Has anyone ever sued a GP for side effects of a medication?

[jemimavintage]

Hello lovely group - Very quickly...

I had painful periods. I was refused a stronger painkiller to help with them. I'm now 50. This all kicked off approx. 3 years ago. Before then NO HISTORY of painful periods (even tho they've been getting more and more painful since a c-section in 1995), no history of pain meds, no history of ANY type of illness... Normal weight, 8 stone.

GP gives me Cerelle... within a month I am very very poorly... within 3 months I've had an emergency admission into a hospital in USA and had 3 procedures: gallbladder removal (no stones, no sludge, only mega irritation, cholecystitis), sphinctertomoy (because the sphincter had closed shut and blown my common bile duct out to several size that it should be, right up into my liver actually!!, and some stenting of that duct to help keep it open. The cost was $76,000. Health insurance paid it.

I have zero doubt that the WHOLE ISSUE, was caused by Cerelle. 'Gallbladder' disease is listed as a side effect. It also did NOTHING to stop my period pain, in fact, it gave me cramps and bleeding every single day.

I feel pretty mad to have gone through all of that. I was so scared. 6 days in hospital feeling very very poorly. Some outpatient appointments, a private MRCP scan in Harley St when I got back for £3,000 of my own money because I was still in pain and was worried that the hospital in USA (small border town) had screwed up. Well they had. I HAD acute pancreatitis from the gallbladder/sphincter issue....and no-one there told me. That lead to me having pancreatitis for 12 months and not realising it. My UK GP - the same practice - dismissed the Harley St conclusion that I had acute pancreatitis and tried to not give me any pain relief, saying it wasn't possible that I had it because my GB had now come out.

The Cerelle had a 'side effects' sheet in the box. One never thinks that one will GET the side effects. And I actually believed....that the 'pill' would stop my periods and give me some much needed relief.

On to today, I have adenomyosis and possibly endometriosis.. This has nothing to do with why I'm interested in whether I can DO anything about having suffered those side effects as a result of taking Cerelle tho..

I mean, can we bring a case for side effects from a med that the GP probably thought would.........help the situation??!!? It was a direct bunch of CRAP I got from that medication..

thanks group,

Jem x

Reported
the OP clearly lives under a bridge

Hi 'OhDearMavis' - will near a bridge do? I live near a bridge.

thanks

Jem :)

I can prove it to a degree but not 100%.
How can you prove it?

Hi 'UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername' - read my comments if you're that into the cut and thrust of the debate. Got dindins and doggiechops to be getting on with.

thanks

Jem :)

Jem,

I'm a general surgeon and got to page 3 before giving up. Gallbladder issues/CBD issues/Pancreatitis all go hand in hand.

You haven't had acute pancreatitis for a year, you may have had recurrent episodes but not constant. And did you know your stent may be causing it?

All medications have side effects. Yours was documented on the leaflet. You have no ground to sue anyone. If you did and won all Drs would stop prescribing medication, even the antibiotics that save lives.

You've had a terrible time and I'm sorry, you've been unlucky. But you can't sue your GP for prescribing a drug that is commenly used for painful periods. Or Big Pharma for producing that drug and informing you of the side effects.

HTH

Hi 'Threepio' - the HPB surgeon/consultant from University College London has already told me AP can remain for years. And certainly the 24/7 pain was for a good 12 months with no let up. His specialist opinion was that it was AP. He saw that I had AP as soon as I was admitted in USA, by looking at the blood work.

thanks

Jem :)

Hi again 'Threepio' - the AP existed prior to stenting, as was clear from the bloodwork. I'd find it very hard to argue with UCL blokey, to be honest - that his opinion was 'wrong'.

thanks

Jem :)

And again Threepio - the side effects relating to other organs wasn't documented on the leaflet. Not at all. Not in any shape or form, so... I think I've had some really great responses and advice but without a life story - as you allude to ref getting through 3 pages - it's all already been said. Which is brill!! I wasn't expecting any responses!!

thanks

Jem :)

I've got my little pancreatitis expert on the case to find a document relating to long running AP......for information purposes. Nothing more. But that issue is aside to my thoughts that leaflets should be more explicit.

Back shortly with AP information.

thanks

Jem :)

AP is usually diagnosed by symptoms plus raised amylase/lipase on bloods. I'm not surprised you had it on admission in the US, as I said gallbladder issues and pancreas issues usually go together. The most common cause of Pancreatitis in the western world is gallstones/cholecystitis. Stenting can make things worse and cause recurrent episodes of AP if the stent is left in.

I've never seen an episode of acute pancreatitis last a year without developing into Chronic Panc. I've had a few patients who had AP for 6 months-ish. They haven't done well and spent the majority of their illness on ITU. All post-partum btw... But what do I know, I'm simply a randomer on the internet.

I've read the rest of your thread and you seem fairly certain you're right and will win. I wish you luck and hope you don't waste too much money!

I'm having one of those Charlie Brown moments when his teacher is talking and all he can hear is WAH WAH WAH.

OP you have had advice from lawyers, surgeons, doctors and fuck knows who else. Go ahead, waste your time and energy pursuing a nonsensical claim.

Spartacunt :)

@SpaghettiBetty I hope you're not my GP with an attitude like that

I think OP has had a terrible ordeal and it's terrible luck.

I also think that people rely on their GP's for good advise and to help them.
In some instances GP's make mistakes or ant help and people understand that as hard as it can be.

People are generally forgiving but when your GP treats you like you're a nuisance, and is dismissive I think I would be angry and emotional too.

@SpaghettiBetty

The reason your various doctors haven't made eye contact with you is probably because they were gazing out of the window wishing they were somewhere/anywhere else. Sometimes I have a mental image of pushing the patient through it....

Made me chuckle...

Sometimes, with some patients I find myself looking around the room for the hidden cameras, thinking it HAS to be a set up!!!

I take it you have had it confirmed that you have recurrent Acute Pancreatitis rather than Chronic Pancreatitis? Forgive me, also, but I can't work out whether your pancreatitic symptoms have resolved or are ongoing?

People are generally forgiving but when your GP treats you like you're a nuisance...
... it may just be because you're a nuisance.

The thanks Jen thing is pissing me off too much to read it all.

Not guilty. (Pretending I'm on a jury)

Thanks
Betty ;-)

Most patients are great. Just normal, decent people looking for medical help. And we provide it, as fellow humans.

BUT...

Some patients are indeed nuisances.

Some patients just want to find someone to blame.

Some patients just have it in for doctors.

Some patients have really unreasonable expectations for what doctors can do for them.

Some patients kind of hope for a quick buck by suing.

A really hard part of being a doctor is just sucking up the disrespect and unreason that comes our way. And trying to remain professional and even-handed. I honesty don’t think any profession takes so much crap on a daily basis while being beholden to such high professional standards.

But on you go OP. Fire in your frivolous wee lawsuit. Enough people have told you you’re wasting your time, but you’ve not had the wit or introspection necessary to address their points.

I’ll be pissing myself laughing if you repost here in the future, having wasted time and money on a pointless crusade. Enjoy.

Even if it was a known side effect you have absolutely zero way of proving you wouldn’t have suffered this illness anyway , the fact the are listed as side effects is the warning meaning you have no case against the GP be did nothing negligent in prescribing he drug .

'He was adamant that the hormones in the pill sparked the GB/liver/CBD/pancreas issues. '

Can he prove that in court? Not a chance because there are a number of reasons, including idiopathic why a middle-aged person can develop gallbladder disease. Sometimes shit just happens!

My mum had her GB out when she was 75. Surgeon came out to see us, it had taken longer because stones were in her duodenum but as he was reporting he almost casually mentioned, 'Yeah, looks good! No sign of any tumours anywhere, either, but it's all going to pathology.' I hadn't even considered the fact that you can indeed develop GB and the cause can be tumour.

Drugs carry risks. Surgical procedures carry risks.

Hi Jem, I'm sorry you're being given a hard time here.

I can't help with the legal side but surely one of the major issues here is that GPs should be properly investigating gynae issues rather than sweeping them under the carpet and giving unsuitable meds to mask the problem? I've heard it said here many times that if they were 'men's issues' rather than 'women's issues' they would be taken more seriously, so I don't really understand the lack of support. (I have endo which the NHS spectacularly failed to diagnose and know I am not alone in this... wish I could sue for years of suffering, permanent damage and loss of fertility.)

BTW lovely to hear from all the GPs here who think sick patients are just whingeing... so sorry, we should just stay home and suffer unless a limb has fallen off

I'm almost sure the answer is no, but I was checking with....da mothers!!

What a dick.

If you are seriously worried about other muppets people who don't think the risk of side effects from ANY medication applies to them for some unfathomable reason, then write something for a newspaper to raise awareness of the fact that people should read the side effects label, assume all side effects could potentially affect them and look up what that actually means rather than expecting someone to sit holding your hand and talking you through all the potential risks and side effects of things you encounter in life.

www.healthline.com/health/gallbladder-disease