Paxil Birth Defects
US, Canada and Puerto Rico
Paxil, an antidepressant that hit the United States market in 1993, was widely prescribed because of its ability to alleviate symptoms of major depression without the harmful side effects of older tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). However, women who were taking Paxil for depression soon began noticing birth defects among their newborn children. If you are taking this drug and have given birth to a child with birth defects, please contact the dangerous drug lawyers at Balkin & Eisbrouch, LLC to discuss your potential claim.
Pregnant Women at Risk
Twelve years after being introduced into the marketplace, Paxil (paroxetine hydrochloride), began being associated with birth defects from cranial and abdominal birth defects to life-threatening lung conditions.
Studies suggest that pregnant women who take Paxil during the first three months of their trimester are nearly two times more likely to give birth to a child with heart defects than women not taking the drug.
Types of Birth Defects
A variety of birth defects have been associated with this prescription medication. Here are a few:
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN): PPHN is a severe, life-threatening lung condition that occurs soon after the birth of a baby. Newborns with PPHN have high pressure in the blood vessels of their lungs and are not able to get enough oxygen into their bloodstream. An average of one to two babies out of every 1,000 born in the United States develop this condition shortly birth and require extensive medical care.
- Abdominal Birth Defects: Paxil’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, notified medical professionals in 2005 that women who took this type of antidepressant were more likely to give birth to an infant with omphalocele, an abdominal defect where the newborn’s intestines or other organs in the abdomen protrude from their bellybutton.
- Cranial Birth Defects: In the same letter, the drug’s manufacturer also wrote about a connection between Paxil and craniosynostosis, a congenital defect that causes an abnormally shaped skull.
- Club Foot: Women who take Paxil throughout their pregnancy are also more likely to give birth to a child with club foot. This malformation occurs when a newborn’s joints, muscles and blood vessels in the leg are normal, but their foot is turned inward and unable to move into the correct position.
- Neural Tube Defects: These types of birth defects, called NTDs, arise when there is nerve damage that causes partial or full paralysis in the newborn’s legs. The most common form of this defect is spina bifida, where the baby’s spinal column does not completely close in the first month of pregnancy.
Other potential birth defects and complications associated with Paxil include:
- Vomiting
- Irritability
- Difficulties with breathing
- Seizures
- Low blood sugar
- Tremor
Birth defects are devastating for a new mother. If your child has suffered a birth defect and you have been taking Paxil, please contact the dangerous drug attorneys at Balkin & Eisbrouch, LLC today. Serving clients in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, our aggressive attorneys know how to fight drug companies to get you the money you deserve.
