Dangers of Meridia

A prescription drug called Meridia treats obesity medically, including weight loss and maintenance.

Those Who Shouldn’t Use Meridia

Meridia should not be taken by: anyone who has uncontrolled or inadequately controlled high blood pressure, is taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which are prescription medications, for depression, Parkinson’s disease, or any other disorder, or is taking any other brain-acting weight-loss medications, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal supplements.

Additionally, stop taking Meridia if you:

• Have previously experienced allergic reactions to sibutramine or Meridia
• Have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease
• Experienced heart-related chest pain, have had a previous heart attack, or have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure
• Have severe renal or liver illness
• Have experienced a stroke or the signs of one
• Are breastfeeding or contemplating becoming pregnant
• Are afflicted with severe eating problems like anorexia or bulimia nervosa.
• Are younger than 16 years old

What Medications Should I Avoid Taking Concurrently with Meridia?

If you are on prescription monoamine oxidase inhibitors, you cannot take Meridia. Additionally, Meridia shouldn’t be used if you are concurrently using other brain-active weight-loss drugs.

This covers both natural products and prescription and over-the-counter medicines. When medications like Meridia are taken combined with other treatments that may change serotonin activity, individuals have been known to experience an uncommon but potentially hazardous medical situation known as “serotonin syndrome.”

These medications, as examples, include:

• Depression medication
• Migraine treatment
• Certain painkillers
• Dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant present in numerous cough medications
• Lithium
• The peptide tryptophan

The condition may include one or more of the following signs which call for emergency medical attention:

• Restlessness
• Consciousness loss
• Confusion
• Disorientation
• Anxiety
• Weakness
• Tremor
• Uncoordination
• Fever
• Shivering
• Sweating
• Vomiting
• Elevated heart rate

What Are Meridia’s Common Side Effects?

Meridia’s most typical negative effects include the following:

• Mouth ache
• Constipation
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Increased perspiration
• Blood pressure rising
• Elevated heart rate

Can Meridia Affect My Heart Rate or Blood Pressure?

Some users of Meridia have a substantial increase in blood pressure. Others may experience slight rises in heart rate and blood pressure as a result.

What Are Meridia’s Serious Side Effects?

A rare but occasionally fatal illness called pulmonary hypertension has been linked to specific weight loss medications.

Stop taking Meridia and get help right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Breathing difficulty
• Chest ache
• Swelling in your legs, feet, or ankles
• Fainting

Can Meridia Harm the Valves in My Heart?

Heart valve disease, also known as cardiac valve dysfunction, has been linked to some weight reduction medications.

Do I Need to Stop Taking Meridia?

You must call your doctor immediately if you experience any symptoms that have you worried about your health or a potential drug side effect.

Stop taking Meridia and call your doctor right away if you suffer any of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty breathing
• Chest discomfort and breathlessness
• Angina
• Irregular or hammering heartbeats or fast heartbeats exceeding 100 beats per minute
• Restlessness
• Lightheadedness
• Blackouts
• Disorientation
• Depression
• Mental disarray
• Anxiety
• Nervousness/tremors
• Muscular coordination loss
• Muscular rigidity or muscle stiffness
• Acute fever
• Having eye discomfort
• Shivering
• Sweating
• Abdomen ache
• Nausea/vomiting

Could Meridia Make Me Allergic?

If you experience a skin rash, hives, or other adverse reactions, you should immediately stop taking Meridia and call your doctor.

Did Meridia Work to Help You Lose Weight?

Within six months, consuming Meridia allegedly caused an average weight loss of 5-9%.

However, the medication’s manufacturer cautioned that obesity is a chronic condition and that most patients needed to take Meridia permanently to lose weight because weight is quickly acquired back when medication is stopped. The FDA and European health institutes later discovered that the weight reduction caused by Meridia was actually less significant than initially believed.

Can I File a Lawsuit Against My Doctor if Meridia Hurt Me?

Potentially. Since Meridia is a regulated substance that requires a prescription, your doctor would be the most likely defendant in a lawsuit. Patients with anorexia, hypertension, other brain-active weight-loss medications, and patients with a history of heart disease, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, or stroke should not be taken Meridia.

You might be able to sue your doctor for medical misconduct if you fit any of these descriptions and they prescribed Meridia to you.

If Meridia Hurt Me, Can I Sue the Manufacturer?

The FDA reported a 16% increase in the risk of major heart events, prompting Abbott Laboratories, the drug’s producer, to remove Meridia from the market. You might be able to sue Abbott Laboratories for defective product responsibility if you suffered harm due to taking Meridia.

Your counsel would need to demonstrate that, absent your usage of Meridia, you would not have had the alleged injuries to prevail at trial. Additionally, your attorney must show that you were not aware of Meridia’s increased health hazards before taking it.

Additional Patient Information

If you have any questions about Meridia, see a medical expert.

Call your doctor immediately if you have chest pain, palpitations, an irregular heartbeat, other symptoms like lightheadedness or dizziness, or any other symptoms.

Utilize your household garbage to dispose of unused Meridia as advised in the Federal Drug Disposal Guidelines.

Take your Meridia out of its original container and combine it with anything you don’t want, like cat litter or leftover coffee grounds. The medication won’t be as enticing to kids and animals, and it won’t be noticeable to somebody purposefully going through your trash.

To stop the medication from spilling out of a waste bag, place it in a container that can be sealed, an empty can, or another container.

Notify the FDA’s MedWatch program of any negative effects you experience while taking Meridia.

Further Resources for Healthcare Professionals

The FDA advises medical professionals to:

• Stop recommending and giving patients Meridia.
• Ask patients who are currently taking Meridia to discontinue taking it by getting in touch with them.

Patients should be made aware of the dangers of Meridia.

With your patients, talk about weight-loss methods other than Meridia.

Be aware of the potential risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events in patients taking Meridia and monitor patients for these if they exhibit any signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease.

Notify the FDA’s MedWatch program of any negative effects you experience while taking Meridia.

What Happens if Using Meridia Caused Me to Get Hurt?

You should speak with your doctor right away to address any odd side effects you may have had after taking Meridia. In addition, you should speak with a lawyer about your potential legal options for pursuing compensation for your injuries.

If I’ve Been Using Meridia, Do I Need Legal Representation?

If you think Meridia’s adverse effects have hurt you, you should talk to a reputable class action lawyer with experience representing people hurt by dangerous medications.

To protect your legal rights, you must speak with a lawyer as soon as you realize that you are experiencing Meridia’s side effects. You might be able to file a case with the help of a lawyer, or you might file a class action lawsuit on behalf of several other victims.

Use LegalMatch to find the right lawyer for your needs today. You aren’t alone – represent your interests with the help of an experienced lawyer.