Popular Interstitial Cystitis Drug Could Damage the Eyes

A lot of people will not have ever heard of the medical condition known as interstitial cystitis (IC). It is a rare but debilitatingly painful condition that affects some people and seemingly does not have an effective cure.

However, given how painful it is, there are many ways to treats its worst symptoms. Physicians recommend treatments that mean range from a stay in a hyperbaric chamber to the routine administration of drugs that may alleviate some of the symptoms associated with this difficult bladder condition.

Sadly, a drug that has been a popular prescription for those with IC has also recently come under fire for its connection with damage to the eyes.

What Elmiron Might Do According to a Recent Study

Drug companies typically have to do multiple stages of studies in order to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for certain medications. Still, despite all of the required testing and studying, it is possible for a drug to make it to market with a side effect that the manufacturer has not yet discovered.

That seems to be the case with Elmiron, the drug also sold under the generic name pentosan polysulfate sodium. After years of administration to individuals with IC, researchers have started to identify a pattern involving the drug. Women, in particular, who have taken the drug daily for years, could experience degeneration in their eyes as a result of the medication.

While painful urination, bladder pain and frequent urination are unpleasant, loss of your eyesight can be truly difficult to adjust to. Those who have severe, negative reactions to defective drugs or drugs with side effects that a patient wasn’t warned about may have grounds to take legal action and seek compensation.