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A Year and a Half on Avandia Resulted in Heart Failure

-LawyersandSettlements

06/26/2008- Alachua, FL: James had been on Avandia for about a year and a half when he began to notice swelling in his ankles and shortness of breath. Just a few months ago he went from having possible respiratory problems to confirmed heart failure in the space of a week. He's sure Avandia is to blame.

James is diabetic and was diagnosed about 16 years ago. Up until the day he went to hospital with respiratory difficulties he had never had a problem with his breathing, circulation, or heart. "My doctor misdiagnosed my shortness of breath as a breathing problem," James said. "The shortness of breath was the first really certain symptom. Then within a couple of days, and before I was able to see a pulmonologist, the shortness of breath became much worse, and they sent me to the hospital, and I had heart failure in the emergency ward."

But this was just the beginning of his problems. James then waited four hours before being seen by a medical staff member, not a doctor. "Then they did some tests," James said. "Then I waited another two hours. I was on the verge of walking out, because by that time I had been in the emergency ward nearly seven hours. It was ridiculous. But they said 'you can't leave—you have a thousand times more water in your heart than you're supposed to.' Then they hospitalized me."

The doctors at the hospital put James on a diuretic immediately to reduce the swelling. "They told me I was in bad shape," James said. "After that I had myself transferred to another hospital, where they told me they couldn't do anything for me. They told me that I wasn't up to having a cardiac catheterization at that time."

But four days later the doctors operated on James. "The cardiologist was very glib, and very insensitive, and told me I didn't have a very good chance of living," he said. "So I was referred to a group at a major medical center here, where they were able to do advanced studies of my heart. They have a special cardiac MRI, and they determined that I could be treated and they wanted me to have a complete bypass—open heart surgery. But I didn't want to do that, so I've had one stent put in and another two are going in within the next few weeks. At the moment, I don't feel great but I feel a lot better than I did. I lost quite a bit of weight from being on the diuretics; 'm down from about 190lbs to 160lbs."

The doctors took James off the Avandia but none of the doctors would discuss the problems with the drug. "Not one doctor that I've seen has been willing to make a statement about Avandia," James said. "Everyone says they doubt it could cause heart problems. I personally believe that doctors do everything they can to discourage people from filing law suits. And they are aware today when people are enquiring about the possible harm of a medication. My wife was on lithium for seventeen years and subsequently lost her kidneys. Her doctor didn't take her symptoms of toxicity seriously.

While I was on the drug I was aware of the potential danger but my physician told me not to worry about it. He was my doctor so I listened to him. He never even took a cardiogram in the two years or three years that he was my physician."

James' advice for others who may find themselves in a similar situation to his is to head straight to the largest medical center near them because they have the expertise and equipment to deal with major medical events. "I have had extraordinary care from the heart failure team at the University of Florida Medical Center," he said. "If you have a problem of this nature, I wouldn't go anywhere but a major medical center or a teaching hospital." And, if necessary, seek legal help: James would consider joining the class action suit against the makers of Avandia.


If you or a loved one have experienced an Avandia heart attack, or Avandia stroke, Avandia congestive heart failure, Avandia cardiovascular disease or if you have lost a loved one to an Avandia death you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Avandia attorneys of Ennis & Ennis today for a free confidential case evaluation. Our on staff nurse and lawyers are standing by to answer any questions you may have regarding Avandia's side effects, a possible Avandia class action lawsuit, or any other type of Avandia litigation.

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