Trulicity is a diabetes medication that is linked to stomach paralysis (gastroparesis) and other severe side effects.
Need a Texas Trulicity Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you were diagnosed with stomach paralysis after taking Trulicity, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
What is the Problem?
Drug-makers are facing lawsuits from people who used GLP-1 diabetes drugs and developed stomach paralysis, a condition that slows down the emptying of food from the stomach into the intestines.
What is Stomach Paralysis?
Stomach paralysis may cause symptoms like extreme nausea and vomiting, or even life-threatening blockage in the digestive system due to hard masses of undigested food.
Trulicity Warning Label for Pre-Existing Stomach Paralysis
Stomach paralysis is also called “gastroparesis” or “delayed gastric emptying.” The Prescribing Information for Trulicity warns that it can slow down gastric emptying, which is why patients with pre-existing gastroparesis should not use Trulicity:
“Severe Gastrointestinal Disease: Use of Trulicity may be associated with gastrointestinal adverse reactions, sometimes severe. Trulicity has not been studied in patients with severe gastrointestinal disease, including severe gastroparesis, and is therefore not recommended in these patients.
Unfortunately, patients with gastroparesis may not realize it because the condition does not always cause symptoms. Patients may also develop severe digestive problems, such as delayed gastric emptying, when they start taking Trulicity or other GLP-1 diabetes drugs.
Stomach Paralysis Lawsuits
Lawsuits allege that drug-makers failed to warn patients or doctors about the risk of severe gastrointestinal side effects, such as stomach paralysis and other health problems.
What is Trulicity?
Trulicity® is a prescription medication that was approved in September 2014 for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. It was developed by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co.
How Does Trulicity Work?
The active ingredient in Trulicity is dulaglutide, which belongs to a class of diabetes drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Other GLP-1 diabetes drugs include Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and more.
What is GLP-1?
All of these medications work by mimicking the action of a natural hormone in the human body called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1).
GLP-1 is found in the brain and digestive system. When people inject a medication like Trulicity, it tells the body to slow down digestion and release more insulin, which helps control blood-sugar levels.
Trulicity also works in the brain to suppress appetite and make people feel full longer, which helps them eat less food. This is why Trulicity and other GLP-1 diabetes drugs can help people lose weight.
Type-2 Diabetes and Stomach Paralysis
Type-2 diabetes is a risk-factor for stomach paralysis, but many people do not realize they have this digestive problem because it does not always cause symptoms.
Over time, uncontrolled high blood-sugar levels from diabetes can damage nerves that control muscles in the stomach. The muscles are too weak to effectively move food out of the stomach, causing “delayed gastric emptying,” or abnormally slow digestion.
Unfortunately, some people with diabetes do not realize that they have stomach paralysis — until they start a GLP-1 diabetes drug, which causes the condition to worsen dramatically.
According to a study called “Diabetic Gastroparesis: A Review”, researchers warned:
“Patients do not know they have diabetic gastroparesis until they are put on a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist … to manage their blood glucose. … This class of drugs can exacerbate the symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis.”
Warning Signs & Symptoms of Stomach Paralysis
- Extreme nausea
- Frequent vomiting
- Vomiting up food that is not digested
- Stomach pain or discomfort
- Abdominal swelling
- Feeling full after eating only small amounts of food
- Continuing to feel full for hours after eating food
- Bloating and belching
- Acid reflux
- Malnutrition
- Weight-loss
- Bezoars (hard masses of undigested food)
- Blockages in the stomach or intestines
Need a Trulicity Stomach Paralysis Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
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