If you were recently diagnosed with pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation) and you used Janumet to treat type-2 diabetes, it is possible that this drug was involved in your disease. Fortunately, with early medical tests, a Janumet pancreatitis diagnosis is not usually life-threatening. However, it can be very frightening, painful, and expensive to treat. If you were injured, contact our Janumet lawyers today — we may be able to help you file a lawsuit and recover compensation for your expenses, pain and suffering, and more.
What You Can Do & How a Janumet Lawsuit Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Janumet induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by Janumet pancreatitis, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
What’s the problem?
Janumet (sitagliptin / metformin) is a type-2 diabetes drug created by Merck & Co. that was approved by the FDA in 2007. Although it has only been on the market for a few years, it has already been linked to a doubled risk of pancreatitis, prompted a Safety Warning from the FDA. The FDA has also sent a Warning Letter to Merck for failing to conduct required safety studies of pancreatitis in rodents treated with sitagliptin. Our Janumet lawyers are concerned because people may have been injured by this drug because they were unaware of the potential risk of pancreatitis.
Janumet Pancreatitis Diagnosis
Long-term outlook (prognosis) is best for individuals who receive a prompt Janumet pancreatitis diagnosis and begin treatment as soon as possible. Although no single test can conclusively diagnose Janumet pancreatitis, medical tests and symptoms usually make this diagnosis relatively straightforward.
A doctor will usually suspect a Janumet pancreatitis diagnosis after reviewing a patient’s medical history and finding that the patient used sitagliptin to treat type-2 diabetes. During a physical examination, the patient may exhibit the following symptoms:
- Sudden onset of persistent upper-abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain may radiate to the back
- Patient may be restless or lean forward to relieve the pain
- Fever
- Abdominal tenderness
- Breathing problems
- And more
Janumet Pancreatitis Tests
One of the most important Janumet pancreatitis tests is a blood test. This test will typically show elevated levels of lipase and amylase, which are digestive enzymes produced by cells in the pancreas. Other bio-markers in a blood test can also point toward a Janumet pancreatitis diagnosis.
The next step in confirming a suspected Janumet pancreatitis diagnosis is radiologic imaging, which can help assess the severity of the disease, detect complications (such as tissue death), and guide future treatment.
Janumet pancreatitis imaging tests may include:
- Abdominal ultrasound: This test creates a picture of the pancreas using high-frequency sound-waves.
- Computed Tomography (CT) scan: This is the standard imaging test for diagnosing acute pancreatitis. The patient may need to be injected with a contrast dye to help make the image more clear.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): This test is not used to diagnose pancreatitis in most cases, but it may be used to help provide a clearer picture of complications like tissue death (necrosis), inflammation, or accumulations of fluid (pseudocysts, abscesses)
Click here to learn more about pancreatitis diagnosis and tests from the American Academy of Family Practitioners.
Do I have a Janumet Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Janumet induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by Janumet pancreatitis, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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