Zoloft Lawyers Reviewing Birth Defect Side Effect Cases

Exposure to Zoloft during pregnancy may increase the risk that a child is born with certain birth defects or malformations, which may cause serious and potentially life-threatening health problems. The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential Zoloft lawsuits for children who have experienced problems.

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Saiontz & Kirk, PA, Attorneys & Lawyers, Baltimore, MD

Potential birth defects that may be caused by side effects of Zoloft use while pregnant may include:

Contact one of our Zoloft birth defect lawyers to review a potential lawsuit for your child or family member. All cases are reviewed on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained. Request a free consultation.

PPHN from Zoloft

According to recent research, women taking Zoloft during the third trimester may face a six fold increase in the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). However, the drug maker sold the antidepressant without adequate warnings about the potential risk of PPHN from Zoloft.

Zoloft-induced Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) can result in circulation problems that may affect a baby’s ability to breath outside the womb because it makes it difficult for oxygen to reach the bloodstream. While surgery can treat PPHN, the child may still be left with a lifetime of difficulties and problems from Zoloft, including a risk of other health issues.

▸ MORE INFO: Zoloft Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of Newborns (PPHN)

Zoloft Heart Defects

When used during the first trimester, a time when many women do not even know they are pregnant, newborns may face an increased risk of cardiac anomalies or heart defects from Zoloft.

According to research, women given Zoloft during the first three months of pregnancy may face a four fold risk of giving birth to a child with a heart defect and twice the risk of a septal heart defect from Zoloft when compaired to women not taking an antidepressant.

The most common Zoloft heart problems for babies that have been found to occur are ventricular or atrial septal defects, which involve holes in the heart walls that allow blood to flow from the left side of the heart to the right, reducing the heart’s efficiency. These holes in the heart walls from Zoloft can range in severity, but often result in the need for surgery for the child.

Heart defects from Zoloft may include:

  • Ventrical Septal Defect (VSD)
  • Atrial Septal Defect
  • Tetralology of the Fallot
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
  • Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome

Zoloft Cranial Defect or Craniosynostosis

Children may face a risk of craniosynostosis from Zoloft use by the mother during pregnancy, which is a cranial defect that leads to an early closing of the baby’s head. This can result in the baby having an abnormally shaped head because of Zoloft.

Zoloft-induced cranial defects may cause pressure on the brain or leave the child without enough room for the brain to grow. Treatment for the abnormal skull development usually requires surgery, and the outcome depends on how many sutures are involved and whether other defects are present.

▸ Zoloft Neural Tube Defect or Anencephaly

A neural tube defect from Zoloft, known as anencephaly, may occur after exposure to the antidepressant during pregnancy. This may involve the absence of part of the brain or skull, facial abnormalities or heart defects. It occurs early in the development of the unborn baby and often results in a miscarriage or death of the baby within a few days after birth.

Zoloft Abdominal Defects or Omphalocele

Children may also face a risk of omphalocele from Zoloft use during pregnancy, a gastrointestinal abnormality that may result in a sac that protrudes from the naval or belly button area that may contain the large and small intestines, as well as the liver.

Zoloft omphalocele is often repaired with surgery, although such treatment may not be possible immediately. As part of the procedure, a man-made material is stitched in place to cover the sac containing the internal organs. The protruding organs are then pushed into the abdomen over time and the man-made material is removed before the abdomen is closed to repair the gastrointestinal abdnormality from Zoloft.

▸ Zoloft Spina Bifida

Spina bifida from Zoloft involves the incomplete closure of neural tube during fetal development, where some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused or open. This can allow a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through the opening in the bones.

>>MORE INFO: Zoloft Spina Bifida Lawsuits

Lawsuits for Birth Defects from Zoloft Side Effects

As a result of the drug makers’ failure to adequately warn about the risk of Zoloft side effects on unborn babies, children born with malformations or birth defects from Zoloft may be entitled to financial compensation through a lawsuit.

Free consultations and claim evaluations are provided for families where a child was born with PPHN, heart defects, cranial defects, neural tube defects, abdominal defects, spina bifida or other health problems that may have been caused by Zoloft or another SSRI antidepressant taken while the mother was pregnant.

All cases are reviewed under a contingency fee agreement, which means that there are never any attorney fees unless a recovery is obtained for a Zoloft birth defect.

CONTACT OUR LAWYERS ABOUT A BIRTH DEFECT FROM ZOLOFT