Fosamax® Injury Attorney
If you believe you’ve been harmed by Fosamax®, contact our injury attorneys for experienced and qualified legal representation. We will evaluate your case and provide a proper investigation. Contact us today for an evaluation of your case.
Injuries Linked to Fosamax® Dangers
Fosamax® has been associated with a number of harmful side effects, including:
Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)
Another term for this is jaw death. At first, symptoms may not appear in patients with ONJ. The first symptom patients usually experience is pain. After that, additional symptoms include:
- Loose teeth
- Drainage
- Softness and swelling of the tissue
- Infection
Merck, the manufacturer of Fosamax®, denies there is a cause and effect relationship between ONJ and Fosamax®, although a jury recently awarded a Florida woman $8 million in a Fosamax® lawsuit because it believed her ONJ was due to her taking Fosamax® from 1997 to 2006.
Broken Femur
The femur is the thighbone. Numerous patients taking Fosamax® have experienced unusual fractures of their thighbones. The fractures have mostly occurred in women who have taken Fosamax® for seven years or more.
Called low impact fractures, the breaks occurred “when the women were basically doing nothing,” said Dr. Joseph Lane, one of the authors of a study of the subject. According to the study, the women who fractured their femurs simply fell from a standing position, which is why they are called low impact fractures.
The fractures all have the same horizontal configuration, which is an unusual way for the bone to fracture. In January 2010, the first lawsuit was filed for a broken femur due to Fosamax®. It also was the first non-ONJ lawsuit. More legal actions are expected because of this filing.
Musculoskeletal Pain
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2008 released an alert telling patients that Fosamax® and other bisphosphonates (the class of drug which Fosamax® belongs to) could cause severe or incapacitating pain of the:
- Muscles
- Joints
- Bones
The alert stated that these problems could develop days, months or years after taking Fosamax®.
Atrial Fibrillation
Some patients taking Fosamax® say they are experiencing this type of irregular heartbeat. According to reports, Fosamax® may double the risk of atrial fibrillation, which causes dizziness, fainting and extreme fatigue. The condition is not life-threatening.
Esophageal Problems
The FDA required the Fosamax® label to include warnings about adverse reactions in the esophagus. The medication could irritate the esophagus and cause:
- Esophagitis
- Esophageal ulcers
- Esophageal erosions, sometimes accompanied by bleeding
- Narrowing or perforation of the esophagus on rare occasions
Sometimes these side effects are so severe they require hospitalization. Because of the possible effects on the esophagus, patients cannot lie down for 30 minutes after taking the medication to be sure it doesn’t stay in the esophagus and that it continues down the digestive tract.
Other side effects linked to Fosamax® include some reactions of the skin. The label accompanying the medication warns of the possibility of having a rash, sun sensitivity, and in very rare circumstances Stevens Johnson Syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis. In addition, some patients have experienced inflammation of the eye.
Contact a Fosamax® Injury Attorney
If you or someone you love has suffered from any of these Fosamax® side effects, you should contact a medication injury attorney to find out if you qualify to recover compensation for your pain and suffering. Our Fosamax® injury attorneys are available to investigate claims across the country. Call today and schedule an evaluation of your case.