounds for Risperdal lawsuit legal proceedings lie almost solely with Janssen Pharmaceutica, a division of Johnson & Johnson. This is most likely where the Risperdal lawsuit would be directed.
FAQ’s
What should I know about taking Risperdal?
- Contact your doctor immediately if you experience fever, sweating, severe muscle stiffness (rigidity), confusion, fast or irregular heart beat. These could be symptoms of a potentially fatal side effect called Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS).
- Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Risperdal may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities.
- Dizziness may be more likely to occur when rising from a sitting or lying position. Rise slowly to prevent dizziness and a possible fall.
- Avoid alcohol. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness while taking Risperdal.
- Avoid becoming overheated in hot weather and during exercise. Risperdal may increase the risk of heat stroke.
- Do not mix the liquid form of Risperdal with cola or tea.
Why is diabetes and hyperglycemia a Risperdal side effect?
Hyperglycemia associated with diabetic ketoacidosis has been reported in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics, including Risperdal. Diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA is a condition where the body has a severe deficiency of insulin. Assessment of the relationship between atypical antipsychotic use and glucose abnormalities is complicated by the possibility of an increased background risk of diabetes mellitus in patients with schizophrenia and the increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus in the general population. The relationship between Risperdal and hyperglycemia-related adverse events is not completely understood. However, studies suggest an increased risk of treatment-emergent hyperglycemia-related adverse side effects in patients treated with Risperdal.
Why is Risperdal prescribed to children?
In January 2003, the medical journal, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, reported that the number of children taking psychiatric drugs nationwide has more than doubled in the past decade. Risperdal is a favored prescription medication among child psychiatrists and the report re-ignited the debate of the inappropriate use of potentially dangerous medications like Risperdal for children. There has been very little research performed on how Risperdal side effects and similar atypical antipsychotic drugs affect children and therefore should be avoided.
What is schizophrenia?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating and baffling mental illnesses known. Schizophrenia appears to be caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Stress, heredity, drugs, other medical illness, and physical injury to the brain can also contribute to schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is characterized by a dysfunction of the thinking process, such as hallucinations and delusions, and withdrawal from the outside world. Other schizophrenic characteristics include the inability to manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others.
Can people with schizophrenia live normal lives?
Yes, with the proper counseling, peer and social support, and medication, many people can learn to live with schizophrenia and have a full and rewarding life. Schizophrenia affects 1 in 100 people worldwide.
What is bipolar mania?
Bipolar mania is a serious mental illness. Bipolar mania is a serious mental illness characterized by swings in mood and energy and can affect a person’s ability to function. Bipolar disorder usually requires lifelong treatment. Bipolar disorder may be caused by a genetic predisposition to the illness as it tends to run in families. Close relatives of people with bipolar disorder are more likely to also have the disorder. A manic episode is defined as a period during which people are in a highly elevated, expansive, irritable, or angry mood, which lasts at least one week. While there is no cure for bipolar disorder, it can be managed with medication and psychosocial therapies.
Should I contact Johnson & Johnson about my Risperdal symptoms?
You should contact your doctor and have your doctor file an adverse reaction report with the FDA. You should also consider contacting an expert Risperdal lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Also call the FDA MedWatch at 1-800-FDA-1088.
I cannot afford to hire a Risperdal lawyer. How much does a Risperdal lawsuit cost?
It costs you nothing. If we agree to be retained, Monheit Law takes the case on a percentage contingency basis. If you don’t win your Risperdal lawsuit, we don’t get paid.
Risperdal Research Resources
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2004/risperdal.htm
MedWatch Safety Alert (2004)
Dear Doctor: Hyperglycemia and Diabetes Mellitus
MedWatch Safety Alert (2003)
WARNINGS: Cerebrovascular Adverse Events, Including Stroke, in Elderly Patients with Dementia
Risperdal Manufacturer Resource
Breaking news for Risperdal
Stay updated on Risperdal news and other atypical antipsychotic drugs. Below are some helpful Risperdal news links. Bookmark this Risperdal news page and come back often.
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