Tardive Dyskinesia Lawsuit

Schizophrenia, also known as a psychosis in some instances, is normally treated with antipsychotic medications. The newer atypical antipsychotics were thought to have fewer side effects than older medications including effects like Tardive Dyskinesia. In fact, research has been linking newer antipsychotics to dangerous and serious adverse effects. One study examined all cases of pancreatitis reported to the FDA or written up in medical journals between January 1981 and February 2002, finding more cases of pancreatitis with three newer antipsychotic drugs than with older generation drugs.

The three drugs to have higher incidence of pancreatitis were Clozaril, Zyprexa, and Risperdal. Then the FDA announced the agency was requesting updated product labeling for all atypical antipsychotics, Zyprexa, Clozaril, Risperdal, Seroquel, Geodon, and Abilfy, in order to include a warning about hyperglycemia and diabetes.

The introduction of antipsychotics (neuroleptics) was seen to have great managing effects for schizophrenic symptoms. The antipsychotic effects neuroleptics provided were believed to be safe to help schizophrenic patients without having dangerous effects. Links to Tardive Dyskinesia started to be made and has continued to be made, but neuroleptics was initially believed to occur in patients using neuroleptic treatment for at least two years, but now this belief has been founded to be untrue.

Now, Tardive Dyskinesia cases have been documented to occur in patients after just a couple months of beginning neuroleptic drugs. While the actual number of people affected by Tardive Dyskinesia is unknown for sure, the estimates are extremely high. In 1992, the American Psychiatric Association estimated that 15% of patients develop Tardive Dyskinesia within just three years, a surprising number for the many people that believed neuroleptics to be a breakthrough in schizophrenia treatment.

Tardive Dyskinesia lawsuits may be on the rise as more and more patients and families are becoming affected by the sometimes permanent antipsychotic side effect. While Tardive Dyskinesia is a more serious antipsychotic side effect, there are also many other antipsychotic side effects that have been discovered over the years. The big push for neuroleptics onto the market has appeared successful with few notable Tardive Dyskinesia lawsuits, but the number of Tardive Dyskinesia lawsuits filed is expected to increase with reports of Tardive Dyskinesia continuing to grow.

Claiming neuroleptics emptied out U.S. mental hospitals, antipsychotics have been gained financial success. The leading six antipsychotic sales in the U.S. totaled $5.4 billion in the 12-month period ending August 31, 2003, with 22.7 million prescriptions written. Attributing antipsychotics for the decline in mental hospital patients was done so falsely according to critics. Antipsychotics were in widespread use by 1954-1955 but the inpatient population did not decline until 1963, the same year the federal government provided disability insurance coverage for mental disorders.

As more information about the dangers of antipsychotics is being realized, those patients now suffering serious antipsychotic side effects are seeking information on possible Tardive Dyskinesia lawsuits. Tardive Dyskinesia and the use of antipsychotic (neuroleptic) medication have been so controversial because the high number of neuroleptic medication choices (please refer to the list below) and the many patients still unaware that there is a Tardive Dyskinesia risk. Despite the studies performed linking the use of neuroleptics and Tardive Dyskinesia, there is still little known.

For more information on a possible Tardive Dyskinesia lawsuit, please contact us to confer with a Tardive Dyskinesia lawyer.