Since the New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 2007 documenting the connection between antidepressants in the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) class of drugs and birth defects in children born to women who took them while pregnant, there has been a significant increase in the number of lawsuits filed against the manufacturers of these drugs. One of the more popular SSRIs prescribed for depression is Zoloft.

Many women who were being treated for depression prior to becoming pregnant were told by their physicians that it was safe to continue taking the medication while pregnant, since it was deemed beneficial for both mother and child to control symptoms of depression during pregnancy.

Unfortunately, some of those women gave birth to children with various birth defects, which lead them to begin filing Zoloft birth defects lawsuits.

Babies Could Be Born With a Variety of Birth Defects

Zoloft has been associated with a wide range of birth defects. Some of the more common defects include persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), a condition characterized by abnormally high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, veins or capillaries. Babies born with this disorder experience shortness of breath and fatigue; PPHN is considered a very serious condition, and—if left untreated—it can prove fatal in just a few years.

Other birth defects associated with Zoloft use during pregnancy can include cleft lip/palate, disorders in the development of a child’s nervous system, clubbed foot, delayed development, head and skull disorders, brain and spinal cord defects and gastrointestinal defects. Additionally, some mothers who take Zoloft while pregnant are at greater risk of experiencing a miscarriage or giving birth prematurely. If an infant is born with no serious Zoloft-related birth defects, he or she could still experience withdrawal symptoms during the first days of life, which is common among babies who are born to mothers taking narcotics or other addictive substances.

RLG Represents Women and Children Injured By Zoloft

If you were prescribed Zoloft while pregnant, took the medication as directed, and gave birth to a child with birth defects that you believe resulted from taking an antidepressant, you have rights as a consumer. The Rottenstein Law Group’s Zoloft lawyers have over 25 years of collective experience advocating for individuals in consumer product injury cases. They can help you to obtain compensation for pain and suffering and for unforeseen medical costs. And don’t worry about having to pay them. The lawyers at the Rottenstein Law Group don’t collect a fee until you win your lawsuit.

If you feel you have a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit, the attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group can help. For a free consultation with an RLG attorney, please fill out this brief contact form or call 1-877-471-8940.

If you wish to know more about filing a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit, download this free Zoloft brochure.

In addition to birth defects and other potential dangers Zoloft might cause a mother and her unborn child, there is new information from a study published in the March 22, 2012 edition of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology that it and other SSRIs might cause a condition known as “preeclampsia,” or dangerously high blood pressure during the later stages of pregnancy.

High Blood Pressure Could Harm Both Mothers and Babies

The study, conducted by Canadian researchers at the CHU Ste-Justine’s Research Centre in Montreal, Quebec, looked at data collected from more than 1,200 women in the Quebec Pregnancy Registry who had high blood pressure during their pregnancies that may or may not have resulted in preeclampsia, and who had no history of high blood pressure prior to becoming pregnant. The data was compared with information from 12,000 healthy women.

The researchers found that women taking an SSRI like Zoloft had a 60 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure, when compared with women who were not taking an antidepressant during pregnancy. The researchers stressed that in absolute terms, when compared to women who were not depressed, the risk only increases slightly from 2 percent to 3.2 percent.

“We know that antidepressants should be used with caution [during pregnancy],” said lead researcher Anick Berard, the director of the research unit of medications and pregnancy at Ste-Justine’s. “The association between SSRIs and hypertension is a new finding,” she added.

Dr. Gene Burkett, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, opined that the study “has severe limitations,” and “[t]here are a lot of factors in preeclampsia they do not account for, so they don’t show a cause-and-effect relationship.” He does note, however, that “[P]regnant women should be concerned about SSRIs for a lot of other reasons.”

Dr. Burkett advises that ultimately, “Every physician has to measure the risk of taking an SSRI vs. the risk of not taking it in patients who really need it.”

Pregnant Women Should Consult with Their Physicians About Zoloft Use

Antidepressants like Zoloft might be effective treatments for depression when the health of an unborn child is not a consideration. Pregnant women should weigh the risks and benefits of taking antidepressants with their physician to determine the best course of treatment for their depression symptoms.

Protect Your Rights as a Consumer

If you were prescribed Zoloft while pregnant, took the medication as directed, and gave birth to a child with birth defects you believe resulted from taking an antidepressant, you have rights as a consumer. The Rottenstein Law Group’s Zoloft lawyers have over 25 years of collective experience advocating for individuals in consumer product injury and mass tort cases. They can help obtain compensation for pain and suffering and unforeseen medical costs. If you feel you have a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit, the attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group can help. For a free consultation with an RLG attorney please fill out this brief contact form or call 1-877-471-8940.

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If you’ve taken another prescription drug and you believe it might have caused you harm – visit this page to see a list of products that RLG knows to be dangerous to consumers.

Decreased Sex Drive: Clinical studies have shown that many people who take Zoloft will experience a diminished libido. This side effect has proven to be more common among patients who take Zoloft for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) rather than those patients who take Zoloft for depression.

Impotence: Men might experience the Zoloft sexual side effect of impotence, which could include the total inability to achieve and maintain an erection, or the tendency to maintain only a brief erection. According to studies, about 1 percent of men who take Zoloft experience impotence.

Ejaculation Failure: Men who take Zoloft for panic disorders are more likely to experience ejaculation failure. About 19 percent of men who were studied experienced this Zoloft sexual side effect, while only 7 percent of men who took Zoloft for depression had this side effect.

Priapism: A small number of men taking Zoloft might experience priapism, a prolonged and painful erection that will not go away either through intercourse or masturbation. If it is not addressed, priapism could cause permanent damage to the penis.

Anorgasmia: This Zoloft sexual side effect is the inability to achieve orgasm even with adequate stimulation. Many women who take an SSRI for depression experience this side effect, which is usually viewed as a trade-off to the relief an antidepressant can provide.

Talk To Your Doctor About Zoloft Sexual Side Effects

There is no way a doctor will know before you begin taking Zoloft whether you will experience any side effects, sexual or otherwise. Sexual side effects are common when a patient is experiencing depression, but it will likely take a while to determine whether Zoloft is exacerbating those symptoms. A physician or mental health professional are the only people qualified to recommend a change in medication, or an alternate treatment that might not include as many side effects as Zoloft.

Protect Your Rights as a Consumer

The lawyers at the Rottenstein Law Group have over 25 years of collective experience advocating for clients in consumer product injury cases. If you took Zoloft and feel that you were injured by the medication, then you might be able to seek compensation in a Zoloft lawsuit. Fill out our contact form or call us at 1-877-471-8940 and one of our Zoloft lawyers will be in touch.

If you wish to know more about filing a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit, download this free Zoloft brochure.

A new study, conducted at the Sophia Children’s Hospital and Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and pufblished in the March 5 online edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry, suggests that a mother’s use of antidepressants during pregnancy could cause an infant’s head to be smaller when compared to the overall development of the rest of the body.

Use of Antidepressants Could Reduce Head Size and Affect Brain Development

Lead researcher Hanan El Marroun looked at the birth outcomes of 7,700 women for the study. Among the women studied, 91 percent had very mild or no symptoms of depression during pregnancy, and approximately 7 percent experienced depression but did not take medication. The remaining 1 percent were depressed and used a medication like Zoloft during pregnancy. The depressed women who did not take medication were more likely to give birth to babies with smaller bodies and heads, and the women who took an SSRI like Zoloft gave birth to infants with smaller heads, but not smaller bodies. Children of the mothers who took SSRIs had less head-circumference growth than the children born to the depressed mothers who did not take medication; moreover these children also exhibited signs of reduced head-circumference. Fetal head circumference is indicative of brain weight and can also alert doctors to the possibility that a child might experience behavioral problems or psychiatric disorders as they mature.

“Fetal body growth is a marker of fetal health and fetal head growth is a marker for brain development,” El Marroun said. “If the depression is left untreated, it affected the whole body; but if the mother used SSRIs, the head growth of the fetus was affected. This may mean that smaller head growth is not explained by depression, but by the SSRIs.”

Although the study revealed yet another reason why women should be cautious when it comes to taking antidepressants while they are pregnant, El Marroun concluded, “We do not know what this means for the long-term development of these children.”

Pregnant Women Should Consult with Their Physicians About Depression Treatments

Antidepressants like Zoloft might be effective treatments for depression when the health of an unborn child is not a consideration. Pregnant women should weigh the risks and benefits of taking antidepressants with their physician to determine the best course of treatment for their depression symptoms.

Protect Your Rights as a Consumer

If you were prescribed Zoloft while pregnant, took the medication as directed, and gave birth to a child with birth defects you believe resulted from taking an antidepressant, you have rights as a consumer. The Rottenstein Law Group’s Zoloft lawyers have over 25 years of collective experience advocating for individuals in consumer product injury and mass tort cases. They can help obtain compensation for pain and suffering and unforeseen medical costs. If you feel you have a zoloft birth defects lawsuit, the attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group can help. For a free consultation with an RLG attorney please fill out this brief contact form or call 1-877-471-8940.

One of the more controversial side effects of taking an antidepressant like Zoloft while pregnant could be the possibility that a child will be predisposed to having a learning disability like autism.  Recent studies have suggested there might be a link between mothers who took antidepressants during pregnancy and the occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children as a result.

Study Suggests Two-Fold Increase in Risk of ASD

According to a study that was published in the November, 2011 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers associated with the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Northern California found that there was a “2-fold increased risk” of ASD in children born to mothers who took an antidepressant like Zoloft in the year prior to giving birth. The greatest likelihood of a child being born with ASD was associated specifically with antidepressant use during the first trimester of pregnancy. Although this information is indicative of serious risks to the fetus, in addition to the link to physical birth defects, the researchers concluded, “Although the number of children exposed prenatally to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was low, results suggest that exposure, especially during the first trimester, may modestly increase the risk of ASD. The potential risk associated with exposure must be balanced with the risk to the mother or fetus of untreated mental health disorders. Further studies are needed to replicate and extend these findings.”

Mothers Need to Weigh Risks and Benefits of Taking Zoloft While Pregnant

Now that we are aware of even more dangers to children because of antidepressants, a woman who is considering becoming pregnant must consider not only her own health, but the health of her unborn child if she is taking a medication like Zoloft to combat symptoms of depression. Unlike physical birth defects, a learning disability like ASD will not manifest itself until a child is considerably older. Therefore, a woman must discuss the risks and benefits of continuing antidepressant treatment, and how it might affect the physical and emotional well-being of her unborn children. Only a qualified physician or mental health professional can guide a women to making the correct choices when it comes to treating depression.

Could a Zoloft Lawsuit for a Learning Disability Be Successful?

The Zoloft lawyers at the Rottenstein Law Group have over 20 years experience advocating for individuals who have been injured by dangerous drugs and defective medical devices. The only way to know if you have a Zoloft lawsuit for a learning disability is to speak to one of our attorneys. If your child is exhibiting behavior consistent with ASD, contact the Rottenstein Law Group for a free, confidential legal consultation. You may be eligible for compensation. Click on this link or complete the contact form to the right to get started.

According to the lawsuit, the women were prescribed Zoloft, an antidepressant in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class of drugs, while they were pregnant, and their children were born with Zoloft birth defects, including heart damage, which they believe are related to their use of the drug. They allege that Pfizer was aware of the potential dangers of Zoloft if it is taken by a woman during her pregnancy, and that the drug-maker hid information regarding the risks from the public.The group is accusing Pfizer of defective design, inadequate testing, and failure to include adequate warnings regarding the risks of birth defects. Other allegations include negligence, fraud and unjust enrichment.

The group is seeking $200,000 in actual damages, as well as punitive damages and court costs.

Many women believed it was safe to take antidepressants like Zoloft to combat feelings of depression during pregnancy, but they later learned that they are believed to cause serious birth defects in their children. If you are depressed and thinking about getting pregnant, consult with your doctor about how to best treat your depression during your pregnancy. Only a medical professional is qualified to help you weigh the risks and benefits of a drug like Zoloft to yourself, as well as to your unborn child.

Protect Your Child and Your Rights as a Consumer

If you or your partner was prescribed Zoloft while pregnant, took the medication as directed, and gave birth to a child with birth defects you believe resulted from taking an antidepressant, you have rights as a consumer. The Rottenstein Law Group’s Zoloft lawyer have over 25 years of collective experience advocating for individuals in consumer product injury and mass tort cases. They can help you obtain compensation for pain and suffering and unforeseen medical costs. If you believe you have a bzoloft birth defects lawsuit, the attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group can help. For a free consultation with an RLG attorney please fill out this brief contact form or call us at 1-877-471-8940.

Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) is manufactured by Pfizer Inc., which gained Food and Drug Administration approval to sell the drug for the treatment of major depressive disorder in 1991. In addition to being prescribed as an antidepressant, Zoloft is commonly prescribed for a number of anxiety disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In 2007 it was the most prescribed antidepressant in the United States and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—the class of drugs Zoloft belongs to—are the most popular antidepressants on the market.

Although sertraline has a relatively low incidence of side effects, there are dangerous health risks associated with the drug, including those related to taking Zoloft during pregnancy. The FDA places Zoloft in pregnancy Category C, a classification that means a drug’s adverse effects on fetuses are not conclusive, but that doctors should prescribe the medication only if potential benefits outweigh potential risks.

The Zoloft medication guide, however, is far less conservative in its description of Zoloft and pregnancy side effects. According to it, unborn children exposed to Zoloft during the third trimester face a number of health risks, as supported by clinical findings, including:

• Respiratory problems
• Apnea
• Seizures
• Feeding Difficulties
• Hypoglycemia
• Constant crying

In 2005, the FDA issued a public health advisory warning that first trimester exposure to certain antidepressants could cause congenital cardiac malformations. Zoloft pregnancy risks were not included in this advisory, but other types of SSRIs were named.

But in the following year, the FDA issued another advisory on SSRI antidepressants and birth defects which mentioned Zoloft and pregnancy risks. Cited was a 2006 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that found that drugs like Zoloft increased the chances of a baby being born with persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), a life-threatening condition marked by high pressure in the lungs that limits the amount of oxygen released into the bloodstream.

In 2007, another study on Zoloft and pregnancy was published by the New England Journal of Medicine. It found, “significant associations between the use of sertraline and omphalocele and septal defects.” An omphalacele birth defect occurs when the intestines or organs protrude from the belly button, while a septal defect describes is a congenital heart defect that  causes the heart to work harder due to improper blood circulation. According to the NEJM study, mothers who take Zoloft during pregnancy face twice the risk of delivering a baby with a septal defect, which can be life-threatening.

As these Zoloft and pregnancy studies show, expecting mothers who take sertraline could be placing their child’s health at risk. Be sure to speak with your doctor if you are taking Zoloft and are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

And if you were taking Zoloft and gave birth to a child with health problems, be sure to speak with the Rottenstein Law Group. The presence of a birth defect in your newborn could make you eligible for a Zoloft and pregnancy lawsuit. To find out whether you qualify for compensation from Pfizer, contact RLG by filling out this form or calling 1 (877) 471-8940.