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The following FAQs are intended to provide information in
lay terms for people who used the drug Permax. This material is not
intended to be a legal document and is for informational purposes only.
Please contact our offices if you require further information.
Can I afford a Permax lawsuit?
What is Permax?
How does Permax work?
How is Permax related to former diet drug fen-phen?
Why are there new concerns
about Permax?
What is restless leg syndrome?
What should people who take
Permax do?
I'm considering
taking Permax. What should I do?
I think I've suffered a Permax-related health problem. What should I do?
Can I afford a Permax lawsuit? Please recommend a Permax lawyer
Absolutely; we take unsafe drug product liability cases like Permax on a contingency fee basis. That means if you don’t win your Permax lawsuit, we do not get paid. Law firms are motivated to win! Contact us today for your free legal and confidential Permax consultation.
What is Permax?
Permax is the brand name for pergolide mesylate, a medicine used to treat
tremors and other symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Permax can also be helpful
to people whose legs often jump or feel restless.
Developed by Eli Lilly & Co., Permax is now marketed in the United States by
Amarin Pharmaceuticals Inc. More than 500,000 people have taken Permax.
How does Permax work?
Permax helps the brain control movement of the body. Ordinarily, the brain
does this by sending messages from one brain cell to the next. The messages
are sent via chemicals called neurotransmitters.
One such neurotransmitter is called dopamine. People with Parkinson's disease
suffer from a shortage of dopamine in the brain. This makes it hard for them
to control their movements, and produces the tremors typical of the disease.
However, Permax helps make up for a lack of natural dopamine, easing the
symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Permax is usually prescribed along with a drug called levodopa or L-dopa,
which is often combined with another called carbidopa and sold under the
brand name Sinemet.
Like Permax, levodopa works to counteract a shortage of natural dopamine.
Permax helps the effects of levodopa last longer.
How is Permax related to the former diet drug fen-phen?
The only relationship between Permax and fen-phen is the type of heart valve damage. Fen-phen was removed from the market in 1997 and forced the drug-maker Wyeth to pay more than $21 billion in charges to cover liabilities.
Wyeth's recalled drugs were fenfluramine, or Pondimin, and dexfenfluramine, or Redux. To make fen-phen, one or the other was combined with another drug called phentermine that is still sold by other companies. Fen phen was recalled after 6 million Americans developed heart valve problems.
Why are
there new concerns about Permax?
In January 2007, two new studies revealed that two Parkinson's disease drugs cause the same kind of heart damage that led to the withdrawal of the diet drug combination fen-phen. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Doctors are advised not to prescribe Permax on a long term basis without explaining the potentially deadly heart valve side effects and to consider generic Parkinson’s drugs that have shown not to be as dangerous as Permax.
Permax came under new scrutiny in December 2002 when Mayo Clinic doctors
suspected it could cause serious heart damage.
Only a few cases have been discovered in which patients may have been injured
by Permax. But the damage was potentially life-threatening, and Mayo doctors
urged in-depth study of the possible effects of Permax. In two of the cases,
patients required heart-valve surgery, suggesting a link between Permax and
valve replacement.
The Mayo report also recommended that people taking Permax for Parkinson’s
disease undergo heart tests, and that those with the kind of damage
associated with Permax be taken off the drug.
What is restless leg syndrome?
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder that causes tingling, pulling, creeping or painful sensations in the legs at night. This sensation is brought on by lying down in bed or sitting for prolonged periods, such as while driving or at a theatre. RLS typically occurs in the evening, making it difficult to fall asleep. Often, people with RLS want to walk around and shake their legs to help relieve the uncomfortable sensation.
What should
people who take Permax do?
Permax patients may want to talk with their doctors about the recent Mayo
Clinic findings linking Permax and heart damage. Symptoms of heart valve
damage may not be obvious to patients, but doctors may detect tell-tale heart
murmurs. More serious cases can be marked by chest pain, swelling of the feet
and ankles and shortness of breath.
If you're taking Permax for Parkinson’s disease or restless legs syndrome, do
not suddenly stop your medication -- it may cause withdrawal symptoms such as
confusion and hallucinations. Instead, talk to your doctor about tapering off
slowly.
I'm considering taking Permax. What should I do?
Ask your doctor if you should undergo heart tests before you start taking
Permax for Parkinson’s disease or restless legs syndrome. That precaution
should be considered in light of the possible links between Permax and valve
replacement surgery, a Mayo Clinic doctor said.
I think I've suffered a Permax-related health problem. What should I do?
You should talk to your doctor immediately, given the recent concerns about a
possible connection between Permax and valve replacement
If you believe you or a loved one has been injured by Permax,
contact the office of Monheit Law promptly to see
if you have a legal claim to compensation for your injury.
Each state sets strict deadlines for people who have been injured to file a
lawsuit, and the deadlines vary from state to state. So if you believe you've
been injured by Permax, it's important that you get legal advice as soon as
possible.
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