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.

An SSRI drug affects the level of serotonin, a mood regulator in the brain that’s part of the process of sending signals from one cell to another. Such drugs are designed to reduce panic or anxiety disorders as well as depression, which is a medical condition and should be treated medically.

The study found that fluoxetine has a link to heart problems such as ventricular septal defects. Consuming fluoxetine in an SSRI drug such as Prozac during pregnancy could raise the risk of a heart defect in a baby by two times as much.

But the paroxetine in Paxil was found to be even worse. It could heighten the danger of an infant child being born with right ventricular outflow tract defects by four times as much.

What are some additional SSRI drugs which are prescribed as antidepressants and are potentially dangerous to newborn infants?

They also include the drugs Wellbutrin, Effexor, Lexapro, Remeron, Luvox and Cipralex. SSRI drugs also include two that are prescribed for seizures: Depakote and Topamax.

The worst time for an expectant mother to take such SSRI drugs is in the first trimester of her pregnancy. But birth defects could arise from taking an SSRI antidepressant at other times, too.

Besides cardiac ailments, SSRI drugs can cause harm to the lungs, to the spinal cord and to the brain, among other parts of the body. They also can cause cleft lip, cleft palate, club foot and injuries to the abdominal wall, gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract.

Due to the increased risk of heart problems that they pose, the drugs fluoxetine and paroxetine got special attention in the Finland study. It concluded that those drugs in an SSRI antidepressant should not be an initial option for a woman who’s pregnant or expects to become pregnant and requires an antidepressant to fight depression.

If it’s too late and a newborn baby in your family already has suffered birth defect injury after the mother took an SSRI drug, notify our attorney service for a no-cost legal consultation. You could be eligible for a defective drug lawsuit or Paxil lawsuit seeking financial compensation for your child’s injury.

To get your free legal consultation, notify us by sending in the free case review form you’ll see above or by dialing 1-800-344-9966. We won’t charge you beyond that, either, since, if you engage our services, we’ll be paid only if your case prevails and only from a part of your settlement. You will never write us a check.