Drug Watch: Statins Can Cause Muscle Damage

Statins (also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels. Increased cholesterol levels have been associated with cardiovascular diseases, and statins are used in the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

As of 2010, the names of statins on the market were as follows:

Many patients take generic rather than brand name versions of these drugs, and a number of newer statin medications are actually combination drugs that include a statin plus another medication.

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of patients who take statins have experienced muscle aches and pains that are caused by the drug, but just put it down to “growing older.”

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of patients who take statins have experienced muscle aches and pains that are caused by the drug, but just put it down to “growing older.” A recent survey of such people who said they experienced these and other side effects noted that they had attempted to speak with their doctors about these side effects, but found that overwhelmingly (87 percent of the time), their doctors ignored or dismissed their concerns. The FDA has warned that taking the maximum recommended dose of 80 mg of simvastatin (Zocor and generic) could cause muscle damage. The statin drug Baycol (also known as cerivastatin) was recalled in 2001 due to muscle toxicity.

High doses of statin drugs have been linked to an increased risk of a life-threatening form of muscle breakdown called rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to permanent kidney damage, coma and even death. When Baycol was recalled, it was noted that it was 8-times more likely to cause rhabdomyolysis than other statins on the market. There have been concerns for many years that patients who take Crestor Continue reading →

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Monday Workers’ Compensation Q&A: My employer paid my salary, do I still have to file a claim?

QUESTION: MY EMPLOYER PAID MY SALARY WHILE I WAS INJURED AND OUT OF WORK. DO I STILL HAVE TO FILE A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIM?

ANSWER: THERE IS MORE TO A CLAIM THEN PAYMENT WHILE OUT OF WORK ?

Joe’s boss, Mike was a great guy. In fact, when Joe got badly hurt at work and was out for weeks, Mike paid Joe’s salary every week. When Joe got back to work, he hesitated filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim. After all, Mike had paid his salary the weeks he was out. And Joe didn’t want to appear ungrateful or greedy. What should he do?

File, Joe!! File!!!

If Mike drew Joe’s salary paid from Joe’s accrued sick or vacation time, Joe would not get that time back unless he filed a claim. That means the eight weeks of vacation and sick time Joe had coming to him had been put toward the time he spent recuperating at home. Unless Joe submitted a claim, he’d have to start from scratch to build up vacation and sick time.

“Aside from the monetary award, there is lifetime medical coverage for a Workers’ Compensation Claim.”

The payment of wages is only a small portion of a Workers’ Compensation Claim and NOT the only thing Joe is entitled to. In an earlier column, an injured worker can make a claim for a schedule loss of use if an extremity is injured even if salary was paid.

More importantly, Continue reading →

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Drug Watch: Yaz & Yasmin’s Misleading Ads and Dangerous Side Effects

Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella (Generic Yasmin) birth control have made billions of dollars for Bayer and Berlex, who have advertised the oral contraceptives not only for birth control, but also as a cure to acne and premenstrual problems. Tragically, thousands of young women have paid the ultimate price with lethal side effects ranging from blood clots to heart attack, gallbladder injuries and sudden cardiac death.

Tragically, thousands of young women have paid the ultimate price with lethal side effects

Medical experts believe that safety issues relating to blood clots may have surfaced as early as 2001 in the clinical trials for Yasmin. Recent evidence suggests that Berlex, the drug’s original manufacturer, and its successor, Bayer, knew as early as 2003 that users of Yasmin faced twice the risk of suffering blood clots as patients using competing products. Yet, the companies invested millions in advertising, Continue reading →

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Monday Workers’ Compensation Q&A: I didn’t tell my boss within 24 hours…

QUESTION: I DID NOT TELL MY BOSS WITHIN 24 HOURS ABOUT THE ACCIDENT I HAD AT WORK. DOES THIS MEAN I CANNOT COLLECT WORKERS COMP?

ANSWER: THERE IS NO 24-HOUR REPORTING REQUIREMENT UNDER THE COMPENSATION LAW

Joe was working on one of the old boilers at the old Jefferson High School when he tripped over a wrench. Banged up his knee pretty bad. After the ER visit, the X-rays, the knee brace, and the really good painkillers, Joe went back to work intending to let his boss know of his injury and to file Workers Comp paperwork. But one thing led to another and it wasn’t until three days later that Joe remembered he hadn’t told his boss or had filed any paperwork.

Joe panicked. Wasn’t there a rule that in order to file a Workers Comp claim, you had to have told your boss within 24 hours of the accident? That ER bill was steep and paying out of pocket would really blow his already-stretched paycheck. Joe was so pissed he would have kicked the wall if his knee didn’t hurt so much.

Don’t give up, Joe! File, Joe!! File!!

An injured worker does not have to notify his or her employer within 24 hours to collect benefits under the Workers Compensation Law. He or she may have to notify an employer within 24 hours to make sure they are entitled to certain benefits from the employer or their union. BUT the Compensation Law is different. It requires that notice of the injury be provided within 30 day of the accident. This notice can be provided orally or in writing.

Keep in mind it is ALWAYS better to Continue reading →

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Drug Watch: Osteoporosis Drugs Are Giving Women Severe Complications

Post-menopausal women welcomed the class of drugs called “bisphosphonates,” which purportedly increase bone density by slowing the body’s natural turnover of bone cells and were touted as a safe and effective treatment for osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Bisphosphonates are also widely used to treat both male and female patients whose cancer has spread to their bones and by patients who have a progressive bone disease called Paget’s disease.

Many patients who are being prescribed “bisphosphonates” for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis are unaware of any risks associated with the use of such drugs.

Popular bisphosphonate drugs and their manufacturers include:

Fosamax is also available as the generic drug, alendronate. The drugs are available as pills as well as injections, and may be taken daily, several times per week, monthly, or event annually.

Patients who took these popular osteoporosis drugs have suffered severe bone fractures due to a weakening in bone structures caused by the drugs.

 

In a sad irony, patients who took these popular osteoporosis drugs in hopes of improving
their bone health have actually suffered severe bone fractures, such as atypical femur
fractures, due to a weakening in bone structures caused by the drugs.

In addition, these bisphosphonate drugs have been linked with Continue reading →

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Matt Funk to speak at “Nuts and Bolts of Navigating NY State’s Workers Compensation System,” a NYCOSH Conference

On Sat. 11/12, Matt Funk, a partner at Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, will be presenting at “Nuts and Bolts of Navigating NY State’s Workers Compensation System,” a conference hosted by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH).

Matt will be speaking at 9:15 AM on the ABC’s of Workers’ Compensation.

The conference will provide the information injured workers need to ensure that they receive full and just compensation. It is designed for rank and file workers, union representatives, safety and health professionals, health care providers and anyone who has an interest in workers’ compensation.

There is no fee to attend the conference. However, registration is required.

To register call 212-227-6440 ext.10, or visit the conference website for more information. The conference will be held at: District Council 37, AFSCME, 125 Barclay Street in Manhattan. Continue reading →

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Monday Workers’ Compensation Q&A: I am already getting Social Security and a Pension…

QUESTION: IF I AM GETTING SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY (SSD) AS WELL AS A PENSION DOES THAT MEAN I CANNOT GET WORKERS’ COMPENSATION AS WELL?

ANSWER: YOU CAN GET STILL GET WORKERS’ COMPENSATION WHEN YOU ARE RECEIVING A PENSION AND SSD.

At 55, Joe was a walking museum of every accident he had ever had in his 30 years of working the job. That last accident put him out of work for almost two years. Luckily, he filed all the paperwork, submitted all the forms, crossed all his ‘Ts’ and received Social Security Disability (SSD). But after three decades of hard work, Joe had had enough and so he started the paperwork to retire. But he was worried. He had planned on applying for Workers’ Compensation, but he wasn’t sure he’d could since he was already on SSD and about to receive his pension. What should he do?

File, Joe! File!!

The combination of Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability and a pension is called the Trifecta, a Triple Crown of benefits, so to speak. Continue reading →

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Important Changes Are Coming to Social Security in 2012

Changes to Social Security are coming in 2012. Beginning in the new year, the threshold (maximum amount) a disabled, non-blind, person can make per month to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits will increase from $1,000 per month to $1,010 per month. This cap is how the Social Security Administration defines Substantial Gainful Activity.

One quarter of coverage is now $1,130, up from $1,120, and maximum taxable earnings have increased from $106,800 to $110,100.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will go up from $674 per month to $698 per month,  in step with the general 3.6% cost of living increase for all benefits. This amount does not include any State Supplement.

For the complete report on 2012 Social Security Changes, check out this Fact Sheet.

If you are wondering what the implications of these changes will be for you, learn more at SocialSecurity.gov, or contact your attorney.

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