Zoloft Linked to Delayed Development Birth Defect

Like many Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Zoloft has been linked to an increased risk of birth defects in children born to mothers using the drug. One birth defect that concerns Zoloft lawyers is delayed development in children. The basis for this concern comes from an article published in a February 2010 issue of the medical journal Pediatrics titled “Fetal Exposure to Antidepressants and Normal Milestone Development at 6 and 19 Months of Age.” Before this article was published, medical experts knew that SSRIs caused noticeable delayed development in animals, but hadn’t yet found a significant  association between Zoloft use and fine motor development in humans.

The researchers surveyed data on 6-month and 19-month developmental milestones from the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC). The DNBC covered 81,042 women, 336 of whom were taking an SSRI and 86 of whom were taking Zoloft. Among the developmental milestones the DNBC documented, only two stood out: sitting upright and walking.

SSRIs had greater effects on newborns when mothers took them during the second or third trimesters and not the first. Children born to mothers who used at least one SSRI in their second or third trimesters took an average of 16.6 days longer than normal children to sit upright without support. Likewise, after 19 months, it took children of second and third trimester SSRI users 28.9 more days to walk without support. Zoloft delayed development birth effects appeared more often in boys than in girls.

The extent of the developmental harm that Zoloft can cause when used by pregnant women is not fully known. If your child exhibited behaviors such as being unable to sit up or walk at a normal age, contact the Rottenstein Law Group for a free, confidential legal consultation. You may be eligible for compensation in a Zoloft lawsuit. Click on this link or complete the contact form to the right to get started.