Looking through articles today at PubMed Health, a service of the United States National Library of Medicine and The National Institutes of Health, I found a piece titled “The management of depression during pregnancy: a report from the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.” published by K.A. Yonkers et al. (2009), a team from the Department of Psychiatry, Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine. This article originally appeared in the September, 2009 edition of Obstetrics and Gynecology and discusses risks of SSRI use during pregnancy. To-date, a number of articles have found that the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs (SSRIs) in pregnancy is linked to an increased risk for a range of serious birth defects.
The team writes, “Representatives from the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a consulting developmental pediatrician collaborated to review English language articles on fetal and neonatal outcomes associated with depression and antidepressant treatment during childbearing.”
Importantly, Yonkers et al. (2009) note that “Both depressive symptoms and antidepressant exposure are associated with fetal growth changes and shorter gestations, but the majority of studies that evaluated antidepressant risks were unable to control for the possible effects of a depressive disorder. Short-term neonatal irritability and neurobehavioral changes are also linked with maternal depression and antidepressant treatment. Several studies report fetal malformations in association with first trimester antidepressant exposure … The association between [Paxil] and cardiac defects is more often found in studies that included all malformations rather than clinically significant malformations. Late gestational use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants is associated with transitory neonatal signs and a low risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn.” (emphasis added)
Unfortunately, thousands of women around the world have used SSRIs including Paxil during pregnancy unaware of the risks for heart defects and adaptation problems. As a result, Paxil® birth defect lawsuits and SSRI birth defect lawsuits are currently being filed in great number.
If you or a loved one used SSRIs and gave birth to a child with a birth defect or who faced perinatal complications, you may be entitled to significant financial compensation. For a free, no-obligation case consultation, contact our team of SSRI birth defect lawyers at the information provided below. We have the experience, resources, and skills required to win the justice you deserve. Call today and see how we can help.
(855) 452 – 5529
Our SSRI Birth Defects Lawsuit Information page is a great place to start if you have any questions about SSRIs and Birth Defects.