Product Liability Attorney Blog

It's no secret that a number of antidepressants have been linked to the formation of birth defects, particularly SSRIs taken in the first trimester of pregnancy. In the last 10 years, numerous drugs of this type have been moved to a class D pregnancy rating, which is the FDA's signal that they are scientifically and consistently linked with the formation of these defects when taken by pregnant women. While Paxil is the most well-known of these medicines, there are other SSRIs that have been linked to the formation of these defects.

Zoloft

Also known as sertraline, Zoloft is an SSRI that gained popularity in the early 2000s with a series of advertisements based around morose little cartoon characters. It popularized the “chemical imbalance in the brain” argument to clinical depression treatments. Part of its popularity can be linked to the fact that it has markedly less pronounced side effects than older-generation antidepressants while still remaining potent.

It has been linked specifically with the birth defects Omphalocele, which is a condition in which the internal organs such as the intestines are found outside the body in a sac, instead of within the abdomen, limb reduction, and septal defects such as holes in the wall separating the chambers of the heart.

Prozac

Perhaps the most iconic of the SSRIs, Prozac is not only among the most commonly described medications for depression, it has become a shorthand word for antidepressants in general. It has such a widespread reputation that hearing others have been prescribed it doesn’t shock people; in fact, going onto the medication is almost seen as a “norm.”

Unfortunately. It has been empirically linked to the development of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) when taken by the mother during pregnancy. PPHN can cause chest pain, dizziness, fainting and other weaknesses in a child. Often times victims of the malady require a lung transplant, a situation that is unthinkable and terrifying to many parents, and something no one should ever have to undergo if it can be prevented.