Paxil Birth Defects Problems

If you have a child who was born with birth defects after you took Paxil during your pregnancy you may be able to get financial help that will let you more effectively deal with the future medical needs of your child’s birth defects.

If you took Paxil during pregnancy, you should be aware that you may be able to get compensation for your child’s birth defects by filing a Paxil lawsuit. This monetary compensation won’t change the fact that your child health has been permanently affected by a medication, but it can help you offer your child a better quality of life. Already, families have taken the makers of Paxil to court over their children’s birth defects.

What’s the Problem?

Most people realize that medications taken during pregnancy could have bad effects for a baby. The problem, it is argued, is that the makers of Paxil weren’t strong enough in warning pregnant mothers and their doctors about the dangers of this particular drug.

Even though Paxil birth defects are more than twice as likely to occur than birth defects from similar antidepressant medications, doctors were told that they could prescribe the drug to pregnant women in a wide variety of circumstances. Paxil is on the Pregnancy C list according to the FDA. This means that doctors are allowed to give it to pregnant women if the benefits for the mother outweigh the potential damage to the child.

The problem is that many people thought Paxil side effects were just like those of other serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The long-term effects of Paxil are similar to those of other antidepressants on adults. In developing babies, though, these side effects are much more pronounced according to several studies and individual cases.

The particular birth defects linked to Paxil depend largely on how far along the pregnancy is when the woman takes the antidepressant. It seems that ingestion of the drug during the second trimester has the smallest effect on the baby, while first and third trimester ingestion can have serious consequences.

If you or someone you know has a child who has been born with Paxil birth defects, there are a few things you can do. Your best option is to find an experienced pharmaceutical litigation lawyer to evaluate your case. Many times, these lawyers don’t charge anything unless you actually win your case.

A Paxil lawsuit won’t change the fact that your child has been born with a birth defect, however, most children born with the types of cardiovascular, cranial, and abdominal defects that are common in babies born from mothers who take Paxil have more expensive medical care. With the compensation from a successful lawsuit, you may be able to provide your child with the extra care he or she needs.

Doug Sampson is the author of this article on Paxil lawsuit settlements.
Find more information on Paxil birth defects here.