Darvocet Lawsuits
Last Updated: January 2009 • 14 Comments
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Darvocet is a relatively weak painkiller, but it is highly addictive and has been associated with a large number of deaths. In response to a petition filed by the consumer group Public Citizen, an FDA advisory panel met on January 30, 2009 and recommended that a Darvocet recall be issued since the risk of death, overdose, addiction and suicide outweigh the minimal benefits.
STATUS OF DARVOCET LAWSUITS: The potential for lawsuits on behalf of individuals who have died, overdosed, committed suicide or suffered a heart attack are being reviewed by Darvocet lawyers throughout the United States.
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OVERVIEW: Darvocet (generic: propoxyphene with acetaminophen) is a weak, yet addictive, narcotic painkiller that is often prescribed after surgery or to manage pain. It contains a combination of acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol, and propoxyphene, which is the active ingredient in Darvon.
In 2007, there were 22 million prescriptions for propoxyphene, making it one of the most widely prescribed generic drugs.
DARVOCET RECALL: Darvocet side effects have been linked to thousands of deaths and other serious injuries. According to data from the Federal Drug Abuse Warning Network, deaths linked to the Darvocet, Darvon and propoxyphene drugs acccounted for over 5% of all drug related deaths between 1987 and 2006.
In Great Britain, health authorities required Darvocet to be phased off of the market in 2005. They cited hundreds of deaths associated with the drug, and limited benefits provided when compared to other available pain medications.
In Feburary 2006, the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen filed a petition with the FDA urging the U.S. drug regulators to remove Darvocet from the market. They cited thousands of accidental deaths since 1981, the fact that it is highly addictive and that it is no more effective than safer drugs like ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
According to Public Citizen, most of the Darvocet deaths occurred because of cardiac depression caused by the drug converting into a metabolite that is highly toxic to the heart. Side effects of Darvocet include interruption of heart transmission of electrical impulses, slowing heartbeats and decreasing ability for the heart to contract properly.
On January 30, 2009, an FDA advisory panel met to review the Darvocet problems and voted 14 to 12 to recommend a Darvocet recall. Although the FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of their advisory panels, they usually do.
Darvocet also poses a substantial risk for the elderly, as it can increase the risk of falls and fractures due to side effects that can cause sedation and confusion.
Pingback by Public Citizen Urges FDA to Issue Darvon and Darvocet Recall — AboutLawsuits.com on 22 June 2008:
[...] agency violated the law by failing to act on a petition filed in 2006, which urged the removal of Darvocet, Davron and generic propoxyphene drugs from the market because they have been associated with over [...]
Pingback by Darvon Lawsuits — AboutLawsuits.com on 22 June 2008:
[...] pain. It may also be prescribed together with acetaminophen, or as the brand name drug Darvocet, which contains both propoxyphene and acetaminophen. It is one of the most widely prescribed [...]
Comment by Fern on 8 August 2008:
I have been taking darvocet for 2 years after back surgery. The neuro surgeon recommended I do that. Then all of a sudden I was getting chest pains on the left side of my chest. Now, I am a very healthy woman and seldom sick with anything. I had a bone graft in my jaw and I was told not to take anything except what the peridontist had given me. Then after my anti inflammatory was gone I took 1 darvocet and had pains in the left side of my chest into my left arm. I became suspicious and the next night I did not take any and did not have any pain. I looked it up on the internet and found the information that it can damage your heart. I hope I am not too late to save my heart.
Comment by MAR - on 13 October 2008:
CAN DARVOCET CAUSED BRAIN INJURY
Comment by Martina on 18 November 2008:
I, too, took Darvocet for pain management for about 1 year, and had trouble with chest pain and extremely fast heartbeats at times thinking my chest felt like it would explode. Turns out, the Dr. who prescribed it, didn’t give me all the details, had office staff turning in scripts who were not legally supposed too, and thus I developed a very hefty dependency and the outcome before I quit taking them myself was a pretty hefty tole mentally and physically. One appt, when I saw a fill-in physician, he suggested I “take more” when I advised him the effect was lessening on my pain. Where is the doctor’s and manufacturer’s responsibility in this??!!!!
Comment by Fred on 31 January 2009:
I have been taking darvoset 100 since 1978 for a crushed ankle, I am now 63 years old and now taking two tabs or three every four or five hours. Doctors never told me not stop taking them.
Intern I have been diagnosed with exstreme early on set of cardiovascular disease, heart disease, PTSD, depression, and tried to kill my self several time through out my life time and also use it for sleep.
Now that I read about what the FDA is considering it makes more sence to me that the long term effects of this pain killer has had a detrimentle effect on my body. I’m affraid if I stop I will have to go to rehab.
Comment by andrea on 1 February 2009:
my husband takes darvocet to manage pain to back and knees and he said that it helps but it is not that strong, it does not make him want to take more and more he knows the risks of overdose as he reads the warning labels. there are stronger narcotics out there that are far more potent that can also lead to overdoes because of the “good feeling” it gives consumers and yet no one attacks those? why? the doctor explains the risks and a consumer can perfectly understand them and know how to use these meds. We cannot control everything in life that is why they call them risks so Leave darvocet alone as it is very useful for pain management in many different circumstances. Just my opinion from a nursing point of view.
Pingback by Recall of Darvocet and Darvon Recommended by FDA Panel : AboutLawsuits.com on 2 February 2009:
[...] have recommended that the agency withdraw approval for the painkiller Darvon, which is also sold as Darvocet with the addition of acetaminophen. The panel found that the minimal pain relief benefits provided [...]
Comment by Jennifer on 3 February 2009:
I’ve taken darvocet for 15 years for FMS. FMS is a very painful condition and darvocet is one of the few medicines that actually work in controlling the pain level. SRIs are the popular choice of treatment by doctors (we won’t even go into how much drug companies push SRIs) but many if not most peopleswith FMS cannot tolerate the side effects of SRIs. If darvocet is pulled from the market, I and many other people with FMS will either have to give up what activity is left to us or have to go to a stronger pain killer with more severe mental impairment. It’s not an atractive choice.
Comment by Katrina on 2 March 2009:
My Mother has taken Darvocet for around 15 years. She is addicted; she has run off the road and hit a tree which broke both hips. She has fallen down stairs and broken both arms. She misuses her medication because she says it takes more to get rid of the pain. She suffers from confusion and memory loss. I’ve watched this drug take the life right out of her. She suffers from depression and has frequent thoughts of suicide. She refuses to seek help and the drug rules her life. Sorry to be so blunt, but this drug has taken my Mother from me.
Comment by Linda on 10 March 2009:
discoloration of skin, severe brusing, heart attack, insomia, confusion,black stools, stomach pain diahrea high blood pressure the most important fact is ingnorance from your trusted doctors. STOP TAKING DARVOCET
Comment by Alex on 4 May 2009:
I was prescribed this medication when I was in my late teens when my wisdom teeth were removed. Twice, I was awoken from a deep sleep suddenly (this seemed to be the trigger) and had severe chest pain. The first time it happened I thought it was just a fluke, but my doctor switched me to darvocet (I was on Darvon at first). But the second time it happened, I thought I was going to die and couldn’t even get to the phone to dial 911 (this time I was on Darvocet). It finally passed, but I wouldn’t have been able to call 911 if it hadn’t stopped, I was in too much pain. I never took it again. I always list them as drugs that I am allergic to now.
Comment by Tammy on 21 June 2009:
My daughter just passed away in April due to darvocet. She was a healthy 22 year old and only taking 1 tablet at night for a knee injury. It killed her after 7 days. We need to do all we can to get this off the market before more children are killed from this drug company. In my opinion it is still on the market because of the money it makes. This has been going on long enough and they knew what it was doing before my daughter was ever prescibed it. If we had known she would have never taken it. Why is the public in the dark about this and other drugs that are killing. Why does Great Britian who took it off in 2005 care more about their people than the United States cares about ours?
Comment by Paul on 20 July 2009:
My wife has been addicted to Darvocet since she was a teenager in the 1970’s and was prescribed it for stomach pain. Since that time, she has been experiencing severe bruising for no reason, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, and, in 1995 was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. I CLEARLY remember a doctor telling me that it was probably caused from the Darvocet she was ingesting for all those years. She was too addicted to Darvocet so she couldn’t stop. Just recently, my wife was told she has a “fatty liver”, whatever that means. I am so sad that I will loose my wife of 27 years of marriage. If anyone has developed a brain tumor after taking this horrible Darvocet medicine please let me know.