Birth defects in children whose mothers took Zoloft during pregnancy have now been linked to the drug by several recent clinical studies. Children born to mothers who had taken Zoloft or other antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have a higher percentage of being born with congenital heart deformities or other birth defects.Also known by its generic name sertraline, Zoloft is listed as a Pregnancy Category C medication by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has been approved for the treatment of clinical depression and certain anxiety disorders. Even with the warnings given by the FDA, there are still many women who are unaware of the potential risks of taking Zoloft during pregnancy, it is these women who have started to file their own
Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuit against the drugs makers.
There have been several studies of note of which link Zoloft to increased risk of cardiac birth defects in infants. One study of note is the Pederson Study from 2009, which showed a doubling of Cardiac malformations overall and a tripling of Cardiac Septal defects, in addition when more than one SSRI was used during pregnancy these numbers are increased 3 and 5 times. Another clinical study, the Louik study from 2007, showed results that Zoloft (sertraline) also doubled cardiac defects.
In both of these studies Zoloft was also connected to have the potential to cause several other birth defects in infants, these defects include: Serious Congenital Heart Defects, small holes in the heart walls called Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD), Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Transposition of Great Arteries, Coarctation of the Aorta, Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), Pulmonary Atresia, Pulmonary Stenosis, Autism, Abdominal Stomach Wall Defects / Omphalocele and Cranial Skull Defects / Craniosynostosis, Heart Valve Defects, Neural Tube Defects (Spina Bifida) and Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN).
Although the FDA has categorized Zoloft as a Pregnancy Category C medication, there are numerous cases of women who have been caught unaware of the potential birth defects that Zoloft can cause in their unborn children. If your child was born with a birth defect you believed was caused by Zoloft, and you feel that the Zoloft Warnings given by the FDA were not enough, then knowing your legal options could be your next step. Many Zoloft lawyers will have more information for you on your legal options, many will give you a free consultation and most will not charge you unless you see compensation in a court of law.
