SSRI drugs can boost dangers of birth defects, Finland study shows

Evidence already exists establishing that using an SSRI antidepressant during pregnancy can increase the chance that a baby will be born with birth defects. Now research out of Finland confirms this, especially for drugs including paroxetine.

Paxil is one such drug. Paroxetine is its principal active ingredient.

The Finnish study included a focus on both paroxetine and on fluoxetine, an ingredient in antidepressant Prozac. Both pharmaceutical drugs are in the category of an SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

What is the nature of an SSRI causing birth defects?

If your child has suffered a birth defect, you may want to know the reason for it. And if you took an antidepressant such as Paxil while pregnant, you may be concerned that Paxil was the cause.

Such concern stems from the fact that studies have shown that an SSRI antidepressant, if taken during pregnancy, can lead to birth defects in infants of the women who took the drug. That means your child’s birth defect, if you took Paxil while pregnant -- especially during the first trimester -- could have been the result of an SSRI.

But what is meant by SSRI as an acronym? What is the nature of an SSRI First, that acronym stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Or course, now you’re probably wondering what is meant by a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

Study warns of Paxil birth defect PPHN risk; FDA acts

Yet another study has warned about possible Paxil birth defects risks when the antidepressant is taken by a woman who is pregnant. That study is from the New England Journal of Medicine, which found a connection between such Paxil usage and the condition known as PPHN, or persistent pulmonary hypertension.

This condition harms the breathing and lung function of newborn babies. In fact, it can mean a child experiences respiratory failure soon after birth. Immediate treatment is vital, since the condition even can cause death.

Dangers of withdrawal from Paxil may prompt usage causing birth defects

It’s known that antidepressant Paxil can cause Paxil birth defects if used by a woman who is pregnant. So why would some women use Paxil anyway at that time?

Perhaps it’s because they fear the dangers of withdrawal from the drug, and thus they continue using it, even though it’s unwise for an unborn baby’s sake. After all, Paxil withdrawal symptoms can be severe for as many as 1 in 10 women who stop taking the antidepressant.

Women also may fear the risk of suffering Paxil withdrawal symptoms as soon as one day after they stop taking the antidepressant. And they may fear the danger of possibly suffering Paxil withdrawal for months, though it often subsides after two to seek weeks elapse.

Like Paxil, Zoloft antidepressant can cause birth defects meriting a defective drug lawsuit

The world’s top-selling antidepressant, Zoloft, is harming innocent American babies. Some newborn infants and children as they grow older suffer from a variety of birth defect injuries caused by the mother’s use of Zoloft while pregnant.

Made by Pfizer Inc., Zoloft is a kind of drug known as an SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Zoloft’s SSRI, or active ingredient, is called sertraline. Paxil also is an SSRI. And both antidepressant drugs can cause birth defects.

Also sold -- and also harmful -- is generic Zoloft It can come in three levels of strength: 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg. Numerous American pharmaceutical manufacturers produce generic Zoloft, sometimes as sertraline tablets, and other times as a liquid concentrate going by the name of sertraline hydrochloride.

Nature of Paxil as an antidepressant belies birth defects to come

Many pregnant women suffer depression, and many turn to antidepressant drugs for help. But those who try Paxil risk a serious side effect, since Paxil can cause birth defects in their child, even while easing the mother-to-be’s depression.

The worst time that an expectant mother can take defective drug Paxil is during the first trimester -- or the first three months -- of her pregnancy. Paxil is more likely to cause debilitating Paxil birth defects when taken at that time.

That doesn’t mean Paxil can’t or won’t help a pregnant woman with her depression. It still can get that job done, essentially by restoring her body’s balance of serotonin. That substance, located in the brain, has a bearing on mood disorders.

Reasons to take Paxil antidepressant are outweighed by birth defects

Pregnant women are more prone to depression than other people, as 10-20 percent of pregnant women suffer the condition, and many -- about half of those -- must cope with major depression.

Clearly, they must treat this condition, which for some women means taking an antidepressant drug such as Paxil. Unfortunately, that same drug which helps women stave off depression during pregnancy also can lead to birth defects in their newborn infants.

As an antidepressant, Paxil is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. Drugs such as these are meant to reduce depression symptoms, and often do. But Paxil, especially when taken during a pregnancy’s first trimester, also can cause a serious Paxil birth defect injury in a newborn infant.

What kind of Paxil birth defects injuries spur Paxil lawsuits?

Antidepressant drug Paxil can cause many Paxil side effects injuries. Among them are heart defects, lung defects, brain or skull defects, spinal cord defects, abdominal wall or hernia defects, clubbed foot or limb defects, cleft lip or palate defects, urinary tract defects and gastrointestinal defects.

These Paxil birth defects injuries to innocent newborn babies are the responsibility of GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK, a monolithic British pharmaceutical corporation that has injured many Americans in the name of its own selfish profits.

Paxil lawsuits prevail because birth defects are clear

Though many American families have suffered due to Paxil side effects such as Paxil birth defects, Paxil lawsuits at least are prevailing in court. In fact, the maker of the defective antidepressant, British company GlaxoSmithKline, already has settled as many as 200 Paxil lawsuits in favor of Paxil birth defects victims.

What accounts for Paxil lawsuits prevailing in such settlements or in jury awards? It’s because plaintiffs have clearly shown that GSK knew its antidepressant could cause Paxil side effects such as birth defects in the infants of women who took the defective drug during pregnancy.

Injuries to infants via Paxil can be birth defects of the heart, lungs, brain

The tragedy of Paxil birth defects injuries isn’t just that they inflict harm on innocent infants, but that they inflict such serious and severe harm on them.

Common Paxil defective drug injuries to infants include ailments of such vital organs as the lungs, brain and heart. These Paxil birth defects often require surgery, and in some cases even repeated surgeries, in order to save the child’s life.

Birth defects known as pulmonary or lung injuries often arise when a child’s mother took antidepressant Paxil during the first trimester, or first three months, of pregnancy. An infant may have difficulty breathing as a result, and such respiratory trouble is especially unwelcome when an infant is newly born and most vulnerable.

GSK’s indifference to babies’ pain leads to Paxil birth defects

Much like fellow British company BP, or British Petroleum, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has made billions of dollars in profits while inflicting untold suffering on thousands of Americans.

Such suffering is all the worse with GSK’s defective drug Paxil. Why? Because it harms innocent babies.

Paxil is an antidepressant which some women take during pregnancy. Sadly, this can lead to serious birth defects in their children, including injuries to the heart, lungs and brain. Such injuries often require surgery if not repeated surgeries to correct. That’s not the way most parents want to introduce their precious child to the world.

Infants whose mother took Paxil antidepressant have a greater risk of Paxil birth defects

Substantial research has been undertaken to determine how dangerous the antidepressant Paxil can be when taken by a pregnant woman. This research indicates that the offspring of such women have a much greater chance of suffering birth defects such as injuries to the lungs, brain, heart or other vital organs.

Such injuries can lead to costly surgeries, and that cost should not be borne by the innocent victims. Rather, victims can seek financial compensation via a Paxil lawsuit pressed by a Paxil lawyer with LawyerPaxil.com, a nationwide attorney service which can help victims in states across America.

How likely is it that a pregnant woman taking Paxil will have a child who suffers from birth defects? Such odds depend on the study you assess, but many studies make it clear that those dangers are significantly higher for pregnant women who take the defective drug as an antidepressant.

Pregnant women increase chances of babies’ birth defects by taking Paxil antidepressant

Many women face depression during pregnancy, and as a result, some of them take the antidepressant drug Paxil. Sadly, this is a defective drug which has a chance of causing birth defects to their babies.

In fact, according to one study in America, infants whose mother used Paxil while pregnant had a 50 per cent higher likelihood of enduring a malformed heart than infants whose mother chose to use another antidepressant drug.

For a vital organ such as the heart, any ailment is a serious matter, and in this case a Paxil birth defect to the heart can be quite serious. Such a Paxil injury can be manifested as a substantial congenital malformation, as well as in the form of some other cardiovascular defect.

Be alert to Paxil’s birth defects risks before using the antidepressant drug

Paxil continues to be prescribed by physicians to patients, yet Paxil can be a dangerous drug. That’s because the antidepressant, when taken by pregnant women, can lead to birth defects in their babies. Nor should nursing women take Paxil, since its ill effects can go to the baby in that manner.

Alerts and warnings about such Paxil side effects are intended to help consumers and their physicians choose medications wisely. Sometimes the need for an antidepressant may balance out the possible Paxil side effects risks. But expectant mothers are urged to proceed with caution, just in case.

A woman’s unborn baby is particularly vulnerable to Paxil birth defects when his or her mother uses the defective drug during the first three months -- or first trimester -- of her pregnancy. Such Paxil birth defects can include serious injuries to the lung, brain, heart or additional vital organs, sometimes leading to surgeries to correct.

Corporate greed leads to Paxil birth defects

In hindsight, it looked like a corporate dream. Flood the market with a product bound to be popular. Hide the side effects. Make money.

Those are the charges against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the maker of Paxil, an anti-depressant drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1992. It’s estimated that GSK made $942 million in 2008 from sales of Paxil, a full 16 years after it went on the market and 13 years after warnings about its connections to life-threatening birth defects first surfaced. All told, Paxil is said to generate close to $3 billion in annual sales for GSK, according to consumer affairs.com.

Heart, lung injuries are among serious Paxil birth defects, but others also lurk

The biggest victims of Paxil are actually small. They’re babies. And they don’t even take the defective drug. Rather, a fetus can be injured by the antidepressant when a woman takes Paxil while pregnant, and even newborns can suffer injury if a breastfeeding mother is on the drug.

What kind of Paxil birth defects and injuries impact infants? Some of the worst are heart and lung damages necessitating surgeries. Such heart injuries or lung injuries may require tube feeding, respiratory support and prolonged stays in the hospital.

Paxil causes birth defects, leading to Paxil lawsuits

You’re pregnant!

Immediately a big warning ought to flick on in your head like a giant neon sign in Times Square: DON’T TAKE PAXIL.

Avoid it like poison if you need to stave off the blues. It’s that important. This anti-depressant can cause serious birth defects – bad news for moms trying to cope with mood swings caused by fluctuating hormonal levels in early pregnancy. What’s worse, that fact that Paxil is associated with serious birth defects hasn’t had much publicity.

The warning signs about Paxil’s connection to serious birth defects went up five years ago. In 2005, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared that “The early results of two studies showed that women who took Paxil during the first three months of pregnancy were about two and a half times as likely to have a baby with a heart defect as women who received other antidepressants or women in the general population.”

Paxil birth defects lead to hundreds of lawsuits; LawyerPaxil.com can help

As news spreads that Paxil is a dangerous drug, more and more Americans are stepping up to press for financial recovery from manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline in Paxil side effects lawsuits. And LawyerPaxil.com can help, providing a Paxil lawyer for victims in states across America.

How many Paxil lawsuits already exist? Earlier this year, more than 600 Paxil lawsuits had been filed in America, and that number continues to grow.

That doesn’t mean you have less of a chance of collecting damages. Rather, it may mean you have a better chance, as the weight of evidence and the number of victims mounts against GSK, which must be held accountable for its negligence.

Why is GlaxoSmith Kline, or GSK, losing Paxil birth defects lawsuits?

Victims of Paxil birth defects are legally entitled to seek financial compensation for their losses, including medical costs, and many are filing Paxil lawsuits. Now Americans in states across America can get help in Paxil lawsuits for Paxil birth defects via LawyerPaxil.com.

To date, such lawsuits are winning. In fact, GlaxoSmithKline, the British pharmaceutical corporation which creates Paxil, has settled a reported 200 lawsuits in victims’ favor so far. Such Paxil lawsuits have asserted that the antidepressant drug, when used by pregnant women, caused birth defects in their newborn babies, and GSK is thus negligent and liable for their losses.

Users of antidepressant defective drug Paxil may ask: What is depression?

Defective drug Paxil is an antidepressant prescribed by doctors to relieve patients’ depression, and in doing, so can cause birth defects such as heart ailments requiring surgery. Such costly surgeries may merit engaging a Paxil lawyer or attorney to press a defective drugs lawsuit.

But exactly what is depression, the condition that precipitated Paxil use?

You often may have heard someone say, “I’m so depressed.” But are they?

Depression is a medical condition. It does not mean you are simply weary, sad or mildly anxious. Depression, in fact, is a serious medical condition and not a momentary mood swing or a random complaint when things aren’t going well.

Paxil side effects history includes suicide, violence, birth defects

The side effects history of defective drug Paxil extends beyond serious birth defects of the heart, lungs and other vital organs found in the newborns of some women who took Paxil as an antidepressant drug during pregnancy. Using Paxil also has been linked to violent behavior and suicidal impulses, all of which may merit a Paxil lawyer for pursuing a Paxil lawsuit.

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