There is growing research indicating that a link exists between Tennessee birth defects and the use of Zoloft while pregnant. Attorneys are currently speaking with consumers who believe that their children were permanently injured as a result of this drug. If you took this anti-depressant while pregnant and your child was born with birth defects, there is information you should know.
What is Zoloft?
Zoloft, or sertraline, is commonly prescribed to help people with their depression. However, it is also used to treat other serious conditions. A type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, it is used to treat OCD, panic disorders, PTSD, social anxiety disorders and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. There is a wide range of normal doses, with patients commonly being prescribed between 25 and 200 milligrams to be taken once daily. Doctors generally start at lower dosage levels and increase them at weekly intervals until the patients are seeing the desired results.
Side Effects of Zoloft
Doctors were prescribing this medication to pregnant women because they were unaware that the medication increased the risk of Tennessee birth defects. Attorneys reviewing the side effects found that the company listed a range of other problems, but warnings about pregnant women were noticeably absent. The mildest, most common side effects listed include low energy and loss of appetite. The most serious, rare side effects listed include an increased risk of diabetes, sudden blindness and pain when moving the eyes, thoughts of suicide and blood hemorrhaging beneath the skin. However, attorneys are now reviewing a growing amount of research showing that this medication also causes birth defects.A study of almost 16,000 infants showed a possible correlation between Zoloft and birth defects. The study looked at 10,000 infants born with birth defects and 6,000 who were healthy. Researchers found that women who took sertraline were twice as likely to have a child with a heart defect.
The birth defects being linked to sertraline are serious and potentially life threatening. They include the following:
- Septal heart defects – Children with this defect have a hole in the tissue separating the heart’s chambers. According to the British Medical Journal, women who take this medication while pregnant are more likely to have children with this type of defect.
- Anencephaly – This defect is often fatal because parts of the skull or brain can be missing at birth. Women who take sertraline are 2.4 times more likely to have a child with this condition according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
- Omphalocele – With this condition, one or more of the abdominal organs will be outside of the body at birth, and the risk increases 2.8 times when women take this medication according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
- Anal atresia – The risk for this condition increases four-fold for pregnant women taking these medications. Surgery is the only treatment for this condition in which the anus is either missing or is in the wrong place.
- Limb reductions – The chance of having missing or deformed limbs increases 3.9 times when women take this medication while pregnant.
Long-Lasting Implications of Anti-Depressants
Research has shown that the risk is not only present if women take the medication during the later months of pregnancy. Attorneys are discovering that the risk remains even if women stop taking the medication after they discover they are pregnant during the first trimester. This makes it vital for the manufacturers and doctors to warn patients of possible Tennessee birth defects linked to this medication. Pregnant women should avoid taking this medication, and women who are trying to get pregnant or may become pregnant should also avoid it whenever possible. Attorneys are currently working with women who took Zoloft while pregnant and whose children have these Tennessee birth defects to help them get the compensation necessary to care for their children.The attorneys affiliated with Attorney Group for Tennessee know that nothing can be done to go back in time and change your medical treatment. However, they do want to help you get the compensation needed to provide quality care to your child. If you took Zoloft while pregnant and your child was born with a medical condition,
contact Attorney Group for Tennessee today. We can answer your legal questions and let you know if you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
Contact Attorney Group for Tennessee today for a free consultation.
