Many Americans take over-the-counter and prescription medications to make them feel better or keep them alive. While many of them work as they’re intended to, others are downright dangerous. Manufacturers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall countless drugs or medications from the market every year. These recalls often happen after patients experience health declines. There are steps that you should follow if your medication is recalled.
Medication Recall Issued
When a recall is issued, you should get out your pill bottle and look at both the original and generic name for the medication. You should also take note of the manufacturer. You’ll also want to compare the lot number and any identifying markings on the pills to recall information. Your medication may not be part of the recall unless you find that all of that information lines up.
What Happens if Your Medication is Recalled?
If you do find that all the information is the same and that your medication is indeed included in the recall, then you may find yourself tempted to immediately stop taking it. It’s not always wise for you to do so though. It could cause a significant decline in your health if you did. This is particularly the case with blood pressure or cholesterol medications and those used to treat chronic diseases.
You should reach out to your doctor or pharmacist first before you stop taking your medication. You’ll want to let them know that you believe that the medication that you take has been recalled. You should ask them if there’s a different manufacturer who makes it and, if so whether switching to it would be best for you. You may want to ask if they can write you a prescription for something else if a different manufacturer doesn’t make the one that you’re accustomed to taking.
Drug manufacturers and the FDA often continue to compile complaints about medications for some time before ultimately recalling them from the market. They generally have to see evidence that it has caused multiple patients similar types of harm before they’ll pull it from pharmacy shelves.
Houston Dangerous Drug Attorneys for Medication Recalls
By the time recalls are ultimately issued, many people have either been seriously hurt or killed. If this is the case with you or someone you know, then you may benefit from consulting with a defective drugs attorney who may be able to help you recover compensation for your medical bills and other damages you sustained.
