Zoloft Might Increase Risk of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
A new study suggests that Zoloft and other SSRIs might increase the risk of dangerously high blood pressure in some women who take the drug while pregnant. … Read more
Zoloft Birth Defects Information Center
The antidepressant sertraline hydrochloride—sold under the brand name Zoloft (and also less commonly as Lustral)—might have caused you and your baby to suffer life-threatening harm. Zoloft causes numerous birth defects, injuries, and other complications usually when taken by an expectant mother during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Anyone taking Zoloft should be aware of the risks. And any woman who became pregnant while taking Zoloft should speak to a doctor immediately, to assess the risks to an unborn child or to discuss treatment for a child born with a defect.
Because of the inadequate warnings given to those prescribed Zoloft, parents of children who were injured before birth are now bringing lawsuits seeking to be compensated for the harms suffered.
Zoloft (sertraline) is a potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) manufactured and sold by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc. Available by prescription only, the medication is used to treat major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and anxiety disorders. First brought to market in 1991, Zoloft has since become a blockbuster antidepressant: Doctors wrote more than 29 million prescriptions for the drug in 2007, more than any other antidepressant that year.
SSRIs work by preventing certain receptors in the human brain from absorbing serotonin that has already been released. Serotonin helps maintain feelings of well-being, so preventing its re-absorption alleviates negative feelings. Unlike other drugs (such as buproprion–also known as Wellbutrin—for example), SSRIs minimally affect noradrenaline and dopamine, which regulate stress levels. But SSRIs can cause many side effects, most common among them nausea, somnolence, and sexual dysfunction.
Zoloft in particular has been linked to numerous birth defects in children born to mothers who were taking the drug while pregnant. These include: clubbed foot; cleft lip/palate; delayed development; persistent pulmonary hypertension; gastrochisis; heart defects; skull defects; and brain/spinal cord defects. Moreover, Zoloft can cause premature birth or even miscarriage. And a child exposed to Zoloft in utero can experience withdrawal symptoms after birth.
Although there have yet to be any lawsuits filed, Pfizer has exposed consumers to serious risks of birth defects. Filing a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company may be your only way to get restitution.
Studies on Zoloft and pregnancy published in The New England Journal of Medicine indicate that use of the antidepressant can cause birth defects, one of which prompted a 2006 FDA health advisory on the matter.
SSRI antidepressants are novel in a number of ways, including how they were designed, their mechanism of action, and their safety. Each type of SSRI is unique, however, and should be carefully considered before using.
The first step in getting the compensation you deserve from Pfizer is finding an attorney to assist you through the process. The experienced attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group are here to help you assert your rights.
Zoloft has been the subject of close scrutiny by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Between 2006 and 2007, the agency released multiple Zoloft warnings regarding a variety of risks associated with the medication.
Most prescription medications don’t mix well with alcohol, but combining Zoloft and alcohol may actually cause cravings for alcohol. The mixture can also increase your depression and produce a host of other dangerous side effects.
Zoloft Updates
Antidepressants Taken During Pregnancy Could Affect Babies’ Head Size
A new study from the Netherlands suggests that antidepressants taken during pregnancy can affect the size and development of an infants head and brain. … Read more
Mothers File Zoloft Class Action Suit Against Pfizer
A group of mothers has filed a Zoloft birth defects class action lawsuit against Pfizer, in St. Louis Circuit Court. They all took Zoloft while pregnant. … Read more
As Featured In
“The Rottenstein Law Group, which represents clients with claims stemming from the severe side effects of the antidepressant Zoloft, has launched a new Web site designed specifically to inform the public about links between the medication and various serious birth defects.”
Read the full story