Paxil: An Antidepressant That Causes Serious Birth Defects When Used During Pregnancy
Paxil (paroxetine) is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post traumatic distress disorder, panic disorder and other forms of anxiety.
If your newborn suffered a heart birth defect or persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN or PPH), please contact Skikos, Crawford, Skikos, Joseph & Millican LLP for a free consultation.
Paxil Tied to Birth Defects
On December 8, 2005, the FDA alerted health care professionals that early results of new studies for Paxil suggested the drug increases the risk for birth defects, particularly heart defects, when taken during the first three months of pregnancy.
The study looked at the Swedish national registry data, and found that women who took Paxil during early pregnancy were twice as likely to have a child with heart defects than other women on the registry. Other studies confirmed this data. 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 were not completely developed.
Paxil Tied To Rare Lung Disease in Newborns
On July 19, 2006, the FDA issued a public health advisory for Paxil and other SSRI medications during pregnancy. The advisory stated that a recent study suggested that rare cases of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) in newborns of mothers who had used the drug.
PPHN is a serious and life-threatening lung condition. In the study, PPHN was six times more common in babies of mothers who had taken an SSRI after the 20th week of pregnancy compared to mothers who did not take an antidepressant.
Contact Us If Your Newborn Was Injured by Paxil
If you or a family member has had a newborn with heart defects after taking Paxil in early pregnancy, or has had a newborn with persistent pulmonary hypertension after taking Paxil later in pregnancy, please contact Skikos, Crawford, Skikos, Joseph & Millican for a free consultation.
