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Almost everyone suffers heartburn from time to time, but if you have frequent heartburn, your doctor may have prescribed Dexilant. Dexilant is marketed as relatively safe – it’s even approved for use by children – but if you take it long term, it can have serious, life-threatening side effects, including chronic and acute kidney failure. If you are suffering kidney problems after taking Dexilant, we’d like to help you.
John Foy and Associates is one of the largest and most well respected medical lawsuit firms in the country. We have been following the research regarding Dexilant’s link to kidney failure, and if you or a loved one has taken Dexilant and then developed kidney failure or kidney disease, we’d like to hear what you have to say. Let us give you a free, no obligation consultation. Call us at 404-400-4000 and get your free consultation today.
What is Dexilant?
Dexilant belongs to a class of heartburn medications known as proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. Other common PPIs include Prilosec, Protonix, Prevacid and Nexium. Ordinary over the counter antacids that you might take for occasional heartburn act to neutralize stomach acid. But PPIs have a different effect – they reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces to begin with.
Dexilant is manufactured by Takada Pharmaceutical Company, which introduced the drug in 2009 under the name Kapidex. Because Kapidex was being confused with other, similarly named medications, Takada changed the name to Dexilant in 2010. A generic version, dexlansoprazole, became available in 2017.
What is the proper use of Dexilant?
Dexilant is primarily used to treat chronic heartburn, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric reflux, or GERD.
When you eat, your food travels down your esophagus and into your stomach. Between the two, there’s a band of muscle known as the lower esophageal sphincter that opens to let food pass through and then closes to keep that food in the stomach and prevent it from traveling back up into the esophagus. In people who have GERD, the muscle does not function properly, allowing stomach acid and food to return to the esophagus. This causes uncomfortable heartburn symptoms, including a burning pain in the chest or a feeling like food is coming back up into the mouth. GERD is a common disorder, affecting more than 15 million adults.
Ultimately, the best way to treat GERD is to avoid certain foods and make lifestyle changes such as losing weight and giving up smoking. PPIs like Dexilant are designed to provide short-term relief while you work on making these lifestyle changes. But PPIs are often treated as an ultimate solution, and because they are so effective, they are prescribed over and over. It’s not uncommon for a person suffering from GERD to be on PPIs for years, and the true risks have only recently become clear.
What is kidney failure, and how is it related to Dexilant?
Acute kidney failure sounds scary, and it is. If you have acute kidney failure, your kidneys suddenly are no longer able to filter waste out of your blood. This causes waste to accumulate in your bloodstream, upsetting your body’s delicate chemical balance.
Acute kidney failure happens quickly, usually over the course of a few hours or days. It can be fatal if untreated, but if you are otherwise healthy, it can be reversible. A study of Department of Veterans Affairs patients published in 2016 found a link between use of PPIs like Dexilant and development of kidney failure. The study compared 173,321 people who used a PPI with 20,270 patients who used another type of heartburn medication known as an H2 blocker. It found that PPI users may have a 96 percent greater chance of developing kidney failure than people who used H2 blockers. A Canadian study of elderly patients found that PPI use increased the risk of acute kidney injuries by 2.5 to three times.
Acute kidney failure is not the only kidney problem that has been linked to Dexilant. The Veterans Affairs study also found that PPI users were 28 percent more likely to develop chronic kidney disease, also sometimes called chronic kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease diminishes the kidneys’ ability to function, but it may show few signs or symptoms at first. Chronic kidney disease can be managed, but not reversed, and it can lead to end stage kidney failure, also known as end stage renal failure. End stage kidney failure is fatal without dialysis or a kidney transplant.
I take Dexilant. How do I know if I have kidney disease or kidney failure?
Kidney disease can show few symptoms at first, or it can show a wide range of symptoms that could easily be related to something else. The best way to know is to see a doctor who specializes in kidney ailments. However, if you have the following symptoms of acute kidney failure, you should seek medical attention quickly, because acute kidney failure can be fatal if left untreated:
- Swelling of your hands, feet and face
- Unusually high blood pressure
- Confusion
- Seizures
- Sudden decrease in the amount of urine
Does the manufacturer know and warn about these side effects?
The research is becoming clearer all the time that Dexilant and other PPIs cause kidney failure, and lawsuits have been filed. Dexilant’s list of side effects includes “a type of kidney problem called acute interstitial nephritis.” This a kidney inflammation that can lead to chronic kidney disease or acute kidney failure. But Dexilant’s manufacturer doesn’t tell you this, doesn’t warn of a risk of kidney failure, and in fact its website specifically markets this dangerous medication for use in children.
Talk to a Dexilant Kidney Failure Lawsuit Lawyer
At John Foy & Associates, we don’t think you should have to pay for the consequences of a drug company’s irresponsible failure to make a safe drug or warn the public of the potential consequences. We want to get you money to pay for treatment and get things back on track. If you or a loved one has suffered kidney failure after taking Dexilant, let us give you a free consultation. We won’t charge you anything unless we get money for you. Call us at 404-400-4000 or fill out the form to your right and get your FREE consultation today.
