Duragesic and Fentanyl

If you have been seriously injured after use of the Duragesic skin patch or a generic fentanyl skin patch used for pain, you may have a Duragesic/fentanyl lawsuit. If a family member has died after using the Duragesic patch or a generic fentanyl product, you may have a wrongful death lawsuit. To contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Olsen, P.A., please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's online consultation form.

Injury or death associated with fentanyl may give rise to a medical malpractice claim based on medication error (see below) and/or a product liability claim (see fentanyl recall information).

Duragesic-Fentanyl Medication Error Lawsuit

In July of 2005, the FDA issued a health advisory informing health professionals that it was investigating reports of death and other serious side effects from overdoses of fentanyl in patients using fentanyl transdermal (skin) patches for pain control. The advisory was prompted by deaths and overdoses that had occurred in patients using both the brand name product Duragesic and the generic product (there was only one generic product at the time, but there are now several, including one approved in August of 2007).

The FDA advisory informed health professionals that the directions for using the fentanyl skin patch should be followed exactly to prevent death or other serious side effects from overdosing with fentanyl. These directions were made available to health professionals.

Although it has been 2 years since the FDA advisory, some incidences of medication error involving the Duragesic skin patch and generic fentanyl skin patches are still occurring.

If any of the following applies to your use or a family member's use of Duragesic or a generic product, please contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Olsen, P.A.:

Prescription of the Duragesic pain patch or generic pain patch for short-term pain, pain that was not constant, or pain after an operation. According to the FDA advisory, fentanyl skin patches should only be used by patients who are already taking other narcotic painkillers (opioid tolerant), and who have chronic pain that is not well controlled with shorter-acting painkillers.
Prescription of the Duragesic patch or a generic pain patch without consideration of other medications the patient may have been on. The Duragesic and generic pain patches should not be used with other medicines that affect brain function or that affect how fentanyl is broken down in the body.
Prescription of the Duragesic patch or a generic fentanyl skin patch without warning the patient of the dangerous nature of the medication. According to the FDA advisory, "Patients who are using the fentanyl skin patch and their caregivers should be told about the directions for safe use of the patch and should follow the directions exactly." for example, patients should know that heat can adversly react with the fentanyl, and sunbathing, exercise, hot tubs, even a hot shower can trigger an overdose.

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