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

Hi 'Cornishmaid' - I had already left FOR the US within days of taking the month of Cerelle, so was unable to return to the GP to report the issues. By that time it had already set the pancreatitis off.

Hey look, it's just a question. No need to 'wonder' whether it's not a question.

thanks for the useful info

Jem :)

So much to unpick here. Sorry you had a terrible time op but:
A) they listed side effects. You got the side effects but then suffered complications of that side effect. Thats not the fault of the pill its a sad unlucky complication of the original side effect. It can happen though is very rare. You have just been incredibly unlucky.
B) who are you actually wanting to sue, because you seem to flip between the GP who prescribed a legal and effective drug. But also pharmasutical companies. That makes a big difference as well.
C) the drug had the side effects clearly labeled and the choice was yours to try it so sorry but you wont get anywhere legally at all and you will just end up out of pocket with paying for court.

Hi Jem,

It's good that this thread has comprehensively answered your question.

Have a good evening,

Fizz

:)

I can't wait for your next post "AIBU in suing my lawyer because they can't win a case for me"

Good luck OP you are going to need all the "lols" you can if you're serious about this.

Hi 'dobby' - I STILL THINK making explicit mention of the potential for damage to major organs is important. I know there are - countless scenarios - where pharma will try to mask side effects, and do so quite efficiently, because they're powerful, and blah blah blah.

I don't think patients should accept those underhand practices, tbh.

thanks

Jem :)

Nope.

I had a horrendous reaction to aripiprizole (sp) an antipsychotic, it was me who asked to try a different medication she obliged. My GP (who is lovely) didn't have too prescribe, she could of referred me back to the MH team but didn't want to leave me waiting when I was quite poorly.

It was just bad luck.

Sorry to hear you have been poorly though.

fizz did you know you can't do that because your name isn't actually fizz?

thanks,
Amazing (My real name)
:)

Hi 'AmazingGrace16' - I'm like, years since this episode. This is a question being mulled. Don't get yourself over excited about it.

thanks

Jem :)

Instead of getting caught up in sueing culture why dont you use this as a good way of maybe campaigning for better drug developments in gynae care. Its probably underfunded as a whole (dont quote me on that its just things i have read but i havent read peer reviews yet.)

I agree the side effects of many drugs prescribed for gynae issues are horrendous and people should become more aware. Maybe crowd fund for better research to go into labs rather than suing which will get you and everyone else nowhere.

They did make it clear it could damage your gallbladder. But of course I missed the part where we are discussing big pharma and a massive conspiracy by them to mask side effects just to make us sicker to take all our money or something.
I give up. I can't work out if you are being purposefully obtuse or if you honestly don't understand what anyone is saying to you. I'm sorry you got ill but you know shit happens.

What was your name again OP, I didn't catch it?

Hi 'unbornmortificado' - I was prescribed Zyprexa many many years ago. Side effect - massive weight gain, very very quickly. Having always been....8 stone....that was a shock. The basis for being prescribed that med? Nothing. No basis. None. Zero. That's a psychiatrist WHO ALSO gave no eye contact while talking and prescribing.

Since that time, my dx is aspergers, last year. So since the age of....16....34 years.....tens of GPs and others incorrectly dx'd and prescribed BS meds. That's accepted by me. They just didn't do their jobs. I didn't get organ damage, I only (I say 'only' but it IS a bitch) had weight gain..

They are heavy duty meds eh... the anti-psychotics.

thanks

Jem :)

sorry could you stay on point please. What episode are you talking about ?!

You only have 3 years in which to claim so you could be too late in any event - that's for England & Wales, I don't know about the US.

Hi 'MarthaArthur' - I AM involved in that area (gynae improvement), in a minor activist role.

thanks

Jem :)

I STILL THINK making explicit mention of the potential for damage to major organs is important.

So you'll let this go if they state "may cause damage to major organs"? Because it could cause damage to any organ - and death - if you consider all the possible complications of the listed side effects.

Looking online the only part on the leaflet that mentions the Gallbladder is to not take it if you have gallbladder disease. The manufacturer will have good lawyers and if you lose will that not cost you a lot?

I was prescribed a painkiller that interacted with a tablet I was on and I became very ill not (as bad as you) I was a few days away from being hospitalised. I am now on omeprazole daily because I have constant reflux. I wanted to sue the doctor but I didn't because she made an error but she didn't mean to harm me.

Hi 'Dobby' - no matter what you say, I still believe that major organ damage should be on the leaflet.

thanks

Jem :)

Hi 'Bombadier' - I wouldn't have taken the med if it had stated 'potential to damage common bile duct, pancreas, and liver'. No.

thanks

Jem :)

Hi 'Raven88' - oh, that's interesting!! God that's worse then.....that it only says that.

thanks

Jem :)

A woman I know did successfully sue her gp practice as the medication she was prescribed was actually contra-indicated in her case (age and prior medical history).

However if you had no specific contra-indications and it was prescribed within the NICE guidelines then I don't think you can sue, as frustrating as that is when you feel that the prescribing gp didn't adequately listen to you in the first place.

I suppose that this is why, if medication causes enough harm, they have class-action lawsuits against the manufacturers in the US.

You posted about sueing your US doctors for medical neligence when this all happened in 2016. Did you have any success with that case?

You will never win this...

There is very little convincing evidence that links low dose POP to developing gallbladder disease. The little evidence that there is points to a very slightly (? Statistically significant) risk of developing gallstones. You say yourself that you didn’t have gallstones! So I’m not sure that causation can be argued.

In terms of the complications following surgery, you’ve been very unlucky, but none of it can be attributed to the medication.

And you can’t get acute pancreatitis that lasts for 12 months.

'The basis for being prescribed that med? Nothing. No basis. None. Zero. That's a psychiatrist WHO ALSO gave no eye contact while talking and prescribing.'

So you just magically appeared in a psychiatrist's office?

Hi 'maxthemartian' - yes, I guess that was really what my question to the board was... but you have phrased it far better than I... ie... is there any sort of US style 'class action' situation set up...in the UK.. I'm almost sure the answer is no, but I was checking with....da mothers!! :)

Glad I did. Lots of useful info.

Jem :)