Topamax Cleft Lip
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If you took Topamax® while pregnant and gave birth to a child with cleft lip or palate, we may be able to help you seek financial compensation. Contact our Topamax® cleft lip attorneys today.
Formation of Cleft Lip
Cleft lip is a birth defect often occurring in combination with cleft palate (the roof of the mouth). The malformation can range from a small notch in the upper lip to a “cleft” or furrow that runs into the roof of the mouth and nose. It usually is detected at an infant’s first examination.
The causes of cleft lip can be genetic environmental toxins that interfere with fetal development. When the lips and palate are first formed in the fetus, they are cleft, that is split. They come together at the midline of the face between a fetus’ sixth and 11th week of life.
If something interferes with that closure, the lip may remain cleft.
Topamax® and Cleft Lip
Topamax® is a drug prescribed to reduce the frequency of certain types of seizures in epileptic patients. Research has shown that this medication can cause cleft lip in babies born to mothers who took Topamax® between the sixth and 11th week, or during the first trimester of their pregnancy. Early in the first trimester a woman might not even know she is pregnant.
Because of new findings showing a link between Topamax® and cleft lip and palate, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication in early March warning of the problem.
Physicians are being told to carefully consider whether to prescribe Topamax® to women of childbearing age and are asked to discuss the risks with them. Patients are being told that if they are of childbearing age and are taking Topamax® they should use contraceptives.
If a woman of childbearing age is using Topamax® and intends to become pregnant or does become pregnant, she should tell her doctor. She and the doctor will need to decide what to do about her epilepsy medication. Epileptic patients who become pregnant are warned not to suddenly stop taking Topamax®, because the consequences of having seizures can also be serious. She and her doctor should decide what medication she should be taking for her seizures.
Difficulties and Solutions for Cleft Lip Patients
Surgery, and most likely a number of surgeries, is a treatment for cleft lip and palate. Oral appliances also may be used. Other problems of cleft lip and palate include:
- Breathing difficulties can be treated with surgery and oral appliances
- Feeding problems are treated by nutritionists and speech therapists who can help with swallowing difficulties
- Ear infections because of the persistence of fluid in the middle ear can be treated with tubes inserted by an otolaryngologist
- Speech and language delays can be helped by a speech therapist
- Dental problems can be helped by a pediatric dentist and orthodontist
Contact a Topamax® Cleft Lip Attorney
If your baby is born with cleft lip and you took Topamax® during your pregnancy, contact a birth defect lawyer to find out if you qualify to file a lawsuit.
