Heart, Cholesterol & Hypertension
There are a number of different medications designed to treat high blood pressure and its related comorbidities. High cholesterol levels effect blood pressure, as do deficiencies of the heart muscle. Likewise, localized infection, gout, electrolyte imbalances, and disorders of blood clotting factors influence and increase blood pressure. Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, is a common medical diagnosis that effects most people at one point in their lives. It is linked to increased risk of stroke, heart attack, liver disease, and other conditions that lead to death or debility. The symptoms are often silent, and early intervention by a licensed medical professional is the first line of defense in detecting latent hypertension, followed by a treatment plan that often includes lifestyle modifications, as well as a prescribed regimen of medications.
The mechanisms of action of many anti-hypertensive medications vary, and which medication a physician may prescribe depends on the underlying pathology of a patient’s condition. Among the primary classifications of drugs used to treat high blood pressure are: beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, alpha blockers, alpha-2 receptor agonists, combined alpha and beta-blockers, central agonists, peripheral adrenergic inhibitors, vasodilators, and diuretics.
It is impossible to summarize the potential dangers each of these classifications of drugs present to a patient in this short a space. Each class of drugs and each specific drug is associated with specific sets of complications that have been well-established through scientific study since each therapy was introduced. What is certain, as will all medications, is that each brings with unintended and often dangerous side effects.
Some specific adverse side effects associated with anti-hypertensive drugs are asthma symptoms, peripheral vascular symptoms such as cold hands and feet, erection problems, insomnia, persistent dry cough, skin rashes, and loss of taste, dizziness, constipation, headache, rapid heartbeat, anemia, dry mouth, heartburn, frequent urination, joint pain, stomach pain, and heartburn.
Whatever anti-hypertensive drug a physician prescribes, patients should ensure they research the available literature themselves to determine if they are experiencing established negative side effects, and they must discuss these effects with their physician, as well as review every other medication they are taking for unrelated medical conditions. High blood pressure effects every body symptom, and every drug that a patient takes as prescribed effects the actions off all the others in their system. No drug is completely safe, but when a licensed physician directs a specific care plan, negative side effects are reduced.
People who suspect they have experienced negative impact on their quality of life, or to their ongoing health status, should consult with a professional medical liability attorney to determine if they have a legal case to pursue to compensate them for their injuries. Medicine is a science that is practiced based on statistical outcomes, but every patient is unique. A qualified medical practitioner recognizes his or her patient’s distinctive situation and health status. A physician’s treatment plan, and the drugs prescribed, recognizes that status. When published literature and guidelines are not followed, it is the patient that suffers the consequences, sometimes to a point that requires further medical intervention that would not be needed otherwise. When patients incur additional medical expenses to treat dangerous drug side effects, or when their ability to enjoy life is negatively impacted, it is not through their fault if they followed competent medical advice.
Medical liability lawyers work to establish chains of causation from a high blood pressure drug’s development in the laboratory, to its clinical studies before FDA approval, to the case presented to the FDA, to evidence in the field after a drug is introduced to the general public. By reviewing a client’s medical record, comparing the client’s progress against published scientific studies, comparing the outcome to established legal precedents and case law, a professional dangerous drug lawyer can work on behalf of his or her client to make a claim for justifiable and just compensation for avoidable injury suffered.
Hypertension can be benign or malignant. The purpose of dangerous high blood pressure medications is to prevent adverse consequences of this disease. When a particular medication causes more harm than good, there are legal avenues available to address the troubles suffered. This is what professional legal counsel accomplishes for clients to address charges of medical malpractice, class action liability, or personal harm incurred through professional negligence on the part of drug manufacturers, physicians, or pharmacists. Anyone who suspects they may have experienced adverse effects from their prescribed high blood pressure medicines, should consult a professional attorney.