Medication Errors Leading to Heart Attacks
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as a heart attack, is often linked to underlying health problems, but many people don’t realize that some common medications can also lead to a heart attack. When a person experiences AMI, the heart does not actually stop beating altogether; instead, it begins to beat irregularly, which can cause a chain reaction of serious abnormalities throughout the body. The American Heart Association warns individuals to look out for chest pain, shortness of breath, discomfort in other areas of the body, lightheadedness, and other symptoms.
If you think you are currently experiencing a heart attack, call 911 immediately.
If you have already dealt with these signs of heart attack after taking medication under your physician’s care, consider discussing your situation and a potential medical malpractice claim with a Florida medical malpractice lawyer. In some situations, healthcare providers make mistakes in writing prescriptions or recommending over-the-counter medications to patients with certain medical conditions, which can lead to an AMI event.
How Certain Medications Can Cause Heart Attack
Certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can lead to heart failure or increase the potential for heart attack because they:
- Act as a toxin to individuals with certain medical conditions
- Affect heart muscle contractions
- Exacerbate high blood pressure
- Interact with heart medications
Prescription Drugs and Heart Failure
The more medications you take for various medical conditions, the more likely it is that you could experience drug interactions. Prescription drugs that may put you at increased likelihood of AMI include:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which affect blood flow through water and salt retention
- Diabetes medications, some of which cause fluid retention and weight gain
- Prescriptions for blood pressure drugs, particularly calcium channel blockers
- Medications used for chemotherapy and other cancer treatment
- Stimulants, under certain circumstances
- Antidepressants
Over-the-Counter Medications
Doctors often recommend common drugstore medications that are available without a prescription, so you may not think twice about taking them. However, a physician should exercise extreme caution in recommending these drugs to individuals with underlying health issues. Examples include:
- Over-the-counter NSAIDs, including ibuprofen, for the same reasons listed above
- Cold medicines that contain ibuprofen or sodium
- Nasal decongestants with vasoconstrictors, a medication that narrows blood vessels and can lead to heart attack
Also, some vitamins and natural supplements can increase the potential for heart attack in people with heart conditions. The FDA does not regulate many of these products, and labels can be deceiving or incomplete. For instance, consumption of Vitamin E in high amounts can lead to heart failure for some individuals.
Types of Medication Errors that Could Have Caused Your Heart Attack
Medication errors cover a wide range of behaviors and actions. Doctors, pharmacists, nurses, or other medical professionals could have:
- Prescribed, recommended, or administered the wrong medication or dosage
- Given you an incorrect diagnosis
- Failed to account for your other medications when prescribing
- Failed to warn you of the interactions with your other medications
- Failed to inform you of the side effects
- Failed to tell you how to take the medicine properly
Medical malpractice is not always malicious, but apathy, negligence, incompetence, and carelessness can cost lives. You have the right to hold someone responsible for the error that caused your heart attack.
Steps to Take if You’ve Suffered a Heart Attack Due to a Medication Error
If you think your cardiac event was related to your use of a medication, there are a few steps you can take.
Continue to Prioritize Your Health
Follow your physician’s treatment and recovery plan and rest. Your health is important, and your loved ones need you. Heart attacks are serious medical events, and you should not overdo it too quickly. However, make sure you eat heart-healthy meals recommended by your doctor or dietician, take part in approved forms of activity, and take care of your mental health.
Call a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Not every lawyer is equipped to handle Florida’s complex medical malpractice laws, so don’t just hire any firm. Check their website, testimonials, and case results to see if they have lawyers who are devoted to medical malpractice cases. Medical negligence is a very nuanced field, and it takes a dedicated team to navigate the complexities of the laws.
Do not delay in calling. The statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Florida is generally only two years, and the clock is already ticking. Gathering evidence, filing paperwork, and investigating your case will take time, so the sooner your lawyer can file a lawsuit, the better.
Gather Proof of Medical Negligence
Make a list of any known heart conditions, medications, and any other details you think are relevant to your case. Gather what medical records and invoices you can and make notes about examples of the professional’s negligence.
If you think you’re missing key information, don’t worry. A medical error lawyer can help uncover further evidence and information to support your claim, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Establishing Medical Malpractice After a Heart Attack
Medical malpractice cases are quite complex. Just because a doctor or other medical professional did something wrong does not mean you automatically have a malpractice case. Florida lawyers must look at:
- The standard of care: This is a threshold used to determine if a doctor or other medical professional provided reasonable and competent care to you within the standards expected of others in the profession.
- Negligence: The doctor’s actions (or inactions) fell below the standards of care.
- Causation: The actions (or inactions) of the medical professional are directly related to your harm. Said differently, you would not have suffered a heart attack but for the medical negligence.
- Injuries: You have injuries and losses directly related to the breach of the standard of care.
The other party will often try to say that their level of care met the professional standard of care or that you were entirely responsible for the harm that befell you, but lawyers can use their own medical and expert resources to dispute these arguments.
Talk to Our Florida Medical Malpractice Attorneys About Your Medical Error Case
Not all mistakes associated with medication give rise to legal action, but some errors by healthcare providers could lead to a claim for medical malpractice. Our team at Freidin Brown, P.A. can tell you more about your rights and remedies after reviewing your situation, so please contact our firm to speak with a medical malpractice attorney.
Call now for a free case evaluation. You can call us at any time, and we can meet you anywhere. Our team is waiting to hear from you. Hablamos español.
