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Palladone Risk

The prescription narcotic medication, Palladone, was pulled off the shelves July 13, 2005 after studies indicated an unacceptably high fatal Palladone risk. This serious and deadly Palladone risk involves the combination of Palladone and alcohol. Researchers have found that consuming even one alcoholic beverage during the course of this opioid treatment can produce a lethal Palladone risk.

This Palladone risk was discovered in a Purdue-sponsored clinical trial less than six months after the pharmaceutical company began marketing their product. While similar drugs are available in the UK, Canada, and Germany, Palladone is the first extended release hydromorphone narcotic medication ever approved for use in the United States. Similar drugs had not been approved prior due to the serious potential risks associated with potent extended release opioids.

Palladone, and all drugs of its class, carry the highest potential for abuse and the greatest Palladone risk of life-threatening respiratory depression. The Palladone risk of abuse is high because the drug produces heroin-like euphoric effects when taken in larger quantities. This poses an even greater Palladone risk, as taking too much of this powerful drug can lead to a fatal overdose.

An overdose is also likely when the drug's integrity is compromised in any way. The overdose Palladone risk is much greater when the pill is broken, chewed, crushed, or dissolved before consumption. Because Palladone drug abusers often seek the effects of a higher dose of this medication to achieve the desired effects, this Palladone risk can be fatal.

The high dose Palladone risk is also a factor because of the design and purpose of this drug. Palladone is designed to deliver a higher dose of hydromorphone to patients who have already developed a tolerance to opioids and require a higher dose to achieve the same effects. When a person who has not developed a tolerance to opioids takes this highly potent drug, they face the fatal Palladone risk of fatal respiratory depression.

The recent discovery of the alcohol-Palladone risk shows that even patients who take this medication exactly as it is prescribed still face the risk of a fatal adverse drug reaction. The consumption of even one alcoholic drink produces the effect of dose dumping in a Palladone user. Dose dumping is the rapid release of an extended-release drug's active ingredient into the bloodstream. This Palladone risk can cause a patient to overdose on the medication, even when the correct dose was taken as prescribed.

A Palladone overdose is characterized by symptoms of central nervous system depression including: slowed heartbeat, difficult or slow breathing, cold clammy skin, constricted pupils, muscle flaccidity, low blood pressure, extreme sleepiness, stupor, coma, and even death. If you are concerned about Palladone risk factors or have been injured by Palladone, please contact us to confer with a qualified and experienced attorney who can determine and protect your legal rights and options.

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