Antidepressant Victims Have Options - A Birth Defects Lawsuit May be One of Them

How long is the way from a depression that needs treatment to a Zoloft pregnancy lawsuit? Birth defects are generally rare and their cause is very often unknown. Only a small percentage of the children being born every year are affected by a form of these defects. Risk factors exist and they include smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, viral diseases and certain medication types - any of these can negatively influence fetal development.

In addition, any circumstance that weakens the immune system of the mother or lessens her energy needed to focus on her unborn child might result in poor fetal development. Depression, a curse of our world, affects pregnant women also and in doing so, affects their capacity to properly care for themselves and their child. Treatment for depression commonly includes antidepressant. One of these, a seemingly innocent drug for depression issues, popular for safety and efficacy is Zoloft. The most prescribed antidepressant in U.S. in 2007, Zoloft has been taken by many pregnant women. This fact directly led to several of what we now know as a Zoloft and abdominal birth defects lawsuit.

Most people expect side effects from a medication, even if not warned about it. A decisive factor, the nature of this side effect is of crucial importance. For a pregnant woman, things are even more edgy. Her unborn child can be affected, sometimes severely. Her entire life, starting with the birth of a child might end up being a struggle if the health of that child is compromised. She has a decision to make: should she give importance to acute symptoms or should she endure and only think of the health of the unborn? What later repercussions can have an untreated depression? These are questions that need the help of a knowledgeable doctor for the right answers. When the potential hazard actually happens and the child is born with a congenital malformation, it is already too late for anything else, but a Zoloft birth defect lawsuit.

Before going on to see what is left to do if the damage is already done, let's have a quick review of why some of the birth defects linked to the drug use, may justify filing Zoloft birth defects cases:

-Heart defects are probably the most common health injuries due to Zoloft. Heart defects generally develop in about 5 babies out of 10,000 babies born. For infants exposed to Zoloft during the first trimester of the mother's pregnancy, the risk is doubled or tripled. -Craniosynostosis is among the relatively often occurring cranial defects. It affects 1 out of 2,000 live births with a doubled occurrence in males compared to females. The chance for infants to develop such a defect increases three times if exposed to Zoloft during time in the womb. If the child's Craniosynostosis can be linked to Zoloft use, the case makes for a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit. -PPHN (persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn) has a general occurrence of 1-2 out of 1,000 newborns, and Zoloft exposure increases this chance up to as many as 12 cases out of 1,000.

According to findings of clinical studies, other congenital malformations such as abdominal defects and spina bifida may occur with a higher risk due to Zoloft exposure. If you believe the child you gave birth to, has developmental problems that can be linked to your use of the drug, considering legal action might be a solution to offer some relief. There are basically two options: an individual Zoloft and pregnancy lawsuit or a class action lawsuit.

When the deed is done, life is changed forever. If the congenital defect is a mild one, correctional procedures and some medical care can be all there is to the matter. For severe cases, procedure after procedure, constant monitoring, therapy and all the emotional implications that come with these, become an almost daily routine. No Zoloft birth defects lawsuit will ever give back a child's health. What it can do however, is to offer some kind of support and relief for the victims of antidepressants. It is not negligible that drug manufacturers, if forced to go to court for one Zoloft birth defects lawsuit after the other, and if forced to pay for irresponsible distribution, may take the necessary step and properly inform drug users about implied risks.

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