If you or a loved one has suffered an allergic reaction due to a particular medication, the likelihood is that you unknowingly had an intolerance to the medication, or it was wrongly prescribed to you by a medical professional. Depending on the severity of the allergic reaction, you may need a professional injury attorney to assist you through this time.
Suffering an allergic reaction to medication may leave you with unfortunate consequences of financial strain if you were too unwell to work or were recovering from your injuries. Being unable to work may result in you losing out on wages, being unable to pay rent, or owing unaffordable medical bills for time spent in the hospital.
If you believe you have been treated negligently by a doctor and feel you were served an injustice by being prescribed the medication that caused a reaction, then you could be entitled to compensation. Please don’t hesitate to contact The Law Place for a free consultation. With experience in medical care lawsuits, our personal injury lawyers are ready to stand in your corner and fight for the compensation you deserve. Call us on (941) 444-4444. Our lines are always open for you to put to rest any questions or queries you may have.
How Do Allergic Reactions to Prescription Drugs Happen in Venice, FL?
Allergic reactions occur when your immune system reacts aggressively to a foreign body that has entered your system. Your immune system reacts to the foreign body in sometimes extremely harmful ways, resulting in seizures, blocked airways, swelling, etc.
If somebody has experienced a reaction to a prescripted medication, then it must be recorded by their registered doctor to prevent you from re-taking it in the future. In some severe allergic reactions, the patient may go into anaphylactic shock, resulting in severe complications if they don’t seek medical care immediately.
Some cases of allergic reactions from prescripted medications are known to have life-changing effects and can even leave the victim physically paralyzed. If you have suffered harmful side effects from a prescripted medication, it will benefit you greatly to seek the legal guidance of an experienced attorney.
Negligence
When the Doctor Is Negligent
If a doctor has prescribed you a drug that you have reportedly known to be allergic to, then the likelihood is the doctor has committed medical malpractice and has engaged in negligent behavior. Doctors owe a duty of care to all patients, residents, or members of the public to provide a professional level of medical service.
Even if the doctor is unaware of the patient’s allergy to the medication, they could still be held liable. You could argue that the doctor should have carried out an allergy test with the medicine.
In other cases, you may be able to prove that your doctor acted in a negligent way that you felt was wrongful. For example, you have felt that your appointment felt rushed, which means they did not take time to carry out allergy testing on you. Or, you may have felt that as a patient, there was a neglectful level of service.
When the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Are Negligent
It is not always the doctor who will be held liable for prescribing the medication that caused the allergic reaction. In some cases, it may be the fault of the pharmaceutical manufacturer or company for the manufacture of faulty or contaminated products. In this case, the pharmaceutical company may be held accused of neglecting usual procedures, rules, regulations, or conducting poor hygiene and breaking procedures.
A few examples of company negligence are failing to clean equipment properly, not wearing protective masks or clothing, not wearing gloves or general neglect in their duty of care to the public. In cases of negligence, the company will have to pay a settlement, in some cases worth millions of dollars. It is usual for large companies to have money set aside for coverage in case of an incident.
When Pharmacists Are Negligent
In some cases of allergic reactions, the doctor is not always at fault. Instead, the pharmacy distributors are sometimes held responsible for giving the medication to the patient. A pharmacy distributor may have picked the wrong prescription for the patient in some cases, causing the patient to have a reaction.
In certain allergic reaction cases, the pharmacists could have neglected their care by not informing you of certain food-based allergen ingredients within the medication, such as wheat, nut, or dairy. For example, if you are lactose intolerant and were given medicine with a food-based binder such as milk, you may suffer a reaction.
Symptoms of Allergic Reactions to Drugs
Experiencing allergic reactions from medication or particular food ingredients included in medication can be frightening. Some allergic reactions will take effect in minutes, while some reactions won’t begin for hours. Some examples of common side effects from the response are:
- Conjunctivitis – This is an infection that can occur in the eyes. It causes the eyes to become red, swollen, itchy, watery, and may feel burnt or gritty. Conjunctivitis can take weeks to clear up and for eyes to return to normal.
- Itching or rashes to the skim – Experiencing rashes, hives, or unusual bumps on the skin are all common side effects of an allergic reaction and can be highly uncomfortable. These types of effects on the skin are usually cured by creams or clear up over time.
- Swelling – This is known to be one of the most prominent side effects of a bad reaction. Swelling commonly occurs to the hands, feet, tongue, lips, face, or in severe cases, generally all over the body.
- Fever – A patient may experience high temperatures, shivering, cold sweats, dizziness, and confusion.
- Shortness of breath -The medicine’s reaction may have caused the victim’s windpipe or tongue to swell up, making it extremely difficult for them to breathe. This may cause the patient to wheeze, cough continuously, or be short of breath, in which case you need to go to a hospital or seek professional medical attention.
- Nausea/vomiting – The body’s first instinct may be to repel the substance immediately, resulting in the patient becoming violently sick or experiencing dizziness or nausea.
Anaphylaxic Shock
Anaphylaxis is a dangerous but rare condition that can occur following an allergic reaction. It is a life-threatening emergency that needs immediate medical attention. Anaphylaxis can arise in patients straight away, and symptoms can increasingly worsen in a shockingly short amount of time.
The difference between a normal allergic reaction and an anaphylactic shock is that suffering anaphylactic shock affects more parts of the nervous system and is generally known for affecting the body’s cardiovascular system and lungs, which is particularly dangerous. Some of the known side effects of an anaphylactic shock are:
- Falling unconscious/fainting.
- Drop in blood pressure.
- Seizure or fits.
- Tightening of the airways or windpipe.
- Nausea or abdominal cramps.
- Weak, rapid pulse.
- Vomiting or diarrhea.
- Dizziness/vertigo.
Prevention and Treatment
The best treatment for an allergic reaction to a drug is to avoid the drug altogether. There are usually allergy tests carried out in the form of skin tests or patch tests for many forms of allergies, which will help let the patient know if they are allergic to the medication.
It is vital that people with allergies carry epinephrine (an EpiPen) with them at all times in case of an emergency or sudden reaction. People with allergies may also be best off wearing a medic-alert bracelet at all times. A medic-alert tag can be worn as a bracelet or necklace and will carry a message informing others of their allergies and medical needs in case of an emergency.
What Damages Can I Claim for in Venice, FL?
If you have suffered a severe allergic reaction, you might be left with huge bills or medical expenses for time spent in the hospital, hospital room fees, ambulance fees, etc. If the victim sustained serious injuries, then the chances are they may need to continue with hospital appointments with learning to walk again, talk again, or pay for other rehabilitation programs if the victim was severely affected.
If you face financial strain following an allergic reaction, then we may be able to offer you financial support and compensation. Along with medical expenses, you may be able to claim compensation for:
- Pain and suffering – If you have experienced physical or emotional trauma or have suffered permanent injuries due to health care negligence, please don’t hesitate to report your case to a lawyer today. You deserve payment for your difficulties.
- Travel fees – If you required an ambulance or needed to attend future hospital appointments due to your injuries, you may be entitled to help to pay for transport.
- Lost wages – You may have spent time recovering from the incident and were unable to work, resulting in you losing out on work wages, which can make it difficult for you to pay for rent, child support, travel, food, etc.
- Emotional distress – If you or a loved one has suffered an allergic reaction from a type of food or medicine, then you could have attained life-changing afflictions to your mental and physical health. This deserves to be compensated.
- Payment to victim’s families – If a loved one has passed away after suffering anaphylaxis or an allergic reaction, then our lawyers can help support you financially.
Our attorneys are here to make an assessment for you and help you to determine whether you could be entitled to compensation.
Do I Need Legal Representation?
There is evidence that having a legal representative on your side is beneficial to the claimant. Studies show that only 9% of people will gain a claim without an attorney, whilst 91% of claimants with a lawyer representing them received compensation.
In further legal studies, there is evidence showing that with proper legislative representatives, the average payout to claimants is $77,600, while victims without representation received an average payout of $17,600. However, each claim is different from the last, so it is impossible to determine a quote of what you could be owed without speaking to you.
Hiring an injury lawyer will be beneficial to you as we know how difficult it can be to understand the law’s complexity. We don’t expect you to understand the ins and outs of the law on your own. That is why our injury lawyers are here to support you with our knowledge throughout your claim.
How a Venice Law Firm Can Help
A Venice lawsuit can assist your claim with ease, and by using our knowledge and skill, we can fight through your case until you are satisfied with the outcome. You are not alone in your current situation, and our team has achieved many claims, just like yours, in the past. We understand it can be hard to trust an attorney with your claim, but you can take your time to delve into our previous cases and see our success rate for yourself. This will help you decide which law firm is the most suitable for you.
We will take care of all the relevant paperwork for you so you can relax and rest assured that your request is in experienced hands. We will take our time to look into your case and your doctor’s records to see the medication you were prescribed that caused the reaction. With a highly rated legal representative at your side fighting your claim, you stand more of a chance of having your voice heard in court. We know it can be daunting entering a claim alone and reliving the events of the trauma that occurred.
Priding ourselves on excellent client-attorney relationships, you can be confident in explaining the incident and the injuries you suffered. We will fight for what you would like to achieve from your settlement.
How Will I Afford to Hire an Attorney?
Our lawyers work on a no-win-no-fee basis, which means that you will not pay us a thing unless your claim is successful. We will then take a small percentage from the total payment, so you don’t have to worry about putting money aside to pay us. Our law firm also assures you there are no hidden costs, extra fees, or hidden financial surprises.
Contact The Law Place Today!
We understand the unrest you may be feeling and the level of frustration due to if you have been a victim of medical negligence. The Law Place is here to tell you that you don’t have to go it alone.
We want you to know that your claim matters to us. Our lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so when you are ready to reach out to us, our attorneys will be there to offer you support and advice. Our team has dealt with many cases in the past, just like yours, so rest assured we have the relevant experience to handle your claim.
Call us today at (941) 444-4444, whenever best suits you. We will offer you a consultation payment-free, which will give you a chance to explain to us the incident of the reaction and give us the chance to inform you of your rights. There is a team of experienced lawyers waiting to work on your claim for you.