RLG Reports on New Research Linking Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy and Birth Defects
The Rottenstein Law Group, which represents clients with claims stemming from injuries and birth defects caused by the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants sold as Zoloft and Paxil, has learned of new research showing that women who take SSRIs might face increased risk of giving birth to infants with heart problems.
A June 20, 2012, article published in the online edition of the British Medical Journal describes the findings of a study that examined pregnancies in Denmark between 1997 and 2009 and concluded that ”risks of congenital malformations of the heart are increased for infants whose mothers were exposed to an SSRI during the first trimester,” according to the study’s summary. The study also finds that women who stopped their SSRI use six-to-nine months prior to getting pregnant are at a “similarly increased risk,” according to a July 17, 2012, blog entry by David Healy, a psychiatrist, psychopharmacologist, and professor of Psychiatry in Wales.
How much of an increased risk are mothers-to-be who take SSRIs such as Zoloft facing? Specifically, the study found that “the children born to women who are on or have been on an SSRI have a roughly doubled rate of heart defects,” Dr. Healy’s blog states.
The Rottenstein Law Group is the compassionate and diligent advocate of people who have been injured as a result of Zoloft use.
