SSRI Birth Defects. SSRI Birth Defects

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A mother filed a birth injury lawsuit for her son’s hypoxic brain injury, madisonrecord.com reported in June of 2018. She claims doctors neglected to intubate one of her twins in a timely manner, which caused oxygen deprivation. She also said they failed to take her off Zoloft.

Between 3 and 6 percent of women take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during their pregnancy, according to one journal, but researchers have found the drugs may cause birth defects. For instance, a 2006 study published on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website stated that 20 to 30 percent of “newborns exposed to SSRIs towards the end of gestation have disorders such as agitation, abnormal muscle tone and suction, seizures and hyponatremia.”

Out of 400,000 babies born between 1996 and 2003, another group of researchers found that 0.9 percent suffered a heart defect if the mother took Celexa or Zoloft during her first trimester, per WebMD in 2009.

Taking more than one of these antidepressants quadrupled this risk, ABC News reported. “Some of these heart defects resolve on their own, while others require surgery.”

In 2011, Medscape reported that another study revealed possible heart defects linked to SSRI usage.

“[U]se of fluoxetine [Prozac] in early pregnancy was associated with about a 2-fold increased risk for isolated ventricular septal defects, whereas paroxetine [Paxil] was associated with more than a 4-fold increased risk for right ventricular outflow tract defects,” researchers stated.

On December 14, 2011, the FDA warned women of the possibility of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) but said, “It is premature to reach any conclusion about a possible link between SSRI use in pregnancy and PPHN,” despite two studies suggesting a connection.

If a doctor neglected to warn you about the potential risks of taking an SSRI such as Zoloft, Paxil, or Celexa during pregnancy, our Cleveland birth injury attorneys can help. We have almost 40 years of experience and are prepared to fight for you and your family.

Call (440) 333-3800 or fill out and submit an online contact form today for a free, confidential consultation.

Why Trust Your Case to The Mellino Law Firm?

When hiring an attorney for your birth defect claim, it’s important to bear in mind that those who advertise on TV, the radio, the side of a bus, or a billboard are most concerned with one thing: attracting more clients. Typically, they take every case that walks in the door, leave clients in the hands of “case managers,” and settle claims for the first amount the defendant offers so they can pay for their next commercial.

Here at The Mellino Law Firm, attorneys and former clients send us the bulk of our caseload. The rest find us online. Since injury claims are labor intensive, we only accept a few at a time. This enables us to give each one the attention it deserves. Our founding attorney, Chris Mellino, has litigated important cases such as Moskovitz v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center that spanned several years, went to the Ohio Supreme Court, and changed state law.

Since 2010, The Mellino Law Firm has been the only birth defect law firm in Cleveland to be accepted into Primerus, which screens potential members by speaking to judges, other lawyers, bar associations, clients, and insurance carriers about a firm’s integrity, work product, fee structure, education, civility, and community service.

If you have questions about filing an SSRI birth defect lawsuit, we welcome you to contact our Cleveland or Rocky River office for a free consultation.

Schedule a complimentary case evaluation with our birth injury attorneys in Cleveland; call (440) 333-3800 or contact us online to get started.