Reaction to Medication - Do I have a case?

[hvyhttr]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? IN

I had a severe allergic reaction to a sulfa medication and have now ended up with an autoimmune disease as a result. Do I have a case against the drug company or doctor that prescribed it to me? My intent is not to get rich...but this is going to significantly shorten my life and I will probably never get to see my young children graduate from high school. I just want to do everything I can to make sure they are taken care of...

 

[enjay]

My son is allergic to penicillin. Of course, we didn't know that until he had a reaction after it was prescribed to him. How is the doctor or drug company responsible for the reaction? They aren't.

I hope your outcome is better than predicted. Sorry you are struggling.

 

[hvyhttr]

That is what I thought. I have friends and family telling me to take xyz to court. I am not that type of person...so it was not the first thing that came to my mind. However, I am sometimes the devil's advocate...many times to the point that I forget to look our for myself. I just wanted to make sure this is not one of those cases. Thanks for the feedback.

I appreciate the well-wishes...I hope it is not what they think it is too...

 

[Proserpina]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? IN

I had a severe allergic reaction to a sulfa medication and have now ended up with an autoimmune disease as a result. Do I have a case against the drug company or doctor that prescribed it to me? My intent is not to get rich...but this is going to significantly shorten my life and I will probably never get to see my young children graduate from high school. I just want to do everything I can to make sure they are taken care of...

What was the medication?

Is your condition a known side effect? What IS your condition?

Did the doctor know you were allergic?

 

[lealea1005]

Is the auto-immune disease you're talking about Steven-Johnson Syndrome? It's rare, but could occur from an allergic reaction to sulfa medications.

However, as stated above, if you do/did not have a history of an allergic reaction to the medication, how could the prescriber be held responsible?

 

[hvyhttr]

No...I had no history of this allergy. It was a sulfa antibiotic. The auto-immune disease they think I have is Scleroderma, caused by my immune system being thrown haywire by the reaction...

Just thought I would check on here, as many friends and family are banging the malpractice drum. I got the answer here that I thought I would get...

 

[Proserpina]

No...I had no history of this allergy. It was a sulfa antibiotic. The auto-immune disease they think I have is Scleroderma, caused by my immune system being thrown haywire by the reaction...

Just thought I would check on here, as many friends and family are banging the malpractice drum. I got the answer here that I thought I would get...

Sulfa drugs are known to sometimes cause auto-immune disorders (usually as a result of an allergic reaction); if nobody knew that your body would react in that way nobody can really be held liable.

I'm sorry that you're going through this.