What The Vioxx Mistrial Means Anyone Who Takes Medication
Released on = December 15, 2005, 5:39 am
Press Release Author = The Law Office of Gerald M. Oginski, LLC
Industry = Consumer Services
Press Release Summary = A federal jury in Houston couldn\'t decide whether Vioxx was responsible for causing a patient\'s heart attack. If a jury couldn\'t decide on whether Vioxx was safe, read what the mistrial could mean to you if you take prescription medication.
Press Release Body = What The Vioxx Mistrial Means Anyone Who Takes Pills
A federal jury in Houston couldn\'t decide whether Vioxx was responsible for causing a patient\'s heart attack. If a jury couldn\'t decide whether Vioxx was safe, what does it mean for you as a consumer?
It means that you must be able to prove your case with a reasonable degree of probability using medical and pharmaceutical experts. You must be able to prove that the pharmaceutical company failed to warn doctors about the significant risks of your injury, that the injury was a cause of your injury, and that your injury is permanent.
Let\'s turn now to Vioxx and why the jury mistrial is significant for you, the consumer.
As with all medication, there are known side-effects, even relatively \'harmless\' medications such as over the counter Tylenol and other pain relievers. Just read the warning labels and you\'ll begin to see that such common pain relievers are filled with potential side-effects such as liver damage.
If you\'ve taken a prescription medication in New York, and you believe that the medication caused you injury, you need to know 5 things-
(1) Whether the injuries you suffered were a known risk of the medicine, (2) Whether the doctor who prescribed your medication knew that your injury was a potential risk of the medication, (3) Whether the pharmacy that dispensed your medication, did it correctly, (4) Whether there is any other explanation for your injuries, other than the medication, and (5) Whether the injuries you suffered are permanent
Veteran New York malpractice lawyer, Gerry Oginski, offers 4 important holiday tips to keep you from being a potential medication victim:
(1) When your doctor prescribes you medication, ask \"What is it for,\" \"Why are you giving me this prescription,\" \"What are the side effects,\" \"Will this interact with my other medications\", \"Are there other medications with less side-effects available?\"
(2) When you arrive at your pharmacy to pick up your medication, don\'t just pay and race out the door. Take a moment to look at your medication bottle. Is it labeled correctly? Is your name on it, and not someone else? Open the bottle up and check to see what the pill looks like. If you\'ve never taken this pill before, ask the pharmacist if they\'re sure this is right pill. (It\'s happened plenty of times where the pharmacist mixed up your pills with another prescription simply through careless error.)
(3) Read about the risks that come with your medication bottle. If you have no other choice but to take this medication then you understand the potential risks- even a small one.
(4) If there are alternative medications you can take, you must decide with your doctor whether the risk of taking the medication outweighs the benefits the medication has to offer.
As always, be an informed consumer. Doing so will minimize your risk of becoming a medication victim during this holiday season.