Elmiron Drug Lawyer in San Diego
We here, at The Mitchell Firm, understand that being diagnosed with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) or Interstitial Cystitis (IC) is complicated enough. So why should you have to be concerned with what medications your doctor has prescribed? Did anyone tell you the complications that could arise due to these medications? Were you or a loved one that was prescribed Elmiron treat a UTI, IC, or osteoarthritis develop a rare eye condition called Pigmentary Maculopathy? The Mitchell Firm is here to navigate you through these tough waters and wants you to know; you are not alone.
What is Elmiron?
Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) is a weak blood thinner. It is a semi-synthetic polysulfated xylan.
Why is Elmiron prescribed?
Elmiron is used to treat:
- bladder conditions
- Osteoarthritis, and
- Interstitial Cystitis
How does Elmiron work?
Elmiron is a blood thinner that is used to prevent the formation of clots and is understood to work by restoring a leaky bladder, improving the bladder lining, and causing the bladder less pain.
Why should YOU be concerned about taking Elmiron?
Pigmentary Maculopathy and the use of Elmiron, have not been categorized together until recently. The Mitchell Firm is warning people across the nation of a rare side effect called: pigmentary maculopathy. The recent study of Elmiron treatment founded by researchers discovered that macular degeneration was the cause of prolonged use of Elmiron.
Pigmentary Maculopathy is a type of Macular Degeneration and a disorder that affects the “light sensitive” central portion of your eye. The symptoms include:
- Dimming vision (Blurred vision)
- Difficulty with near vision
- Reading Difficulty
- Adaptation to Dark
- Loss of Vision
- Pain in the Eye
Advanced imaging needs to be done by your doctor to determine if you have pigmentary maculopathy because you are more likely not to link the two: Use of Elmiron and Eye Problems. You might think you were “Just getting old” because that is what your doctor would assume as well, as the studies linking the two together are brand new.
The Mitchell Firm will help you navigate through your diagnosis and be your eyes, moving forward. We want you to know that “getting older” also means “being wiser”—so give us a call today to discuss what options we can provide you to provide you with the relief you need.
In November of 2018, a San Francisco based medical association conducted research that linked the long-term use of Elmiron to vision problems. They looked at six patients who all had a history of long-term use of Elmiron, and all had similar vision damage. In this study, the number of patients that encountered the above symptoms was alarming.
In May of 2019, researchers conducted another study and concluded that using Elmiron resulted in an unavoidable retinal degeneration caused by prolonged use of Elmiron. Researchers made remarks that they found prolonged exposure of Elmiron was harmful to the retina. While these results stated: “structural changes to the pigmented layer of the retina”, they also indicated that they were unaware if stopping this medication would cause the retinal disease to improve.
In October of 2019, three ophthalmologists from Kaiser Permanente reported to The American Academy of Ophthalmology their findings that Elmiron had appeared to be “toxic to the retina” and that twenty-five percent of users could suffer from this form of macular degeneration.
Also known as Maculopathy, Macular degeneration is a disease that affects the macula--which is the central area of the retina responsible for all central vision in your eyes.
There are three common types which include:
- Age-related - most common cause is age
- Cellophane - linked to age and caused by a thin layer of scar tissue
- Pigmentary - involves sudden pigment changes over time on the macula
Although macular degeneration does not cause one to go blind, it does lead to vision loss at its extremes. Due to these recent studies, the use of Elmiron over long periods causes Pigmentary Maculopathy.
The Mitchell Firm would like to provide you and your family the relief and support you may not have gotten elsewhere. Have you or a member of your family been diagnosed with a disease that required the use of Elmiron? Have you also been diagnosed with Macular Degeneration? If so, please contact our team of representatives, and we can discuss and answer all your questions today!
The Mitchell Firm takes pride in helping the people in our community, but we will not stop there. We have years of experience addressing new findings, taking action against those that have harmed our clients, and implementing new laws to prevent further damage. We take your health seriously by making changes that make a difference for years to come.
Disclaimer: Do not stop taking prescribed medication without first consulting with your doctor. Discontinuing a prescribed medication without your doctor's advice can result in injury or death.
