SSRI Anti-Depressant Birth Defects

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SSRI Anti-Depressant Birth Defects from Prozac or Zoloft
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, better known as SSRI’s, are used as an antidepressant. SSRI Antidepressants have a known link to birth defects when taken while pregnant. Some of the more popular brands are Zoloft and Prozac, which are included. Taking these drugs while pregnant can increase the risk of the baby having birth defects.

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These birth defects include:

  • Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (or PPHN) – restricts bloodflow and reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood.
  • Craniosynostosis – premature closing of sutures between the skull bones in infants, restricting brain growth and development.

While new drugs are introduced to improve our lives, you must be informed of possible risks. Unfortunately if you took Prozac or Zoloft while pregnant you may have not been warned of the risk of birth defects. Below is a more complete, but certainly not exhaustive, list of known birth defects related to SSRI Anti-Depressants.

PPHN can be generalized as the baby’s respiration system not adjusting to life outside the womb. As such, PPHN is generally noticed by doctors shortly after birth, but 10-20 percent of babies diagnosed with PPHN die despite treatment. If you took Zoloft or Prozac while pregnant and your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms, they may have PPHN:

  • Rapid Breathing
  • Rapid Heart Rate
  • Difficulty Breathing
  • Bluish Skin
  • Heart Murmurs
  • Low Blood Oxygen Levels

Craniosynostosis has also been linked to SSRI’s such as Prozac and Zoloft. Craniosynostosis restricts brain growth and development. Under normal circumstances, the joints holding the baby’s bones within their skulls do not fuse until around the age 2 to allow for brain growth. However, craniosynostosis prematurely fuses and prohibits the baby’s brain from growing. Symptoms of craniosynostosis include,

  • A misshapen skull, with the shape depending on which of the cranial sutures are affected
  • Abnormal feeling “soft spot” (fontanel) on your baby’s skull
  • Early disappearance of the fontanel
  • Slow or no growth of head as your baby grows
  • Development of a raised, hard ridge along affected sutures
  • Increased pressure within the skull (intracranial pressure)

There are also many serious congenital heart defects that can be linked to SSRI Antidepressants. Including,

  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
  • Pulmonary Atresia
  • Tricuspic Atresia
  • Transposition of the Great Vessels
  • Atrial Septal Defect (hole in the heart)
  • Ventricular Septal Defect (hole in the heart)
  • Coarctation of the Aorta
  • Tetralogy of Fallot
  • Double Outlet Right Ventricle
  • Truncus Arteriosus
  • Double Inlet Left Ventricle
  • Double Aortic Arch

A report published in the New England Journal of Medicineshowed that SSRI’s taken inconjunction with obese mothers (BMI of 30)had3.5 times higher odds of giving birth to an infant with conotruncal heart defects, 2.8 higher odds of giving birth to an infant with septal heart defects, and 5.9 percent higher odds of giving birth to an infant with craniosynostosis. Researchers are not sure why the odds increase with weight, but the risks are clear.

Studies have also shown that premature birth occurs at a higher rate when taking an SSRI such as Prosac or Zoloft.

If you feel that your child has been affected by your taking of Prozac or Zoloft, you are entitled to justice and possibly compensation. Your baby does not have to suffer and neither do you. Contact a pharmaceutical lawyer from Johnson Law Group by e-mail, or by calling Nick Johnson at 1-800-624-8899