Darvocet Heart Problems Lead to Recall

Propoxyphene products have been banned nationwide due to the Darvocet side effects, which have claimed the lives of dozens of users. Many medical experts have expressed relief at the ban, which could potentially have spared hundreds of lives – but drugs like Darvon and Darvocet, affected by the ban, have already been on the market for more than half a century. Studies recently confirmed that propoxyphene drugs like Darvocet can cause serious heart problems, including heart arrhythmia, even for patients who are taking recommended doses of the prescription painkiller.

Studies linking Darvocet to these serious cardiac problems date back to the 1970s, but scientists are developing more of an understanding about why these problems are caused by the popular drug – it can interrupt electrical rhythms of the heart, making contraction of the heart muscle more difficult. This can cause a variety of problems that can affect many of the body’s essential systems, and can even have an impact on the brain.

Variations on Darvocet arrhythmia can include conditions such as ventricular tachycardia or torsade de pointes. Ventricular tachycardia is characterized by a rapid heart rate that begins in the lower chambers of the heart, and heart function can become more chaotic, leading to a life-threatening condition known as ventricular fibrillation. This can cause the heart to stop contracting altogether, leading to death.

Torsade de pointes is a condition which is usually fatal without prompt medical attention.
Other side effects include accidental overdose, accidental death, Darvocet suicide, and Darvocet drug dependence. However, an overwhelming number of Darvocet lawsuits making their way through the legal system involve heart problems related to the drug. The Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation is scheduled to make a decision this month on whether or not to consolidate Darvocet lawsuits in multidistrict litigation, a process similar to class action in which pretrial litigation is consolidated in order to speed the litigation process, but cases are subsequently returned to the courts from which they originated.