Could Zocor Liver Damage Lead to Lawsuits?

The statin drug Zocor has been used in many patients to treat high levels of cholesterol, which can lead to serious, life-threatening conditions like heart disease and stroke. It has helped many patients regain a balance in their life and reduced the risk of these serious conditions in several cases, but it also has been linked to a barrage of Zocor side effects that have been plaguing patients since the drug was first released. Diabetes has been associated with statin use, as has a serious muscle condition called Guillian-Barre Syndrome, which has manifested in patients but has not yet been clinically proven to be linked to Zocor use. However, muscle injury is the most prominent and most prevalent side effect, with possibility of progression of Zocor rhabdomyolysis, that users have complained of.

Muscle injury, or myopathy, manifests in several ways – patients may experience muscle pain, muscle weakness, or soreness in the muscles and joints. Although this may not seem like such a drastic side effect, constant muscle pain or weakness can destroy a patient’s quality of life. In addition, myopathy can become rhabdomyolysis – a condition in which the kidneys are damaged when enzymes from deteriorating muscles reach it. The kidney cannot process these enzymes and kidney damage or even kidney failure occurs. Many patients have been filing Zocor lawsuits because of myopathy and kidney damage that has been linked to the medication.

Another side effect that has been linked to Zocor is liver damage, and patients who have experienced this side effect are wondering whether they can file a Zocor lawsuit, as well. Zocor causes liver damage because it can increase liver enzymes to up to three times the normal amount found in the liver, which in return can cause liver damage and even liver failure. A decrease in liver function can bring on a plethora of serious and even life-threatening conditions, including hepatitis, cholestatic jaundice, cirrhosis, fulminant hepatic necrosis, and fatty changes in the liver.

Patients with Zocor liver damage should first consult their doctor and then a personal injury lawyer who specializes in Zocor cases. An experienced Zocor lawyer will be able to help patients answer any questions they might have about taking legal action and will also be able to help patients file a Zocor lawsuit.