Arrhythmia
Heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. More than 850,000 people are hospitalized for heart arrhythmia each year in the United States. Recently, an independent study confirmed that propoxyphene, the active ingredient in Darvocet and Darvon can interfere with the electrical activity of an otherwise healthy heart, causing heart arrhythmia, heart rate abnormalities, an irregular heart rate, and other cardiac issues serious enough to cause a heart attack and death. Experts have estimated that thousands of people have died from these Darvocet side effects.
Therefore, after 53 years on the market in the United States the FDA finally banned Darvocet, Darvon, and propoxyphene citing serious and sometimes fatal side effects. “The pain relief benefit no longer outweighed the health risks,” the FDA stated in their decision announcing the total ban.
Darvocet has a history of being linked to addiction, overdose, suicide, and accidental death. Before issuing the ban the FDA required a black box warning so that Darvocet users would be aware of these potential risks, but the recent study confirming a link with heart arrhythmia and heart attacks prompted the FDA ban.
Other types of arrhythmias include: ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach).
