Zoloft Birth Defects Lead to Lawsuit Spike

One of the more tragic possible anti-depressant drug, Zoloft side effects are birth defects manifesting in patients’ children. Zoloft, which is the brand name of sertraline, is a SSRI drug, meaning “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors”.  These medications are used to treat psychological disorders including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders. They are relatively commonly prescribed for these conditions, but are side effects of Zoloft just as common? SSRI drugs regulate his or her emotional impulses and anxieties by moderating levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that regulates and balances a person’s mood.

Side effects of Zoloft and many other SSRI drugs can be serious, and more concern for patients considering Zoloft and pregnancy. SSRI drugs were linked by a British study to birth defects, especially those related to a baby’s heart. SSRIs including Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, and Prozac have all been linked to these birth defects, and mothers who take more than one of these drugs during the first trimester of their pregnancy were four times more likely to give birth to a baby with birth defects.

The Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged the risk of birth defects associated with SSRI drugs by releasing a public safety alert about these medications, citing a separate study that also linked the birth defects to serious cardiac birth defects, including persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. This is a potentially fatal lung condition that is caused by high blood pressure in the lungs. The FDA also warned about birth defects associated with the use of SSRIs in the first trimester of pregnancy, while also mandating a change to the warning label of SSRI drug Paxil. This warning label modification did not apply to Zoloft.

Many patients whose children have experienced birth defects are now filing Zoloft-related lawsuits, as some feel that the Food and Drug Administration’s warnings were inadequate and did not clearly state Zoloft dangers. Although the cardiac birth defects are some of the most prevalent and serious, other birth defects like cleft lip and cleft palate have been linked to the use of Zoloft and similar medications as well. Many mothers have chosen to file suit after their newborns were born with these serious conditions.