Nexium Lawyer
If you or a loved one has suffered a worsened condition or adverse side effects after taking Nexium, you might be overwhelmed and feel as though you have no legal recourse. However, a Nexium lawyer might be able to help. A dedicated attorney could work to investigate your medical history and determine if the manufacturers and distributors of Nexium might be held legally liable for your losses.
Understanding Nexium
Nexium is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), which is a class of medication. While there are numerous variants, they are mainly over-the-counter drugs that are used to treat heartburn, acid reflux, GERD, and gastroenteritis disease. Essentially, this pill is meant to calm the lining of the user’s esophagus and stomach in order to quell these symptoms. By doing this, the stomach is prevented from making more acid.
There are seven variants of Nexium on the market currently. Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid are the most commonly used, but it is a large class of drugs. There are a few differences between them, but the biggest element that links them all together is that they try to prevent the stomach from producing acid in the first place.
Potential Short-Term and Long-Term Side Effects
The biggest potential side-effect of taking Nexium is kidney damage, which is backed up by evidence. When Nexium blocks the natural acids in a person’s body, it might become difficult for the body to take in important minerals—by not getting those minerals, it might impact the kidney’s ability to function properly. Furthermore, this could lead to nephritis, an inflammation of the kidneys, which can be a serious problem.
Unfortunately, kidney damage and kidney disease are often irreversible. If nephritis goes on long enough, it could lead to chronic kidney disease. This means that a person’s kidneys are shutting down and no longer filtering and cleaning blood the way it once did, so a machine would have to step in.
Treatments for the Side Effects of Nexium
The treatment options available for either short-term or long-term side-effects of Nexium often include dialysis. If an individual catches signs early enough, the body may be able to overcome it. Once they get to a certain point of kidney failure, however, dialysis is usually the last stop.
When a person’s kidneys begin shutting down and are not filtering blood, dialysis involves being hooked up to a machine for four to five hours each session, for two to three sessions per week. Unfortunately, this is an often exhausting and potentially frightening experience. A compassionate Nexium lawyer could help to assess the impact of this process for a claim.
The elements that are important for a successful Nexium-related claim include not having any prior record of kidney damage. If, for example, a claimant was on dialysis before they began taking a PPI, it would be difficult to demonstrate that the medication caused their injuries.
Furthermore, there are additional risk factors for kidney disease, such as diabetes and other chronic health problems. This might also affect whether an attorney would be able to show to a jury that Nexium caused kidney damage, as opposed to these other complications. Another important element regards the actual diagnosis of chronic kidney disease or renal failure, as well as the use of the medication for a discernable period of time.
Essentially, the injured claimant would need to have taken Nexium for at least a couple of weeks, months, or in many cases, even years. As a result, it could be important to have a seasoned attorney working with a claimant in order to demonstrate that Nexium played a part in their injuries.
While Nexium and other proton pump inhibitors might help to alleviate a person’s immediate symptoms, the short-term and long-term side effects might lead to severe and, if untreated, even fatal complications. If you or a loved one has experienced adverse side effects after prolonged PPI use, consider reaching out to a Nexium lawyer to discuss your legal options.
A well-practiced attorney could help to assess your medical history, establishing if the PPI use was the overriding factor for your kidney damage or other symptoms, and work tirelessly to file a claim on your behalf. To schedule a consultation and discuss your unique circumstances today, call a legal professional.
