Mirapex Lawsuit and Side
Effect Information

Mirapex Overview

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Mirapex (pramipexole dihydrochloride) for use with Parkinson's disease in 1997. In 2006 the FDA gave the thumbs up for use in treating Restless Legs Syndrome, based on fairly encouraging results from Boehringer Ingelheim's random trials. Mirapex is licensed and distributed in North America by Pfizer USA, but patented and licensed by Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd., of Germany.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a sensory disorder and prompts an irresistible urge to move the legs, largely because of a creepy, crawly, tingling sensation in them. Unfortunately moving the legs doesn't seem to relieve the sensations for long.

Mirapex seemed to be the answer until it was discovered that the medication gave users incredibly powerful, irresistible urges to do things to excess: shop mindlessly, gamble addictively, eat compulsively and have excessive sexual activity. These powerful side effects have motivated patients to file a Mirapex lawsuit.

In Parkinson's patients, behavior is typically the opposite, as they suffer from a deficiency of dopamine in the brain. This means it may limit their emotional responses, not kick them into high gear.

The lack of dopamine usually winds up causing depression or mood changes. It can also result in an inability to experience pain and pleasure. Sometimes other side effects also occur including tremors, poor posture, shuffling gait, and stiff muscles and joints.

The way Mirapex works is by boosting the production of dopamine. With the extra dopamine on board, some patients are finding they're experiencing obsessive-compulsive behavior with disastrous consequences - divorce, bankruptcy, psychological problems, depression, suicide and legal problems. Many Mirapex users hope to alleviate their problems and recover damages by filing a Mirapex lawsuit.

Current research indicates Mirapex may help people with fibromyalgia cope with pain and help deal with bipolar disease. It's also used off-label for treating cluster headaches or to boost low libido in antidepressant drug users.

Mirapex Side Effects & Other Issues

Once Mirapex was in use more frequently, the FDA started getting strange reports relating to Mirapex side effects and told Boehringer Ingelheim/Pfizer USA that they had to change the warning label of their packaging.

It was changed to indicate that Mirapex could cause blackouts, fainting, abnormally low blood pressure, headaches, increased libido, hallucinations, fatigue, compulsive behaviors and accidents.

Other side effects may include weight gain or loss, nausea, insomnia, weakness, extreme fatigue and twisting, twitching or other strange body movements.

Many Mirapex lawsuits refer to a study done by researchers in 2003 that interviewed 1,800 Parkinson's patients over a year. Out of 529, eight developed a compulsive gambling habit. This may seem like a low number, but remember this drug is prescribed to millions of people. That means thousands of people may be experiencing compulsions.

In 2004 Mirapex had over $235 million in sales, a 63% increase over 2003, and the numbers continued to rise to over $249 in 2007.

Lawsuits of note against Boehringer Ingelheim have been and are for:

* Viramine/nevirapine - HIV drug, forced to put new labels on it as it was discovered to cause liver toxicity
* Competition Lawsuit - 12 pharmaceutical companies sued over an HIV drug, Zidovudine/imaivudine
* Boston Federal Prosecutor - inflated prices of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid
* Conneticut Attorney General - inflated prices of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid
* Mobic - pain reliever for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
* Washington, Federal Governemtn Lawsuit - joined in main lawsuit for inflated prices of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid
* Class Action Lawsuit by Drug Reps - violation of state and federal overtime laws by the drug company
* Arizona Attorney General - inflated prices of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid
* Missouri Attorney General - inflated prices of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid
* California Attorney General - inflated prices of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid
* Illinois Attorney General - inflated prices of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid
* Wrongful Death Suit Tennessee - HIV lawsuit over clinical trial gone wrong using the drugs Combivar/Viramine that caused liver failure

Mirapex Lawsuits

Without a doubt this drug is popular and heavily prescribed for a variety of conditions. It even has a future in treating other diseases.

If you or a loved one has used this drug and experienced the Mirapex side effects of compulsive behavior, contact a lawyer trained in litigating drug lawsuits to evaluate your Mirapex lawsuit. Part of the litigation may involve the assertion that the revamped warning buried in a 20-page document is hardly adequate.




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