SSRI Birth Defect Attorneys | Zoloft, Lexapro, Prozac

SSRI birth defect attorneys can help women who took the anti-depressants and had children with birth defects. Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are a commonly prescribed type of antidepressant, studies have linked this class of medications to prenatal complications. Affected women and their children may be eligible to file a lawsuit and seek compensation with the help of a bad drug attorney.

For more information, contact Attorney Group today. Our consultations are free, confidential and without any obligation on your part. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a claim we can connect you with affiliated SSRI birth defect attorneys who can assist you throughout the legal process.

What are SSRIs?

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are some of the most-prescribed antidepressants in the world. Studies have shown that these drugs may help to ease the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and physicians maintain that they are relatively safe if the patient takes them as prescribed. Additionally, many members in the healthcare community assert that these drugs do not cause as many side effects as other comparable medications.

SSRIs work by preventing the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain. By altering this balance, the patient’s brain is able to better send and receive chemical messages, resulting in an elevated mood.

SSRIs Health Risks

However, most of these medications work in similar ways and can cause similar side effects although each drug’s chemical makeup may vary. While most side effects may disappear after the first two to three weeks, common side effects may include:

• Increased suicidal tendencies
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Dry mouth
• Insomnia
• Weight gain or loss
• Reduced sexual desire
• Drowsiness
• Difficulty reaching orgasm
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Agitation, restlessness, nervousness
• Increased risk of fractures
• Bleeding into the gut

SSRIs and Safety

Unfortunately, according to women filing lawsuits with the help of SSRI birth defect attorneys, patients are not always aware of the health risks of taking drugs such as Zoloft while pregnant. In fact, many women across the United States are seeking legal counsel from birth defect attorneys alleging that manufacturers failed to provide adequate and updated warning labels on the medications. While SSRIs are not dangerous for women as a group, those who are pregnant and taking Zoloft and similar drugs should exercise caution due to the drugs’ alleged links to birth defects.

For example, Paxil, a drug similar to Zoloft, has been linked to an increased risk of heart and lung complications in newborns whose mothers had used the drug during pregnancy. If women find that they are expecting and are currently taking an SSRI, they are urged to contact their medical care providers about the potential risks and dangers of continuing treatment. In many cases, a safer alternative may be available.

Additional health risks alleged by plaintiffs and SSRI birth defect attorneys include a higher than average risk for low birth weight and premature delivery, specifically in the final trimester of pregnancy. At birth, newborns may exhibit withdrawal symptoms such as jitters, irritability, shivering, crying, seizures and respiratory distress.

Antidepressants and Birth Defects

Women may be able to file lawsuits with the assistance of SSRI birth defect attorneys in an effort to seek compensation if they had taken Zoloft or other SSRIs during pregnancy and delivered children with birth defects. Clinical trials suggest that health complications from taking anxiety drugs may result in a higher rate of birth defects in babies whose mothers took these drugs during pregnancy. In light of recent allegations of birth defects, birth defect attorneys are constantly reviewing claims from women who had taken Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil and Effexor, among other SSRIs. The following are several alleged birth defects that have come to light in these cases:

• Omphalocele
• Spina bifida
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)
• Craniosynostosis
• Heart defects
• Tetralogy of fallot (TOF)
• Transportation of the great arteries (TGA)
• Coarctation of the aorta

Moreover, ventricular septal defects (VSD), atrial septal defects (ASD), club foot and holes in the heart have been linked to SSRI use in women who took Zoloft and other similar medications while pregnant. If you delivered a baby with a birth defect that you feel was directly caused by your antidepressant or anxiety medication and you were unaware of the potential health risks of taking these drugs while pregnant, you may have a legal right to seek compensation for medical bills and pain and suffering.

How SSRI Birth Defect Attorneys Can Help

Drug manufacturers have a duty to ensure their products are accompanied by full and accurate instructions and warnings to guide prescribing doctors and other health care providers in making treatment decisions. If a drug maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.

The parents of children who were born with birth defects linked to SSRIs may be entitled to compensation for damages, including the child’s:

• Medical expenses
• Pain, suffering, and mental anguish
• Scarring or physical deformities caused by the birth defect or treatment

If a child dies due to birth defects linked to SSRis, family members may be entitled to compensation for the wrongful death of their loved one, including:

• Conscious pain and suffering of their child prior to death
• Pain, suffering, and mental anguish from the loss of a child
• Funeral expenses

Affected families are encouraged to seek the advice of SSRI birth defect lawsuit attorneys to learn more about their rights and remedies.

For more information, contact Attorney Group. After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.

Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.