Topamax Cleft Palate
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If your baby is born with cleft palate and you were treated with Topamax® during your pregnancy, we may be able to help you get compensation for you and your infant. Contact us for information on how to pursue a lawsuit.
What is Cleft Palate?
Cleft palate, a birth defect, is an opening in the roof of the mouth (palate) that occurs when a fetus’ mouth does not develop normally during its development. The opening, or cleft can form at any place in the palate, from the front section of the roof of the mouth, called the hard palate, to the section further back, called the soft palate.
Cleft palate often occurs when a baby also has a cleft lip, or opening in the lips that can be as small as a tiny notch in the upper lip to a groove that runs through the lip to the nose. Cleft lip and palate are the most common birth deformities of the head and neck.
Cleft Palate Symptoms
Cleft palate, especially if it occurs along with a cleft lip, often can be seen in utero on a fetal ultrasound. This can be done as early as 14 to 16 weeks into the pregnancy. A doctor is able to diagnose cleft palate by a physical exam soon after the child is born.
Causes of Oral Clefts
The causes of cleft palate can be genetic or environmental. Cleft palate occurs in families. Other causes can be:
- Certain medications taken by the pregnant mother
- Alcohol or illegal drug use (cocaine) by a pregnant mother
- Smoking while pregnant
- Contact with radiation during pregnancy
- Infections occurring during pregnancy
Topamax® and Cleft Palate
One medication recently announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to cause cleft lip and palate is Topamax®, an anti-seizure drug. The FDA announced March 4, 2011, that research studies showed the drug caused birth defects. The agency issued a safety announcement to warn healthcare providers and patients of the risk of having a child with cleft lip and palate if the mother takes Topamax® during the first trimester of her pregnancy.
The lips and palate of the fetus are “cleft” or separated during its early development. These structures join between the 6th and 11th weeks of pregnancy unless something interferes. Statistics from the North American antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry show that oral clefts (the name for cleft lip and palate together) were statistically more common in mothers who took Topamax® compared to mothers who took other antiepileptic medicines or mothers who were not epileptic and took no medication at all.
Surgery for Topamax® Cleft Palate
The primary treatment for a cleft palate is surgery, often multiple surgeries, during the child’s early years. Other complications of oral clefts that are treated by specialists include:
- Breathing problems
- Feeding difficulties
- Ear infections
- Hearing loss
- Speech and language delays
- Dental problems
If your child is born with cleft palate and/or cleft lip, contact a Topamax® birth defect lawyer for help. We may be able to get you compensation for your pain and suffering.
