Medications can cause numerous side effects, many of them severe. When you are taking those medications to treat a service-connected disability, those side effects can often be service-connected, either in the form of an increased rating for the disability being treated, or as a secondary condition in its own right.
For example, it’s not uncommon for Veterans who are taking medications for a service-connected mental health conditions to suffer from erectile dysfunction, a common side effect for many psychotropic medications. For Veteran’s suffering from low back pain, opioids and other painkillers can also result in erectile dysfunction. Common side effect for medications used to treat chronic pain include gastrointestinal conditions. GERD, IBS, acid reflux, ulcers, abdominal pain, are just some of the side effects of long term chronic pain treatment. Another commonly service-connected disability is hypertension, the medications used to treat it often causing their own set of gastrointestinal side effects, as well as insomnia, depression, headache, among others.
Lastly, while incapable of being service-connected as its own disability, obesity can be used to link a service-connected disability to another condition. Many medications are known to cause weight gain, especially psychotropic medications such as those used to treat PTSD and depression, and many service-connected disabilities make proper exercise difficult to impossible. This resulting weight gain can result in hypertension, sleep apnea, and numerous other medical conditions, many of which may be able to be service-connected.
If you have a medical condition directly related to your military service, or a condition which you believe is either caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability, please call our office and speak with one of our qualified Veterans’ Disability attorneys. Gardberg and Kemmerly is committed to helping injured and disabled Veterans obtain the benefits they deserve. If you need help with a disability claim, call our office at 251-343-1111 or 800-332-1529 for a free consultation. Gardberg and Kemmerly is proud to serve Veterans across the country from our home office in Mobile, Alabama. We would love an opportunity to discuss your claim.