Ssris And Birth Defects


Houston & Austin Birth Defects Lawyer

During pregnancy, a mother’s use of common anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications – also known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – has been shown to increase the risk of birth defects.

Brand names (and generic names) of common SSRI mediations include Prozac (Fluoxetine), Zoloft (Sertraline), Paxil (Paroxetine), Lexapro (Escitalopram), Celexa (Citalopram), Sarafem (Fluoxetine), Pexeva (Paroxetine), and Symbyax (Fluoxetine with Olanzapine).

Birth defects which have been associated with expectant mothers’ use of SSRI medications include persistent pulmonary hypertensions of newborn (PPHN), skull or cranial defects (craniosyntosis), abdominal wall defects (omphalocele or gastrochsis), esophagus defects (stenosis), anal atresia, and neural tube defects (spina bifida).

SSRIs have also been associated with newborns’ cardiac defects or heart conditions including holes in the heart, heart murmurs, pulmonary stenosis and atresia, valves or aorta stenosis, atrial and ventral defects, ventricular septal and ventricular outflow tract defects, valve complications – especially of the mitral and tricuspid valves, Ebstein’s anomaly, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and right heart syndrome (HRHS), coarctation, transposition of arteries and vessels, patent ductus, arteriosus (PDA), and truncus arteriosus.

Contact Us

If you used an SSRI medication during pregnancy and your child has suffered birth defects as a result of this medication, you are entitled to compensation. The compassionate professionals at Shaw Cowart LLP are experienced litigators, ready to fight for your rights and help you obtain the just compensation you deserve. All you have to do is call them today at 512-499-8900.