The popular heartburn medications Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec have been prescribed or taken over-the-counter millions of times. These medications are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and many users come to learn by painful experience that PPIs can seriously harm the kidneys.
If you or someone you love has suffered kidney damage while taking Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec, the attorneys at Childers, Schlueter & Smith want to help you heal. Backed with decades of experience, they can take on pharmaceutical giants and secure the money you deserve to move on to a better tomorrow.
How Nexium Prevacid & Prilosec Can Harm the Kidneys
Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec are designed to prevent the stomach from producing too much acid. When the body creates less acid, patients can enjoy relief from heartburn and damage to the esophagus. Despite these benefits, the medications can decrease the body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients, like magnesium.
Your body needs magnesium for the kidneys to function properly. If taking a PPI leads to reduced magnesium uptake, it can have a damaging effect on the kidneys. Usually it takes a few months of low magnesium intake before the symptoms of kidney damage surface. By the time symptoms appear, it is often too late and kidney function is seriously impaired.
Chronic Kidney Disease & PPIs
Kidney failure, also known as renal failure, is when the kidneys do not properly filter waste products from the blood. Chronic kidney disease is a form of kidney failure, and is typically not reversible.
The link between kidney failure and PPIs has long been suspected and was recently scientifically proven. In February 2016, the American Medical Association – the largest national association of physicians – published a study that linked PPIs to an astonishing 20-50% increased risk of kidney disease.
Signs of kidney disease are often non-specific, meaning that they can also be caused by another illness. If you suspect you are suffering from kidney disease, see your doctor right away. Kidney disease symptoms may include:
- Loss of appetite
- Decreased mental alertness
- Trouble sleeping
- Muscle cramps or twitches
- Swelling in the feet and ankles
- Persistent itching
- Skin rash
- Changes to urine output (more or less)
- Blood in urine
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
Unfortunately, treatment for chronic kidney disease can be harrowing, forcing the patient to receive regular dialysis and possibly a kidney transplant.
Why File a Lawsuit?
When you take a prescription drug, you do so under the faith that it will help you, not harm you. Drug manufacturers are supposed to test their drugs before bringing them to the market in order to ensure public safety.
The manufacturers of Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec either did not properly test their drugs for side effects, or knew about the dangerous side effects and put the drugs on the market anyway. In either case, these companies are placing their profits over your health.
If you or a loved one have suffered kidney disease and were taking Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec, you have the right to go after the drug manufacturers for compensation. No doubt you have endured physical pain, mental anguish, had your health and quality of life seriously compromised, and are facing mounting medical bills.
By initiating a lawsuit against these drug manufacturers – as hundreds of people have already done – you can be compensated for your suffering. A lawsuit can’t turn back the clock and undue the harm inflicted upon you, but it can give you the financial tools for a better recovery.
What’s more, lawsuits against dangerous drug manufacturers send a message that this type of unscrupulous business practice of compromising public health will not be tolerated. Lawsuits help protect future victims against companies more interested in their bottom line than in serving the public good.
Let Us Fight for You
The attorneys at Childers, Schlueter & Smith are passionate about holding negligent drug manufacturers accountable and getting the maximum possible compensation for victims.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with a kidney problem – such as chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, or kidney failure – while taking Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec, we are here for you.
Let us take the legal burden off your shoulders, so you can focus on healing. Please reach out to us today for your no-obligation, free consultation. We look forward to meeting you and hearing your story.