Zelnorm, the popular drug used to control irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in women and also for patients under the age of 65 who suffer chronic constipation, has been pulled off the market because users had a higher risk of suffering from a heart attack or a stroke. It was one of the 200 most prescribed drugs in the United States.
Users Relate Their Stories
Many users have come forward with their stories. Most had not realized that Zelnorm could be dangerous or even deadly. One woman found out too late. A West Coast woman in her fifties was on Zelnorm for IBS and found that it helped. However, after being on the drug for several years, she began to have chest pains. Because she had no family history of heart conditions, her doctor attributed her pains to something else and did not take her off the medication. She died of a heart attack shortly afterwards.
Another woman from the East Coast had been taking Zelnorm for several years with limited success in controlling her IBS and also started having chest pains. Like the first woman, she had no family history of heart disease. Her doctor did the unthinkable – she increased her dosage of Zelnorm. It wasn’t until the user researched the drug on the internet that she found that it may be deadly.
Why Is This Happening?
Tom Schultz, a California Mass Torts attorney, explained that, “Zelnorm is intended to affect the H4 receptor in the intestinal tract which will lead to relaxation of the tract which will in turn lead to less constipation and less irritation of your bowel. But because that’s the way it works, sometimes there are complications. The complication with the drug that attacks the H4 receptor is a possible interruption of heart rhythm.”
The manufacturer, Novartis Pharmaceutical, pulled the drug off shelves after the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of users suffering from heart attacks and strokes. Zelnorm was only on the market from 2002 to March 2007 and the company has reported enormous profits from the sale of the drug during that time. Users report that many in the medical field did not know that the drug could cause these symptoms and that doctors routinely continued to prescribe Zelnorm to patients – and as reported above, actually increased dosages in several instances.
FDA Recommendations
The FDA announced that the following steps should be taken for Zelnorm users:
Additionally, anyone who took the drug that has experienced a heart attack or stroke should contact an attorney to discuss possible litigation against the company.
Check out the following articles for more information about Zelnorm, filing a Zelnorm lawsuit and finding an Zelnorm attorney.