Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension Risk with Zoloft Sited in FDA Studies

Zoloft is approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to treat major depression, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults and OCD in 6 to 17 year olds. The popular anti-anxiety drug has also been linked to severe side effects in fetuses of women taking it during pregnancy. Federal health regulators have previously warned that the use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy may cause a rare heart and lung birth defect, known as persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN), but now indicate that conflicting studies make it premature to reach any conclusions. A Zoloft lawyer is likely to use statistics found in the 2006 study when seeking a settlement in a Zoloft PPHN lawsuit.

Zoloft and similar drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants, operate by raising levels of serotonin, which plays a role in the development of the fetus. A number of studies have linked SSRI antidepressants, including Zoloft, to birth defects. In July 2006, the FDA warned that women who use the antidepressant Zoloft after the 20th week of pregnancy are six times more likely to give birth to a child with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. PPHN is a birth defect that results in newborns being unable to adapt to breathing outside of the womb. They frequently require intensive care and the use of a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe. Severe cases of PPHN can result in multiple organ damage, brain damage and death.

Treatment of PPHN often involves use of a ventilator or providing 100% oxygen to the baby. This helps open the arteries leading to the lungs. In more extreme cases, the newborn’s blood may be fed through a machine which adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. Momentum has been building for Zoloft lawsuits over Pfizer’s failure to warn about the risk of birth defects when taken during pregnancy. Potential side effects of Zoloft for unborn children have been reported to occur when the drug is taken as early as the first trimester, a time when many women do not even realize they are pregnant.