The following article will give you some basic background information on the Effexor lawsuit. Firstly let us look at some facts related to the results of the study which was carried out by the New England Fertility Association and also the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This was done after a study was carried out by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in collaboration with the Effexor manufacturer. This study compared two groups of women, one who took Effexor XR as directed, and another who did not. The study showed that women taking the drug experienced a significant improvement in terms of pregnancy rate as compared to the group that did not take the drug.
Table of Contents
Effexor Lawsuit
In a detailed study, the woman taking the 200 mg twice daily pill for ten days prior to her first attempt at pregnancy experienced an improvement in terms of pregnancy rates as compared to the control group. However, upon stopping the treatment the results showed a significant decrease in the pregnancy rates. On reviewing the data it was noted that there was a very small percentage of women in this study who were not pregnant at the end of the period of the study. However, no statistical analysis can be said as to whether or not this is due to any type of failure of Effexor to cure pregnancy or if the use of Effexor was actually responsible.
The other study, which was carried out at the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), also showed a significant improvement in pregnancy rates only when the woman taking the Effexor 200 mg twice daily dose and also taking venlafaxine was compared to the control group who had a normal vaginal bleeding.
Venlafaxine is used for patients that experience a severe venlafaxine allergic reaction. It works by controlling the serotonin levels in the brain thereby reducing the inflammatory response normally seen in patients that have extremely low levels of serotonin in their body.
In a study conducted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on 812 patients, who were treated with venlafaxine effexor, there were no significant side effects reported in women taking the medication.
The patients’ bodies did show some mild side effects such as nausea, tiredness, headache and skin rash. This problem is however mild and in less number than the problems reported in women using other forms of treatment such as tricyclic antidepressants. Venlafaxine does not cause any weight loss.
However, in this lawsuit, one woman whose blood work had shown excessive level of cortisol was diagnosed to be having an abnormal uterine fibroid.
This in turn resulted in her having to undergo hysterectomy. The treating physician then explained to her that this would be unnecessary as the medication used in effexor therapy to treat her fibroids could show only short term effects such as nausea and fatigue. She was nonetheless recommended to continue taking her amoxil along with the prescribed venlafaxine effexor.
The FDA has yet to issue a statement on the article pertaining to the positive results experienced by the patient to undergo treatment with venlafaxine and Effexor XR.
The case study has been shared with the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation for further review. It will take up to six months before any conclusions are made on the efficacy of both treatments in reducing fibroids. Venlafaxine is also believed to have similar side effects as that of tricyclic antidepressants.
