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Paxil® Birth Injury

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Paxil® is a widely used antidepressant that, when taken during pregnancy, increases the risk of birth injury and defects. Since 2005 when the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about the risk of Paxil®-related birth injuries—specifically heart defects—there has been a growing awareness as to the dangers of Paxil® use during pregnancy, and also a growing body of research confirming these risks.

Studies Cite Paxil® Birth Injury Risks

U.S. and Swedish Studies

In 2005, the preliminary results of two separate studies showed an increased risk of heart-related birth injuries in babies born to women who took Paxil® during the first trimester of pregnancy. The Swedish study suggested a twofold risk of heart defects with maternal Paxil® use. The U.S. study placed the risk at slightly less—a 1.5 percent increased risk.

NEJM study

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2006 prompted the FDA to issue a warning about the increased risk of a Paxil® birth injury known as PPHN, or persistent pulmonary hypertension. According to the study findings, babies born to women who used Paxil® at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later were six times more likely to have PPHN than babies whose mothers took no antidepressant at all.

Latest Study Findings

In 2007, the NEJM published another study on the effects of antidepressant use during pregnancy, except this time the study findings were slightly different. Researchers found that Paxil® and three other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, increase the risk of certain birth injuries and defects when used during pregnancy. Those birth defects included:

• Craniosynostosis
• Omphalocele
• Anencephaly

Contact a Paxil® Birth Injury Lawyer

Women have a right to fully understand the risks associated with any medications they may need to take during pregnancy. If your baby was born with a defect and you suspect that Paxil® is responsible for the birth injury, it is in your best interest to seek the counsel of an attorney experienced in dangerous pharmaceutical litigation.

For a complimentary, no-obligation consultation with a qualified Paxil® birth injury lawyer, please contact us today.

More Paxil® Resources