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Painkillers Darvon® / Darvocet® withdrawn at FDA request because the painkillers are linked to serious heart rhythm abnormalities. |
What is Darvocet®?
 Darvocet® contains a combination of propoxyphene and acetaminophen. Propoxyphene is in a group of drugs called narcotic pain relievers. Acetaminophen is a less potent pain reliever and a fever reducer that increases the effects of propoxyphene.
Darvocet® is used to relieve mild to moderate pain with or without fever.
Darvon® and Darvocet®, the brand names of the painkiller propoxyphene, have finally been removed from the US market by manufacturer Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals. The removal of these drugs was requested by the FDA after years of petitioning from consumer advocacy groups for the banning of these drugs. The dangers of Darvon® and Darvocet® have been known for decades, but manufacturers continued to sell them years after their potentially lethal side effects were known.
FDA & Side Effects
It has been announced by FDA that Darvon® and Darvocet® recall has been issued after the new clinical research indicates that the painkiller drugs can cause heart-related side effects. Along with Darvocet® recall, FDA has also ordered generic drug makers to drop marketing of low-cost drugs that contain the active ingredient in Darvon called propoxyphene.
In 1957, FDA approved Propoxyphene, an opioid used to treat mild to moderate pain, but later the drug was questioned over safety concerns. Since 1978, two Darvocet® recalls have been requested by the FDA, but they concluded that the benefits overweigh the health risks.
It has been discovered through electrocardiography that abnormalities occurred in healthy people who take normal doses of Darvon® and Darvocet®. Since 2005, almost 120 million patients in the U.S. have been prescribed with Darvocet®, which combines propoxyphene with common painkiller acetaminophen.
After the official Darvon® and Darvocet® recall, doctors are being asked to stop prescribing propoxyphene to their patients.
Side Effects include:
- Sudden cardiac death
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Heart rhythm abnormalities
- Arrhythmia
- Irregular heartbeat
- Atrial fibrillation (A fib)
- Ventricular fibrillation (V fib)
- Long QT syndrome
- Tachycardia
- Heart block
- Bradycardia (slow heart rate)
Contact Us
If you or a loved one used Darvon® or Darvocet® for pain and developed serious heart rhythm abnormalities, please call Steinberg Law Firm P.C. at 888-529-4688 or email andrewsteinberg@lawyer.com for a free consultation.
Consult A Lawyer on Legal Issues
We encourage you to contact us at 888-529-4688 to discuss your Darvon® or Darvocet® case with an experienced personal injury and wrongful death attorney.
| » Fill out this form if you need additional information or want to discuss a potential claim with an attorney. All inquiries are kept strictly confidential. Please e-mail Andrew E. Steinberg* at: andrewsteinberg@lawyer.com for a free, confidential consultation, or call us at 888-529-4688. |
| » If the inquiry is accepted for further review, you will receive a prompt response (usually the same day or by the next business day). |
Consult A Doctor On Medical Issue
The Steinberg law firm does not intend, by this web site or otherwise, to dissuade anyone from taking medication without their doctors' approval. Please consult your doctor, not your lawyer, on matters relating to your health. It could be dangerous to stop taking medicines, especially abruptly. Patients should talk to their physicians to decide whether the benefits and risks of taking Darvon® or Darvocet® make it the right choice for them.
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