Written by Keith V. Trantolo
The Connecticut Elmiron lawyers at Trantolo & Trantolo are taking cases for interstitial cystitis patients who received prescriptions for Elmiron and suffered severe eye damage as a result. If you took Elmiron and suffered an injury, you may be able to receive a settlement to compensate you for your medical bills, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and other damages. Call us 24/7 at (844) 999 – 9999 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation.
What is Interstitial Cystitis?
Interstitial cystitis (IC), or painful bladder syndrome, is a chronic pain condition, mainly afflicting women, that causes pressure and pain in the bladder, abdomen, and pelvic area. Usually, when your bladder is full, your pelvic nerves send a signal to your brain that you need to urinate, creating an urgent feeling. When a patient has IC, their brain confuses these signals and constantly creates the urgent feeling of needing to urinate. With no known cure, IC can cause lasting harm and lower the patient’s quality of life.
What is Elmiron?
Elmiron, or pentosan polysulfate sodium, is a blood-thinning drug used to treat interstitial cystitis. Elmiron made its first appearance in 1996 and is currently the only drug that the FDA has approved to treat IC. However, many patients who took Elmiron found their vision degenerated with long-term use. In some cases, the patients went blind.
What are the Symptoms of Elmiron?
Doctors prescribed Elmiron for decades before discovering that it was toxic to the retina. At first glance, the symptoms of Elmiron could easily be mistaken for age-related degeneration, making it difficult to link the damage to Elmiron use. Today, we know that Elmiron causes pigmentary maculopathy: a progressive, degenerative disease that leads to blindness. In 2019, a group of ophthalmologists (eye disease specialists) in California conducted a study where they examined the retinal tissue of patients who had used Elmiron long-term. The results showed that about 25% of the patients had signs of degenerating retinas. Despite all of this, Elmiron’s manufacturers do not list pigmentary maculopathy as a side effect.
Other symptoms of pigmentary maculopathy include:
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- Blurred vision
- Straight lines appearing curved or squiggly
- Difficulty adjusting from light to dark
- Colors appear pale or muted
- Loss of central vision ( middle of sight-line appears blurry)
- Blindness
Remember, pigmentary maculopathy is often mistaken for:
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Macular degeneration (MD)
- Other retinal diseases.
Does Elmiron Cause Other Injuries?
Other injuries linked to Elmiron use include things like:
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- Retinal maculopathy
- Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy
- Pattern dystrophy
- Macular dystrophy
- Macular disease
- Pentosan toxicity
- Chronic thinning
- Other forms of maculopathy and retinal damage
If you took Elmiron and suffered eye damage, as a result, contact our experienced Connecticut Elmiron lawyers to see what kind of compensation you may be entitled to receive.
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What if I Stop Taking Elmiron?
A retinal degeneration specialist at Harvard Medical School conducted a study to determine if Elmiron’s harmful side effects would slow or stop if a patient discontinued its use. The patient involved in the study took Elmiron for years with no knowledge of the damage it could cause to her eyes. Once the patient’s doctor learned how dangerous Elmiron was, he suggested that she stop using the drug. Although she had not taken Elmiron for several years before the study, her vision had continued to deteriorate. The Harvard study is evidence that vision loss can continue to progress even after a patient stops taking Elmiron.
Why Are There Elmiron Lawsuits?
Patients trust their medical providers to prescribe medications that will alleviate their suffering. Sometimes, however, the drug prescribed for one disease creates an entirely new disease. Alarmingly, Elmiron’s manufacturer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, does not warn users of the risk of eye disease associated with long-term Elmiron use. As a result, countless patients took the drug with no knowledge of the potential for dangerous side effects. We file lawsuits on behalf of clients who took Elmiron over a long period and suffered retinal damage as a result.
How Do I Know if I Qualify?
Anyone who took Elmiron and suffered any harmful side effects may be entitled to a settlement to compensate them for their injuries. If you took Elmiron and suffered blurred vision, difficulty adjusting to the light, loss of vision, or other side effects, you should first have your eyes examined by a retinal specialist to determine if you have any retinal damage and if that damage could have been caused by Elmiron. Next, you should contact an experienced Elmiron lawyer to determine if you are entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Why Hire Us?
If you took Elmiron and suffered vision loss, blindness, or other injuries, you might be eligible to receive compensation for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses. Our law firm works with experienced Connecticut Elmiron attorneys who know how to get the highest settlement possible for your injuries. Call us toll-free any time at (844) 999-9999 or fill out our online contact form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.