Dallas Zoloft Birth Defect Lawyer

The use of Zoloft® while pregnant has been shown to cause serious birth defects in newborn children.

If your baby was born with birth defects due to the use of Zoloft while pregnant, we may be able to help recover substantial compensation for your child. Contact the Dallas Zoloft birth defect lawyers at Rasansky Law Firm today for a free consultation by calling (214) 651-6100.

Depression affects millions of Americans, some of whom end up needing to take medication for extended amounts of time. Pregnant women are at an increased risk of relapsing, so doctors sometimes prescribe drugs such as Zoloft®; an antidepressant medication which raises and normalizes the levels of serotonin.

While Zoloft may successfully treat depression in many people, it is not safe to take when pregnant for reasons we’ll take a look shortly.

The multinational drug company Pfizer is the maker of Zoloft®. This is a company which in the past has misrepresented information about their medications, choosing even to hide worrying study results just before launching a new drug in the interests of profits. Pfizer is repeatedly hit with drug injury lawsuits brought by affected consumers due to its history of deception and poor ethics.

Zoloft and persistent pulmonary hypertension.

Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) is one of the more serious side-effects related to the use of Zoloft during pregnancy. This is a condition where blood pressure remains constantly high shortly after pregnancy. This leads to the circulation of poorly oxygenated blood to the baby’s brain and organs and away from the lungs. This can potentially cause strokes in the mother and the baby, as well as poor clotting which may lead to thromboembolisms.

Here are some signs that your baby may have developed PPHN shortly after birth:

1. Rapid breathing
2. Fast heartbeat
3. Your baby’s skin may have a bluish tint even when receiving oxygen therapy after labor
4. Grunting and flaring nostrils which may signal some kind of respiratory distress
5. Abnormal heart murmur

If PPHN is left untreated, your child may face complications such as seizures, organ failure, and brain hemorrhage. Babies born with persistent pulmonary hypertension may be given emergency treatment such as oxygen therapy. In addition, doctors may decide to supply them with nitric oxygen (which relaxes blood vessels to ease breathing). Lastly, they may be hooked up to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, which is a device used to remove carbon dioxide from your child’s body and then supplying it with oxygen.

Cranial and abdominal birth defects.

Another worrying side-effect of Zoloft is the development of cranial and/or abdominal birth defects. While it’s not always clear exactly how SSRIs interrupt the normal growth of the baby in the womb, the results are often tragic and may not be reversible even with surgery. Babies whose mothers took Zoloft may be born with their organs outside of the abdominal wall, requiring surgery to repair. This condition is known as omphalocele, and may require a lifetime of care.

Another complication tied to Zoloft is craniosynostosis, which is a congenital birth defect which affects the baby’s skull, making it close earlier than required and resulting in a head that’s shaped in an abnormal manner.

Zoloft has also been linked to babies born with holes in their hearts, abnormal bone growth, club foot, spina bifida, and many other birth defects. The argument is that Pfizer acted in a negligent manner by not placing adequate "black box warnings" on their medication labels in order to let their customers know about the potential for Zoloft to cause such serious birth defects.

Raising a child with a serious medical condition is no easy feat, and often requires a lifetime of medical care. If Pfizer's negligence resulted in your child's injuries, why should your family be forced to pay for this treatment?

We can help you recover the compensation your family is owed.

Was your child born with a birth defect that you believe is related to your use of Zoloft? Call our Dallas birth injury lawyers today for a free consultation. We're not asking for you to pay us a penny out of pocket. If we feel that you have a valid case, we'll handle your claim at no cost to you, and we'll only take a fee if we're successful in actually recovering you money.

By filing a Zoloft birth defect lawsuit in Texas, you’ll be able to recover money damages to help you cater for your child’s medical care and special needs for the foreseeable future. Don't wait another day; call us today at (214) 651-6100.