Diabetic Drugs Can Have Serious Side Effects

Diabetes Drug Infection Lawsuit News

Diabetic drugs can cause Fournier's gangrene, septic shock, kidney failure and a list of other life-threatening side effects

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 - Fournier's gangrene is a bacterial infection or flesh-eating disease of the perineum that usually results in disfigurement or death. The FDA has identified 12 cases of Fournier's gangrene in the US and has issued a warning that the disease is linked to patients that take certain drugs to treat diabetes. There have been 4 additional Fornier's cases in addition to the 12 reported and dozens more incidence of general necrotizing fasciitis. In addition to the horror of having one's genitals disfigured or outright amputated, Fournier's gangrene carries additional life-threatening complications.

The FDA reports that Fournier's gangrene patients also develop a condition called Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Medscape.com describes the condition as "an acute, major, life-threatening complication of diabetes that mainly occurs in patients with type 1 diabetes, but it is not uncommon in some patients with type 2 diabetes. This condition is a complex disordered metabolic state characterized by hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, and ketonuria." Symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include general weakness, loss of appetite, vomiting, and weight loss. In addition, the patient will often have flu-like symptoms such as a high fever, coughing, and the chills. Another unwanted side effect of certain diabetic drugs is acute kidney failure defined as "an abrupt or rapid decline in renal filtration function." Diabetic patients with Fournier's gangrene are also susceptible to developing septic shock defined as "life-threatening organ dysfunction due to dysregulated host response to infection." Septic shock occurs when the infection spreads to the head, lungs, or abdomen. Diabetes drug infection lawsuits handled by top national attorneys offering a free consultation to families and individuals in the united states before filing a claim.

Fournier's gangrene patients are usually hospitalized for more than one month as dead tissue is excised and the wound left open, packed with broad-spectrum antibiotics. If the infection continues to spread additional debridement surgeries are normally required. If the patient survives the wound will normally require a painful skin graft. The FDA has issued an alert to the 1.7 million taking any of the following SGLT2 inhibitors The FDA issued a warning that diabetic patients taking canagliflozin (Invokana), dapagliflozin (Farxiga), empagliflozin (Jardiance), empagliflozin/linagliptin (Glyxambi), empagliflozin/metformin (Synjardy), and dapagliflozin/metformin (Xigduo XR) "to seek medical attention immediately if they experience tenderness, redness, or swelling of the genitals or the area from the genitals to the rectum and have a temperature higher than 100.4* F" according to Medscape.

Because Fournier's Gangrene is so rare it can often be misdiagnosed as a routine infection as happened last month in Malaysia. A Malaysian man taking diabetic medication developed Fournier's gangrene that was initially diagnosed as merely an infection of the perineum. Failure to make a swift and accurate initial diagnosis resulted in the Fournier's gangrene being left untreated and rapidly spreading, requiring the partial amputation of the man's testicles and a month's stay in the hospital. Dr. Mohd Syamsul Alam Ismail, failed to identify Fournier's gangrene after the patient reported having a fever for five consecutive days and a painful and rapidly growing lump on his right buttocks. When pressed the lump made a crackling sound as gas from the dead tissues released indicating gangrene.

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Lawyers for Fournier's Gangrene

OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.