Symptoms from ETHEX Drugs "Out of Control"

Reston, VAJulie P. (not her real name) was taking Imdur, the brand name version of isosorbide mononitrate, for years before she began taking the generic version, made by ETHEX Corporation. Although she only took the generic medication for a few weeks, Julie began to suffer side effects from the drug almost immediately. Like many other patients, it is possible that Julie experienced an ETHEX drug overdose.

"I have had headaches and vision problem from taking the drug [isosorbide mononitrate]," Julie says. "I stopped taking it 3 weeks after I started and some of the problems are going away now. I saw a doctor and he said that because they are nitrates, they will wash out of my system.

"It felt like pressure—there was a lot of pressure in my head and headaches and my vision was off.

"I found out who made the drugs and I looked it up on the Internet, where I saw that they had been recalled. I don't know whether I had a batch that was recalled or not. All I know is that if my batch was recalled, it wasn't off the shelf. They still sold it to me.

"It's not like this was a brand new medication to me. I had bypass surgery over 10 years ago. I had been on Imdur for 9 years. This [the isosorbide mononitrate] was the generic for Imdur, but sometimes when you start Imdur, you get some headaches for a short time. I thought that because I was just starting the generic medication and I hadn't taken it before, that's why I was getting the headaches. But then, they got out of control and I had some fierce problems with it, so I stopped taking it.

"I requested that I not take generics any more because I don't care if the brand name costs me more money. The binders that they [generic medications] use are not the same binders as the brand names.

"I filled the prescription on December 15 and yesterday [January 25] was the first day I didn't have the headaches. I have been off it for 2 weeks. I took it for 3 weeks before I stopped. I had headaches and blurry vision that I don't have any more. The drug created a feeling where it felt as though my eyes were hooded; I had some problems with breathing but I'm not sure if that was from the medication or not."

Patients have reported suffering from dizziness, headaches and blurred vision after taking medication that had an incorrect amount of their active ingredient—resulting in accidental overdoses. Some patients have noted that they also suffered injury as a result of the side effects they were exposed to. For example, some reported that they fell down as a result of their dizziness, causing back pain and bruises. Others say that they have experienced an irregular heartbeat and have lost consciousness.

Those patients who received letters from their pharmacy regarding their potential overdose say they are upset that the pharmacy was so slow to inform them of the issue. Furthermore, they argue that with situations like a potential overdose—a situation that could be life-threatening—regular mail is not the way to get the word out. Patients do not have the time to wait for their mail to be delivered to learn that the drug they are taking could be killing them. They need to know right away.