Drug Injury Lawyers Blog
If you are a mother who was taking antidepressants while pregnant and your child was born with a serious birth defect, you may have grounds for an SSRI birth defect lawsuit against the manufacturer. SSRIs, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, is a class of anti-depressants that are Food and Drug Administration-approved to treat depression, anxiety disorders, panic conditions, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Unfortunately, there has been growing concerns that these medications, when taken by a women while pregnant, can significantly increase the chances of her baby being born with a birth defect, such as tetralogy of fallout, ventricular septal defects, a hole in the heart, persistent pulmonary hypertension, neural tube defects, cranial birth defects, club foot, a cleft lip, spina bifida, anal atresia, a cleft palate, neural tube defects, Omphalocele, limb birth defects, or other birth defects. Already, there have been SRRI lawsuits filed by families over the severe defects sustained by their infants because of these medications. Some of these defects are serious enough to warrant intensive medical care or even a full heart transplant.
Many of the plaintiffs believe SRRI antidepressant manufacturers have been failing to provide adequate warnings about how dangerous it is for a pregnant woman to take these medications.
Drugs that are SSRIs:
• Zoloft, which is made by Pfizer
• Paxil, by GlaxoSmithKilne • Celexa, by Forest Laboratories • Effexor by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals • Pristiq, also by Wyeth • Prozac, which is made by Eli Lilly • Lexapro, by Forest Laboratories
• Luvox, by Jazz Pharmaceuticals • Symbyax, by Eli Lilly
Studies, such as those appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, support these families conclusions about SSRIs and a causal link to birth defects. The Food and Drug Administration has also issued public health warning about a link between SSRIs and birth defects. However, last December, the federal agency issued a drug safety communication noting that because of conflicting findings from more recent studies, for now it considers it unclear whether SSRIs taken during pregnancy can cause PPHN in infants.
Being born with a birth defect can seriously impair a child’s life. Correctional surgery or a lifetime of care and medications can be costly. Filing a dangerous drug lawsuit can allow you to hold an SSRI manufacturer liable while providing your family with the financial resources you may need to help your child heal from or live with his/her condition, while covering necessary costs and additional damages.
You want to work with an SSRI birth defect law firm that is experienced in representing families with Paxil birth defect lawsuits, Prozac birth defect complaints, Zoloft birth defect litigation, Celexra lawsuits, Lexapro injury cases, and other types of SSRI lawsuits.
FDA Drug Safety Communication: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant use during pregnancy and reports of a rare heart and lung condition in newborn babies, FDA, December 14, 2011
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, Mayo Clinic
Birth Defects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Boston Dangerous Drug Lawsuits: YAZ, Ocella, and Yasmin Birth Control Pills Linked to Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Stroke, Heart Attack, and Myocardial Infarction Side Effects, Drug Injury Lawyer Blog, June 19, 2012
