In 2010, a Danish study published in the medical journal Clinical Epidemiology set out to evaluate the danger posed to infants born to mothers who used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a new class of antidepressant drugs including Zoloft®, Paxil®, and Prozac®) during early pregnancy.

The study, published by Jette B. Kornum et al. compared the health of 213,712 babies born to mothers who did not use SSRIs during pregnancy to 2,062 women who did use SSRIs during pregnancy, [1] and found that overall, children born to mothers who used SSRIs were more likely to be born “with malformations”[2] (5.1% were born with malformations) than were children born to mother who did not use SSRIs during pregnancy (3.5%).[3]

Concerning cardiac malformations specifically, the Kornum piece established that maternal use of SSRIs during early pregnancy was associated with a 70% increased risk for heart-related birth defects[4] that “could be causal”[5].  This finding has also been corroborated by researchers around the world.

Because drugs such as Zoloft® and Paxil® (among others) do not include warnings about the risk of congenital heart malformation in newborns when expecting mothers used SSRIs during pregnancy, Zoloft® lawsuits and Paxil® lawsuits are currently being filed in increasing number across the country.  Our team of Zoloft® lawyers and Paxil® lawyers has the skill, resources, and compassion needed to secure the justice your family deserves.  If you or a loved one used SSRIs during pregnancy and your child was born with a birth defect, please do not hesitate to contact us for a free, no obligation consultation at (855) 452-5529 or e-mail me personally at justinian@dangerousdrugs.us.  We are here to help.