SSRI Birth Defects

What Are the Problems With SSRIs?

SSRIs are a widely prescribed class of drugs most often used as antidepressants to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Since September 2005, scientific information has been emerging that certain SSRIs, such as Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline), and SNRI antidepressants, such as Effexor (venlafaxine) may cause birth defects.

These birth defects include:

The FDA also issued an alert in July 2006 warning about the increased risk of Neonatal Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) to babies born to mothers taking SSRI antidepressants.

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Heart Birth Defects

The FDA issued a Public Health Advisory on December 8, 2005 based on U.S. and Swedish studies showing that exposure to certain antidepressants in the first trimester of pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of heart birth defects.

Most of the cardiac defects observed in these studies were atrial or ventricular septal defects, conditions in which the wall between the right and left sides of the heart is not completely developed. However, exposure to antidepressants may also cause other types of heart defects, including pulmonary stenosis and atresia, tricuspid atresia, aortic stenosis, hypoplastic left heart and conotruncal defects, such as transposition of the great arteries, double outlet right ventricle and Tetralogy of Fallot.

PPHN - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

PPHN is a serious and life-threatening lung condition that occurs soon after birth of the newborn. Babies with PPHN have high pressure in their lung blood vessels and are not able to get enough oxygen into their bloodstream. About 1 to 2 babies per 1000 babies born in the U.S. develop PPHN shortly after birth, and often they need intensive medical care.

On July 19, 2006 the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory for SSRIs, including Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline) based on a study that suggests there may be additional risks of SSRI medications during pregnancy. In this study PPHN was six times more common in babies whose mothers took an SSRI antidepressant after the 20th week of the pregnancy compared to babies whose mothers did not take an antidepressant.

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For additional information, please visit the following link:
www.pphnlawyers.com

SSRIs and FDA Pregnancy Categories

All antidepressants, except for one, are currently classified as Category C medications, meaning that animal reproduction studies have indicated an elevated risk of adverse events on the animal fetus and should only be used if the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks.

We think all SSRI and SNRI antidepressants should be classified as Category D medications -- “positive evidence of risk-studies in humans,” which means fetal risk has been demonstrated. “Nevertheless, potential benefits from the use of the drug may outweigh the potential risk. For example, the drug may be acceptable if needed in a life threatening situation or serious disease for which safer drugs cannot be used or are ineffective.”

For an explanation of FDA pregnancy categories.

How Can We Help?

Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro Davis, Inc. and Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman have worked together for years to lead the way for those seeking justice for injuries caused by these drugs. Both law firms are preeminent plaintiff firms on the forefront of antidepressant litigation. Our attorneys have successfully handled over 3,000 SSRI-antidepressant related cases in the past two decades. Both firms have decades of experience handling pharmaceutical product liability, mass tort litigation and consumer class actions against major drug companies. They have been representing families in antidepressant birth defect cases since 2006.

If you or a loved one has given birth to a child with any of the birth defects listed above while taking an SSRI during pregnancy, please contact our attorneys immediately for a free case evaluation.

Click here for an SSRI Birth Defects evaluation.

For additional information, please visit the following link:
www.antidepressantbirthdefects.com