FDA RECOMMENDS PULLING POPULAR PAINKILLER OFF MARKET

Darvocet Claimed to Have

Darvocet. A pain killer many people must take after being injured in a car accident or workers' compensation claim. Now, The FDA is recommending that the popular pain drug be pulled from the market.

The drug is actually called "propoxyphene" but is better known as Darvon and Darvocet. Monitoring in Florida and nationally by the FDA suggests the Darvocet may play a role in increasing the risk of suicides and accidental deaths. There are reports of more than 1,400 deaths in people who had taken the drug, though experts stressed the figure does not prove the drug was the cause of death in all cases.

But several experts warned that removing Darvon, Darvocet, and other propoxyphene-containing drugs could cause disruptions for pain patients. They cautioned it could drive patients to other pain medications like OxyContin. "Every drug you're talking about that's going to deal with pain has difficulty," says Mary Tinetti, MD, a professor of medicine at Yale University. "There is the possibility that the drugs that would take its place would cause at least as much harm in some people."

Health authorities in the U.K. ordered a phased removal of propoxyphene in 2005. The drug is now almost completely off the market there.

If you require pain medication because of injuries caused by a car accident or workers' compensation claim, you should talk to your doctors about alternatives to Darvon, Darvocet, and other propoxyphene-containing drugs.

For more information about your legal rights after a Florida car accident or Florida workers' compensation claim, contact Personal Injury Attorney Matthew Noyes. Attorney Noyes' Tampa Bay personal injury law firm has been caring for clients after car accidents and other personal injury matters for over 54 years.

For more articles that could save your life or the life of a loved one, read and post on Personal Injury Matthew Noyes' web blog, Noyes Legal News--Helpful Information About Florida Car Accidents and Workers' Compensation Claims.